How to Use AI in Outlook 365: A Practical Copilot Guide

To use AI in Outlook 365, you use Copilot, Microsoft’s built-in assistant: open an email and select Summarize to get the key points of a thread, or start a message and pick Draft with Copilot to have it write a first version for you. You need an eligible account (a Microsoft 365 Copilot license at work, or a Copilot-enabled home plan), and the newest features show up first in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook on the web.

Below is what you need, where to find each feature, and the limits worth knowing before you rely on it. Microsoft changes Copilot often, so treat menu names and availability as accurate as of November 2026.

What you need before Copilot shows up

Copilot in Outlook isn’t tied to every Outlook install. Whether you see it depends on your account and your version of Outlook.

Your account and license

Microsoft’s Copilot in Outlook FAQ says you need either a Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) license or a Copilot-enabled home subscription. For home users, Microsoft’s subscription FAQ explains that Personal and Family plans now include Copilot with AI credits. On a Family plan, only the subscription owner gets those credits; other family members sharing the plan don’t.

There’s also a lighter option for work and school users. Microsoft’s page on how Copilot Chat works in Microsoft 365 apps says people with an eligible work or school subscription can use Copilot Chat in Outlook without the paid Copilot add-on, to ask questions about their inbox, calendar and meetings. It doesn’t get the broader organization-wide grounding that the paid license provides. Purdue University’s IT team noted in April 2026 that Microsoft pulled in-app Copilot Chat from Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote for unlicensed users, but kept it in Outlook.

A few account types are excluded. Per Microsoft’s FAQ:

• Third-party accounts (for example Gmail) added to Outlook don’t get Copilot features.
• Encrypted emails can’t be read by Copilot.

Your version of Outlook

If you’re unsure, try Outlook on the web at outlook.office.com with your licensed account. That’s the quickest way to check whether the problem is your license or your app.

How to summarize a long email thread

This is the feature most people get value from on day one. Microsoft’s summarize guide explains that Copilot scans the thread for key points and writes a summary.

1. Open the email thread you want to catch up on.
2. Select Summarize (labelled Summary by Copilot in some versions) at the top of the message.
3. Read the summary that appears at the top of the email.
4. Click the numbered citations, where shown, to jump to the message each point came from.

The citations matter. Before you act on a summary (agreeing to a deadline, say), click through and check that the point says what Copilot claims it does.

How to draft a new email or reply

Microsoft’s drafting guide covers two slightly different paths depending on your Outlook version.

In new Outlook and Outlook on the web

1. Select New mail, or Reply on an existing message.
2. Select the Copilot icon in the toolbar and choose Draft with Copilot.
3. Type what the email should do, for example: “Tell the team the launch moves to Thursday and ask for blockers by Tuesday.”
4. Review the draft. You can refine it with follow-up instructions, regenerate it, or keep it and edit by hand.
5. Read it once more before you hit Send.

One catch: Draft with Copilot in the new Outlook and on the web doesn’t support plain-text messages. If the option is greyed out, switch the message format to HTML.

In classic Outlook for Windows

Start a new message, then pick Draft with Copilot from the Copilot dropdown on the toolbar. The rest works the same way.

The newer side-by-side drafting experience

Microsoft has been rolling out a way to work with Copilot inside the compose window, so you can go back and forth with it while you write. According to Message Center post MC1239932 (summary on M365 Admin), the rollout was scheduled to start in early March 2026 for Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows, followed by Mac, iOS and Android, with classic Outlook for Windows planned for “later in 2026.” Reports disagree on exact completion dates, and I couldn’t confirm whether it has reached classic Outlook yet. If you don’t see it, your tenant or app may not have it yet.

How to get feedback on your own drafts

Email coaching is the feature people tend to overlook. Instead of writing for you, it reviews what you wrote. Microsoft’s coaching guide says it gives suggestions on tone, sentiment and clarity, which you can apply to your draft directly.

1. Write your email as normal (Microsoft’s guide notes it needs a reasonably substantial draft to work with).
2. Select the Copilot icon in the compose toolbar and choose the coaching option (Coaching by Copilot).
3. Review the suggestions and apply the ones you agree with.

It’s especially useful for tricky messages, like pushing back on a request or delivering bad news, where how it sounds matters as much as what it says.

How to turn an email thread into a meeting

If a thread ends with “let’s just get on a call,” Copilot can set that up. Microsoft’s meeting agenda guide describes it:

1. Open the thread.
2. Select Schedule with Copilot in the toolbar. In the new Outlook it may be under More options > Other reply actions.
3. Copilot proposes a meeting title and agenda, adds the people on the thread as attendees, and attaches the thread.
4. Edit the invite as needed and send it.

If the thread doesn’t say much about next steps, Copilot leaves the agenda out. Microsoft’s page says this feature requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot (work) license, and sources disagree on which platforms have it beyond the new Outlook and the web.

How to ask Copilot questions about your inbox

With Copilot Chat in Outlook, you can ask about your mail and calendar in plain language, for example “What did finance ask me for this week?” or “What meetings do I have tomorrow that need prep?” Without the paid license, answers are limited to your inbox, calendar and meetings. With it, Copilot can draw on emails, meetings, chats and documents across Microsoft 365, per Microsoft’s Copilot Chat page.

Habits that make Copilot in Outlook worth it

• Be specific in prompts. Name the audience, the goal and the deadline. “Decline politely and suggest next month” works better than “reply to this.”
• Treat drafts as drafts. Copilot can misread who agreed to what in a long thread. Check names, dates and commitments every time.
• Use summaries for triage, not decisions. They’re good for deciding which threads need your full attention. Read the source messages before committing to anything.
• Know your plan’s limits. Home plans run on AI credits, so heavy daily use may run into them. Check Microsoft’s subscription FAQ for how credits work on your plan.

If you don’t want Copilot in Outlook

Microsoft has added a control to turn Copilot on or off in Outlook. In the new Outlook, it’s reported to be in Copilot’s settings as a per-account toggle. The location varies by version, and some classic Outlook users report not finding it. For home subscribers, the subscription FAQ also covers turning Copilot off across apps. On a work account, your IT admin controls availability.