Our Verdict
What is Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 Copilot is shaping up to be one of the most practical AI assistants for the workplace. Built directly into Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and other Microsoft apps, it feels less like a separate tool and more like an integrated work partner. In Word, it can draft or polish documents; in Excel, it analyzes data and builds charts on command; in Outlook, it summarizes long email threads; and in Teams, it keeps track of meetings with notes and action items. What makes Copilot stand out is how it combines the power of large language models with data from Microsoft Graph, pulling context from your files, emails, and calendar. While still developing, it already shows strong potential to boost productivity by reducing repetitive tasks and streamlining workflows. For professionals who live in Microsoft’s ecosystem, Copilot could soon become an essential part of everyday work.
Is Microsoft 365 Copilot worth registering and paying for
Microsoft 365 Copilot can be a valuable investment for people and businesses who rely heavily on Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, as it saves time by writing, summarizing, analyzing data, and pulling information directly from emails, calendars, and documents. Its deep integration with Microsoft Graph makes it context-aware, while enterprise-grade security and compliance features strengthen its appeal for professional use. However, the cost is steep—about $30 per user per month on top of an existing Microsoft 365 subscription—and some users report that its accuracy and usefulness can vary depending on the task. For heavy Microsoft 365 users who deal with constant documents, emails, and meetings, Copilot is likely worth paying for, but for light users or those already satisfied with free or cheaper AI assistants like ChatGPT, it may not justify the expense.
Our experience
As a group deeply embedded in Microsoft’s ecosystem for work, we’ve been using Microsoft 365 Copilot, and it’s quickly becoming a game-changer for our productivity. Integrated seamlessly into tools like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams, Copilot feels like a smart colleague who’s always ready to assist, streamlining tasks and cutting down on repetitive work.
Getting started with Copilot was effortless, as it’s baked right into the Microsoft 365 apps we already use daily. In Word, we’ve been amazed by how it drafts documents from rough outlines or polishes our writing with sharper phrasing and better structure—saving us hours on reports and proposals. In Excel, Copilot’s ability to analyze data, generate formulas, and create charts with simple prompts has been a lifesaver for crunching numbers and presenting insights, even for those of us less comfortable with spreadsheets.
In Outlook, Copilot’s email thread summarization has been a standout, condensing long chains into concise points, which helped us stay on top of busy inboxes. It also suggested professional responses, speeding up our replies without sacrificing tone. In Teams, Copilot shined during meetings, generating real-time notes, highlighting action items, and even pulling relevant context from our emails and files via Microsoft Graph, making follow-ups a breeze.
The integration with Microsoft Graph is what sets Copilot apart. By tapping into our calendars, documents, and communications, it delivers context-aware assistance—like suggesting meeting agendas based on prior emails or pulling data from shared files for a quick analysis. This made our workflows feel cohesive and efficient, with less time spent searching for information.
That said, there were minor growing pains. As a still-evolving tool, Copilot occasionally misinterprets complex prompts, requiring us to refine our instructions. The cost (around $30/user/month for enterprise plans) adds up, especially for larger teams, and it’s not available in all Microsoft 365 subscriptions yet. Also, while it’s powerful within Microsoft’s ecosystem, it’s less useful for those relying on non-Microsoft tools.
Overall, Microsoft 365 Copilot has been like an invisible assistant, quietly boosting our productivity across daily tasks. It’s made our work in Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams smoother and smarter, with potential to become indispensable as it matures. For professionals living in Microsoft’s ecosystem, we highly recommend Copilot for its seamless, time-saving integration.