Let’s be honest — the average person still thinks Copilot is just some AI robot that magically takes notes during meetings. But if that’s all you’re using it for, you’re missing the point. Microsoft 365 Copilot is integrated into the tools you already use — Outlook, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and more — and the real value starts when you understand what it can actually do in each of those contexts.

Yes, Copilot can transcribe a meeting. But it can also rewrite a 15-paragraph email thread into a single clear message. It can visualize a year’s worth of Excel data in one sentence. It can generate a branded presentation in seconds using your existing Word docs. In other words — if your only experience with Copilot is having it sit in a Teams meeting and churn out minutes, you are driving a sports car in first gear.

This post will break down what Copilot actually does in each Microsoft 365 app — and how you can start using it today. And if you’re wondering which features are free and which ones require a license, I’ve got you covered there too.

Copilot across Microsoft 365: what each app can do

App	What Copilot Can Do	License Required	Learn More
Outlook	Summarize threads, rewrite emails, suggest replies, extract key info	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot in Outlook
Teams	Summarize meetings, suggest action items, recall links and decisions	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot in Teams
Excel	Analyze data, generate summaries, visualize trends, suggest formulas	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot in Excel
PowerPoint	Create slides from Word docs, summarize decks, apply branded design	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot in PowerPoint
Word	Generate drafts, summarize text, rewrite in different tone or voice	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot in Word
OneNote	Summarize notes, organize content, extract key points, draft follow-ups	Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot in OneNote
Loop	Generate ideas, brainstorm, rewrite and expand content inside components	Included with Microsoft 365	Covered in What’s Free with Copilot
Stream	Summarize videos (with transcription), extract key topics and time markers	Included with Microsoft 365	Covered in What’s Free with Copilot

Remember — many of these experiences only work if you have the right license. If you’re using a work account and still not seeing any of this, talk to your IT team. If you’re on a personal account, you may want to explore Copilot Pro vs Microsoft 365 Copilot for a breakdown of what you actually get.

Microsoft 365 Copilot is more than a fancy add-on. It’s a fundamentally different way of working — and the sooner you understand what’s possible in each app, the faster you’ll stop wasting time copying, pasting, formatting, and typing things that Copilot could have done for you in seconds.