Utilize Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

  • 4 minutes

Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat offers a UI designed to boost productivity and facilitate learning in both professional and educational settings. Users can easily identify their protection status by the green shield icon located in the top right corner of the interface. The right panel provides quick access to agents and recent chats, while the center of the UI offers suggested prompts to help users get started efficiently.

The Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat interface

The following diagram provides an overview of the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat interface:

Screenshot of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat interface and all the functions.

Tip

Use the GPT-5 button by selecting “Try GPT 5” to experience the latest AI model with advanced reasoning and richer responses. Once activated, Copilot will use GPT-5 for that session. Copilot Chat also automatically selects the right model based on the context to more closely mirror how humans approach problems, whether that’s offering quick, intuitive answers to simple problems, or taking more time to apply deeper reasoning to answer more complex ones.

How to chat in 3 steps

  1. Enter your prompt in the prompt box
    • What is a "prompt?" Prompts are how you have a conversation with Copilot Chat. Use natural, plain, and clear language to ask Copilot questions or give instructions, while providing context as you would with an assistant.

    Note

    While this is a great start, there are techniques you can use to prompt Copilot for more specific, targeted responses. In Module 2, we’ll dive deeper into the art of prompting and show you how to structure prompts for the best results.

    • Once you’ve entered your detailed prompt in the prompt box at the bottom, click the “send” button on the bottom-right of the prompt box or click “enter” on your keyboard. Then wait for Copilot to give you a response.
  2. Check the sources: Copilot Chat is transparent about the sources of the information it gives. See these sources listed underneath the answer. Vet these sources and validate your answers.
  3. Continue the conversation: You can ask Copilot follow-up questions as you would in a conversation. You can get Copilot to refine the answer too by asking it to “Write a shorter answer" or "Give me more detail." You can also select the suggested prompts it gives you based on your conversation.