Microsoft Copilot for beginners — first find out which Copilot you have

Start by identifying the Copilot you are using

Microsoft uses the Copilot name for several different assistants. So the first useful question is not “what can Copilot do?” but “which account and application am I using it in?”. Once you know this, you can try one small task without private information.

How to try it for the first time with a personal account

Copilot with a personal account is suitable for everyday conversation, brainstorming and editing text.

1. 1

   Open Copilot with a personal account

   Open Copilot in a browser or app. Sign in only if you want to use your own personal account.

2. 2

   Check which account you are using

   A personal account shows your own name or email address. A work or school account usually shows the organisation’s name on the sign-in screen or in Copilot’s menu.

3. 3

   Choose a harmless first task

   Try a shopping list, a polite message or organising a hobby idea, for example.

4. 4

   Ask for one clear response

   State your goal and preferred format, such as three points or a short message.

5. 5

   Refine it if necessary

   Ask for a shorter, friendlier or more practical version.

Copilot’s distinctive strength: an image in the same conversation

One distinctive feature of personal Copilot is that you can request an image directly in the same conversation. Images are created using the image generation feature built into Copilot chat, without a separate app — the same personal Microsoft account you already use to sign in to Copilot is enough, and the feature is available free of charge without a work or school account. Try it first — it is the clearest demonstration of what this particular Copilot does differently from many other conversational assistants.

Create an image for a friend’s birthday card: a cheerful spring flower meadow in the morning sunshine, in pastel blue and yellow, in a digital watercolour style. Do not add text to the image. Once the image is ready, suggest one short birthday greeting for the inside of the card.

Create a new version of the same image in the same conversation: change the flower meadow to sunset colours, orange and burgundy, and keep the same digital watercolour style without text in the image. Suggest another, slightly more festive birthday greeting for the inside of this version of the card.

Make a checklist for identifying the Copilot version I am using. Ask separately about my account, organisation’s instructions, connected services, files and permissions. Mark every item that I need to check myself in settings.

Once you know the basics: Copilot at work or school

With a work or school account, Copilot operates within your organisation’s Microsoft 365 environment: permissions, available features and instructions come from there, rather than from personal account settings. With a personal account, you can manage personalisation and memory yourself in Copilot’s settings; with a work or school account, your organisation determines these.

Copilot in Outlook: “Summarise this email thread in three points and suggest a short reply confirming the time of tomorrow’s meeting.”

GitHub Copilot is a separate tool

GitHub Copilot is an assistant for programmers within a code editor. If you do not write code yet, you do not need to learn it as part of this guide. It is different from personal Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot.