Copilot has changed quite a bit since the start of this year. Not only does the bot have an official app, but now anyone with a Microsoft 365 account can access Copilot in apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Before, it was exclusive to business users.
If you have Microsoft 365 and Copilot Pro, or your company uses this suite of tools, there are some new Copilot features you can access right now. Microsoft announced a list of 14 new Copilot features rolling out this month, but seven of those really apply to admins and management. For the rest of us, the other seven are key new features to look out for:
You can generate images directly in Word and Powerpoint documents
This month, both Word and Powerpoint will let you generate images and search for stock images using Copilot via Microsoft Designer. If you prompt Copilot to generate you an image, it will create and present the usual series of options, which you can choose from to insert into your doc. When using the feature in Powerpoint, Designer will incorporate it in a "compelling slide design."
Reference PDFs, emails, and meetings in Word
Starting last month, Microsoft rolled out the ability to reference PDFs and encrypted Word docs using Copilot in Word. This month, the company will also add the ability to reference Microsoft Cloud info, which includes your emails and meetings. Those updates add on to the data types you could reference previously, including Word and PowerPoint files.
Going forward, you will be able to pull these files types into your prompts with Copilot in Word. If you call on Copilot and ask it to write you a project proposal, you can have Copilot base it on one of these files from an expanded menu. If you discussed the project in depth in a meeting, or if the notes are laid out in a PDF, Copilot will be able to analyze that doc or file and generate a report from it.
Expanded support for creating PowerPoint presentations from PDFs and encrypted Word files
Similarly, Microsoft rolled out the ability to create PowerPoint presentations from new PDF and Word file types in June. You can also reference Word docs and PowerPoint presentations in PowerPoint itself.
However you create a PowerPoint presentation with Copilot, you should notice three key improvements to how the AI handles the PowerPoint doc, including improved titles, sections, and slides; presentation structures with slides for your agenda, sections, and conclusion; and new transitions and animations.
In addition, PowerPoint chat can answer questions using Microsoft cloud, Microsoft Graph, and Bing.
New features in Excel
Microsoft announced three new Copilot features for Excel, all of which are rolling out this month:
Copilot now works with data ranges "resembling tables" with headers along a single row. Microsoft says this is more efficient than before, as you won't need to format data before calling in Copilot.
The edit box is available no matter which cell you have selected, so you can use Copilot without needing to worry about where you are in your spreadsheet.
Copilot will be more conversational with its responses to questions about Excel data, including offering step-by-step instructions for certain tasks.
Copilot in Teams
Do you know who you're chatting with at work? You may think you do, but the more AI features take over our work programs, the less you may be interacting with a real human being.
A new Teams features rolling out right now is Copilot integration in Teams chats and channels. After typing out your message, you can prompt Copilot to adjust your words in any way you want. Microsoft suggests prompts like "add a call to action," "make it persuasive," or "convert my message into a list and add inclusive language."
You might think your boss sent the team a hand-written message, or that you're having a fun chat with a coworker. But, for all you know, they used Copilot to change their words. You may, in fact, be chatting with an LLM.
Copilot lets you rewrite content in SharePoint
Copilot rewriting has come to SharePoint: If you use the app to create websites for your organization, you'll be able to use familiar Copilot tools to rewrite text. It doesn't seem like there's anything particularly innovative here, mind you. It seems like these are the usual rewriting tools you'd expect from generative AI. However, now you can use them directly in SharePoint. This is rolling out this month.
Copilot in Loop
Loop is Microsoft's collaborative workspace app, allowing team members to work together on a project in real time. While you can start a project from scratch with a blank canvas or from a template, Microsoft wants you to use Copilot to generate a "structured document ready for team collaboration." If you use Loop, you can try asking Copilot to set up your workspace based on whatever parameters you need. Microsoft introduced this feature in May.
