The short answer
Microsoft Copilot in Outlook can summarise threads with citations, draft and coach emails, prioritise your inbox, triage mail and create rules from chat, schedule meetings with up to two people and prepare you for meetings. The full set needs a work account with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence; Chat with Copilot needs a business Copilot subscription. Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro include Copilot in Outlook too, with fewer documented features.
| Prompts on this page | 13, in four groups |
|---|---|
| Full feature set | Work account with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence |
| Draft with Copilot | Type / in a new message |
| Schedule with Copilot | Up to two other people |
| Not supported | S/MIME, Double Key Encryption, group mailboxes |
What Copilot in Outlook can do in November 2026
Microsoft's Copilot in Outlook FAQ, last updated in October 2026, and its summary help page list a long set of features. These are the ones the prompts on this page use:
- Summarize: a button at the top of a thread (Summary by Copilot) that extracts the key points, with numbered citations that jump to the email they came from. In new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web you can also choose Summarize a file for Word, PowerPoint and PDF attachments.
- Draft with Copilot: type / in a new message and select it to generate a full draft from a prompt, with a choice of tone and length.
- Coaching by Copilot: feedback on your own draft for tone, sentiment and clarity, with Apply all suggestions.
- Prioritize my inbox: marks incoming mail as high, normal or low priority with a reason; in Settings you can add the topics you want set as high or low priority.
- Triage and rules from chat: pin, flag, archive or delete one or many emails, and create or view Outlook rules by describing them.
- Schedule with Copilot: create a meeting with up to two other people, or add events such as focus time.
- Prepare for your meeting: from a calendar item, gathers context, action items and related emails and chats.
- Chat with Copilot: answers questions using your organisation's information and the web, in a pane beside Outlook.
Copilot cannot read S/MIME or Double Key Encryption emails, and some encrypted, IRM-protected or labelled emails are not supported. It works on primary, shared and delegate mailboxes you can access, but not on group mailboxes or mailboxes outside Exchange Online.
Which plan you need for Copilot in Outlook
This matters more in Outlook than anywhere else, because the features differ sharply by licence.
| Your setup | What Microsoft documents |
|---|---|
| Work account with a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence | The full feature list above. Chat can draw on your inbox, calendar, meetings, chats and enterprise data. |
| Work account with Copilot Chat only (no add-on licence) | Copilot Chat can answer about your inbox, calendar, meetings and other limited data. Microsoft does not say which Outlook features are included. |
| Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium or Pro | Microsoft's pricing page lists Copilot in Outlook for these home plans; on Family only the subscription owner gets AI features. The Outlook FAQ describes the work licence, so some features may not appear. |
Copilot in Outlook runs in Outlook for Windows (classic and new), Outlook for Mac (latest version only), Outlook on the web, and Outlook for iOS and Android. Microsoft's comparison of new and classic Outlook lists scheduling a meeting with Copilot from an email thread in new Outlook only, while summaries, Draft with Copilot and coaching work in both. Check current prices on Microsoft's official pricing page.
Copilot prompts for catching up on email
For a single thread, the Summarize button is quicker than any prompt. Prompts earn their place when you need something the button does not give: decisions across several threads, or what is waiting on you. The What needs me today and Catch up after time off prompts go in Chat with Copilot, which needs a work account with a business Copilot licence.
Copilot prompts for writing and replying
These prompts go in Draft with Copilot (type / in a new message or reply). The Turn a long draft into a short one prompt works in Chat with Copilot, where you paste the draft. Good drafting prompts give the purpose, the reader, the facts and a length. After the draft, run Coaching by Copilot on anything sensitive; it is the fastest way to catch a sentence that reads colder than you meant.
Copilot prompts for organising the inbox
Copilot can triage mail and create rules from a plain description. Start in the Prioritize my inbox settings, where you add the topics that should be set as high or low priority (this is done in Settings, not by prompt), then use the triage and rule prompts. Review any rule it creates before relying on it.
Copilot prompts for meetings and calendar
Schedule with Copilot handles meetings with up to two other people; larger meetings still need the Scheduling Assistant. Prepare for your meeting works best when the meeting has shared files or earlier emails. Microsoft notes it gives generic results when there is little to draw on.
How to adapt these prompts
- Name people, projects and dates. Copilot searches your mailbox, so specific names find the right threads.
- Ask for citations. Summaries already include numbered citations. In chat, ask it to list the emails it used, and open them before you act.
- Set length and tone in the prompt. Draft with Copilot also has tone and length options, but stating "under 120 words" in the prompt is more precise.
- Keep sensitive replies human. Use Copilot for the first draft and coaching, but write anything about pay, performance, legal disputes or complaints yourself.
- Summaries switch language on some devices. On Mac, iOS and Android you can show the summary in Outlook's language, but the setting resets when Outlook closes.
When Copilot in Outlook is the right tool
Use it when your company runs on Microsoft 365: it sees your mailbox and calendar with your existing permissions, and on work accounts enterprise data protection means prompts and responses are not used to train foundation models. If your company uses Google Workspace, see Gemini prompts for Gmail and Docs. For more on the product, read our Microsoft Copilot guide, Copilot vs Gemini, best AI for writing emails, best AI for meeting notes and the Copilot lessons.
Prompts to copy
What needs me today
Look at my email from the last [two days]. List the messages that need a reply or action from me, most urgent first. For each give the sender, what they need, any deadline and a link to the email. Leave out newsletters and automated notifications.
You get: A short, ranked list of what is waiting on you
Catch up after time off
I was out from [date] to [date]. Summarise what happened in my email and meetings about [project or team]: decisions made, open questions, and anything assigned to me. Group it by topic and link each point to the email or meeting it came from.
You get: A sourced catch-up after leave
Find the latest on a topic across threads
What is the latest position on [topic, such as the Acme renewal price] across my email? Tell me what was last agreed, who said it and when, and whether anyone disagreed afterwards. Cite the emails.
You get: The current answer, not just the newest email
Draft a reply that says yes and no
Draft a reply that agrees to [request A] but declines [request B] because [reason]. Offer [alternative] for B. Polite, clear and under 120 words.
You get: A balanced reply ready to edit
Write a follow-up after a meeting
Draft a follow-up email to [attendees] after our meeting about [topic]. Include the three decisions we made: [decisions], the actions with owners and dates: [actions], and the date of the next check-in. Under 150 words, with the actions as a list.
You get: A clear follow-up with owners and dates
Turn a long draft into a short one
Rewrite my draft so it is under [number] words, puts the request in the first sentence, and keeps every date and number: [paste draft]
You get: A shorter email that gets read
Ask for something firmly but politely
Draft an email to [name] asking for [item, such as the signed contract] by [date]. This is the [second] reminder. Be friendly but firm, explain what is blocked without it: [impact], and make it easy to reply. Under 100 words.
You get: A reminder that gets action without friction
Rank my unread email
Look at my unread email from the last [number] days. Rank the messages that need action from me as high, normal or low priority, with one line on why for each. Use related Teams chats and documents to judge urgency, treat anything about [topics, such as client escalations or invoices] or from [people] as high, and leave out newsletters and automated notifications. Link each email.
You get: A ranked to-do list from your unread mail, with reasons
Create a rule in plain English
Create a rule that moves emails from [sender or domain] with [word] in the subject to the [folder name] folder and marks them as read. Show me the rule before you turn it on.
You get: An Outlook rule without the rules dialog
Clear out old notifications
Archive all emails from [sender, such as noreply addresses from our ticketing system] older than [time period], except any flagged messages.
You get: A lighter inbox in one request
Book a meeting from a thread
Schedule a 30-minute meeting with [person] and [person] next week about this thread, at a time that works for all of us, and add a three-point agenda based on the emails.
You get: An invite with an agenda, from the thread itself
Protect time for deep work
Add two hours of focus time to my calendar on [days] next week, in the morning where I have no meetings, and call it [name].
You get: Blocked time for real work
Prepare for a meeting
Prepare me for my [meeting name] meeting on [day]. Summarise the related emails, chats and files, list open action items from last time, and suggest three questions I should ask.
You get: A one-screen briefing before you walk in