Copilot Prompts for Work: 12 for Outlook, Teams and Word

Copilot prompts for work are short instructions you type into Microsoft 365 Copilot to catch up on mail, recap meetings, and draft documents from your own files. The 12 prompts below are grouped by app, and each one states a goal, the source to use, and the format you want back. Replace the bracketed parts with your real projects and people, then open the sources Copilot cites before you forward anything.

Data note: Use Copilot only with your work account and follow your company's data rules. Do not paste confidential client, HR, or financial data into consumer AI tools, and check the sources Copilot cites before you forward a summary.

Outlook: inbox and calendar

1. Monday catch-up

Summarize my unread emails since [day] about [project or customer]. Group them by topic, flag anything with a deadline this week, and tell me which to answer first.

2. Reply draft with a clear next step

Draft a reply to this email that answers [question], confirms [owner] is handling [task], and gives the next update date. Keep it under 100 words and friendly.

3. Meeting prep from mail

When is my next meeting with [person]? Draft an agenda from my recent emails with them, with 3 topics and one decision I need.

Teams: meetings and chats

4. Meeting recap with owners

Recap this meeting: decisions, open questions, and action items with owners. Separate what I promised from what others promised.

5. Unread chat triage

Catch me up on unread chats from today. List anything that mentions me or [project], and suggest a one-line reply for each.

6. Escalation status

Summarize the chats, emails, and files about the [customer or issue] escalation. What is the next milestone, who owns it, and is it at risk?

Word: drafts from your files

7. Status report

Draft a weekly status for [manager] with one line per project ([projects]): what changed, next step, and help needed. Under 150 words.

8. Plan in the style of a past file

Write a planning overview in the style of /[file] using the timeline in /[second file]. Keep the same headings.

9. Reader questions

What questions would [audience] ask after reading this document? List 5 and point to the paragraph that should answer each.

Copilot Chat: across your work

10. Latest from a colleague

What's the latest from /[person], organized by emails, chats, and files? Highlight anything waiting on me.

11. Commitments I made

From my sent mail and chats last week, list every commitment I made, with the date and who I made it to.

12. Source check

For each point in your last answer, show the email, chat, or file you used, with its date.

Build a weekly Copilot kit for your role

The flagship Copilot Prompts for Work: Weekly Prompt Kit for Your Role takes your role, projects, key people, recurring meetings, time drains, and Copilot access. It returns a Monday to Friday rhythm, 8 to 10 prompts using your real names, a license fit list, prompts worth scheduling, and a source check. Its example builds a kit for a customer success manager handling a renewal, an onboarding, and an escalation.

What depends on your license

Microsoft says anyone with an eligible work account can use Copilot Chat in Outlook to ask about their inbox and calendar. Prompts that pull from Teams chats, meetings, and files across your organization need the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license, and scheduled prompts also require it. Your admin controls some of these settings, so ask IT if a prompt does not work.

Related prompts

To clean up mail before Copilot reads it, try the Outlook inbox rules prompt. For notes from meetings outside Teams, use the meeting notes to action plan prompt, and team leads can read the Microsoft Teams workspace guidelines guide.

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