The short answer
To write better emails with AI, tell it the reader, what you need from them and the facts, then edit the draft. In Outlook, Microsoft's Copilot drafts from the Copilot icon above a new message (Draft, then Generate, then Keep it) with a Microsoft 365 subscription or work licence. In Gmail, Google's Help me write drafts from the prompt bar in the compose window with an eligible Google AI or Workspace plan, or a personal account in the US. For hard emails, ChatGPT or Claude work well for free.
What you need before you start
- The point of the email in one sentence. "I need Priya to approve the budget by Friday" is a point. If you cannot write it, the AI cannot either.
- The facts. Dates, numbers, names, what was agreed. AI fills gaps with guesses, so give it everything that must be right.
- The reader and the relationship. A new client, your manager, a supplier you are annoyed with. Tone depends on it.
- One of these tools:
- Copilot in Outlook: with Microsoft 365 Personal, Family (owner only), Premium or Pro, or a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence at work. Microsoft's help page says to ask your IT admin if you cannot access it.
- Help me write in Gmail: Google lists two routes: an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan, available globally, or a personal Google Account, which is restricted to the US. Outside the US you need an eligible plan. Google AI Plus is the cheapest Google AI plan that lists Gemini in Gmail.
- A chatbot: ChatGPT Free or Claude Free, for any email client.
- A privacy check. Do not paste confidential threads into a personal chatbot account. Use your work tools, or switch off training (ChatGPT: Settings, Data controls, Improve the model for everyone; Claude: Settings, Privacy, Help Improve our AI models).
How to draft an email with Copilot in Outlook
These steps are for new Outlook and Outlook on the web, from Microsoft's support page.
- Select Home, then New mail.
- Select the Copilot icon in the toolbar above the blank email and choose Draft from the dropdown. If the icon is not in the toolbar, select the Copilot icon or the Draft with Copilot text in the message area.
- In the Copilot box, type your prompt, or pick and edit a suggested one.
- Select the Generate arrow.
- If it is not right, use the dropdown options to change length or tone, or write a new prompt and generate again.
- When you are happy, select Keep it, edit the draft and select Send.
Two details from Microsoft's page: Draft with Copilot does not work on plain-text messages in new Outlook and the web (switch to HTML in Settings, Mail, Compose and reply), and in classic Outlook the steps are Home, New Email, the Copilot icon, Draft with Copilot, Generate, then Keep. To rework part of an email, select the text, click the Copilot button and choose an option.
How to draft an email with Gemini in Gmail
- Open Gmail and click Compose at the top left, or reply to an email.
- Type your message or leave it blank, then enter your prompt in the prompt bar at the bottom of the compose window. If you cannot see it, click Help me write.
- Click Create.
- Refine with a new instruction ("Mention the Friday deadline") or the Formalize, Friendly and Shorten options. Use Undo and Redo to move between drafts.
Google says Help me write can pull details from your other emails and Drive files to personalise a draft; click Sources to see which ones it used, and check them.
A method for the emails that matter
For a hard email, such as saying no, chasing a late payment, giving bad news or asking for something big, a chatbot conversation works better than a one-shot draft.
- Brief it. Reader, relationship, the one-sentence point, the facts, the tone, and the length.
- Ask for two versions with different approaches (direct and warm, or short and detailed).
- Ask it to play the reader. "Read this as [person]. What would annoy or confuse you?"
- Fix the first line and the ask. The opening should say why you are writing; the ask should say exactly what you need and by when.
- Edit it into your voice and check every fact, name and date before sending.
A worked example: chasing a late invoice without damaging the relationship
Ben runs a small design studio. A long-standing client is 30 days late on a payment, and Ben does not want to sound angry.
- He opens Claude and writes the brief: reader is Jo, the client's operations lead, friendly for three years; invoice 2041 for the spring campaign was due on 3 October; it is now 30 days overdue; Ben wants payment or a date by next Friday; tone warm but clear; under 120 words.
- Claude gives two versions. The direct one opens "I'm writing about invoice 2041, which was due on 3 October." The softer one opens with small talk.
- Ben asks Claude to read both as Jo. It says the softer one buries the request and might be skimmed.
- He picks the direct version, adds "I know these things slip through" in his own words, and checks the invoice number and date against his accounts.
- He pastes it into Outlook and sends it. Jo replies the same day with a payment date.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Prompts with no facts. "Write a follow-up" gives a hollow email. Fix: include the who, what, when and the ask.
- Too long. AI drafts pad. Fix: give a word limit and use Shorten in Gmail or the length options in Outlook.
- Wrong details pulled from other emails. Gmail and Outlook can use your mail and files as context. Fix: check names, dates and figures, and in Gmail look at Sources.
- A tone that is not yours. Fix: paste a couple of your own emails as examples and edit the opening and closing yourself.
- Sending without reading. Fix: read it once as the recipient would, then send.
- Over-using AI for short replies. A two-line reply is faster to type. Fix: save AI for emails that are long, sensitive or important.
Which AI tool to use for emails
| Your situation | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You work in Outlook with Microsoft 365 | Copilot in Outlook | Drafts inside the message, with tone and length options |
| You work in Gmail with a Google AI or Workspace plan | Help me write | Drafts in the compose window and can use your mail and Drive for context |
| A hard or high-stakes email, any client | Claude or ChatGPT | Free, good at tone, can play the reader |
| Final spelling and tone check | Grammarly | Works across apps; Free has 100 AI prompts a month |
Our opinion: use the assistant built into your email client for everyday drafts, because it saves copying and pasting, and a chatbot for the few emails a week that really matter. Note that ChatGPT added iCloud Mail and Calendar plugins on all plans in October 2026, which can find emails and catch up on your inbox. For more, see the best AI for writing emails, prompts for emails, Copilot prompts for Outlook and Gemini prompts for Gmail and Docs. Tool guides: Copilot, Gemini, Grammarly and Claude.
Prompts to copy
Draft from a brief
Write an email to [name, role, relationship]. The point: [one sentence]. Facts: [dates, numbers, what was agreed]. What I need from them: [ask] by [date]. Tone: [tone]. Under [number] words. Open with why I am writing; end with the ask.
You get: A clear first draft with the ask up front
Say no kindly
Help me decline [request] from [person]. Reason: [honest reason]. I want to keep the relationship and offer [alternative, if any]. Give me two versions under 100 words: one warm, one brief.
You get: A polite no in two styles
Read it as the recipient
Read this email as [recipient, their role and mood]. What would confuse, annoy or worry you? What would you reply? Then suggest the smallest edits that fix those problems. [paste email]
You get: Problems spotted before you send
Shorten a long email
Cut this email to under [number] words without losing any fact, date or request. Put the main point in the first sentence and the request in a line of its own. [paste email]
You get: A shorter email that still says everything
Reply to a long thread
Here is an email thread: [paste]. Summarise what is being asked of me in three bullets, then draft a reply that answers each point in order, in under 150 words.
You get: A reply that answers every question
Match my voice
Here are three emails I wrote: [paste]. Describe my writing style in five bullets. Then rewrite the draft below in that style, keeping every fact. [paste draft]
You get: Drafts that sound like you