Stage 1 · Copilot Chat

Use Copilot in the apps you already live in. This is where the ramp starts — and where most of the everyday value is.

The shift: from "I have a license" to "I reach for Copilot in the flow of work." No new tools, no setup — just the chat you already have in Teams, Word, Outlook, and the M365 Copilot app.

\"What can I even do?\" — start from the app you have open

Rather start from where you already are than from a maturity ladder? Use the Start by Product picker — pick Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, or Copilot Chat and get three things to try right now.

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When you're ready for this stage

You have a Microsoft 365 Copilot license and want quick wins that fit your existing day. Everything here is paste-a-prompt simple — no agents, no building.

What you need

• A Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
• Copilot showing up in Teams, Word, Outlook, or the M365 Copilot app.
• Two minutes and a real task in front of you.

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Start here — if you only do three things

Three habits, in order. Land these and Copilot stops being a tool you remember to open and becomes the way you work.

• Habit 1Day 1 Turn a meeting into tracked follow-ups

  Walk out of any meeting with decisions, owners, and due dates — in under a minute.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user

• Habit 2Week 1 Catch up on a long email thread in seconds

  Open any thread and know exactly where things stand — and what's being asked of you.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user

• Habit 3Month 1 Draft an exec briefing from background materials

  Walk into any exec meeting with sharp talking points pulled from your docs — not written at 8 PM.

  ⏱ 10 min 👤 End user

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All walkthroughs

Browse by what you're trying to get done — or filter by who you are and how much time you have.

Catch up faster

Get back to a clear head fast — threads, docs, and inboxes.

• Turn a meeting into tracked follow-ups

  Walk out of any meeting with decisions, owners, and due dates — in under a minute.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user ★ Starter

• Catch up on a long email thread in seconds

  Open any email thread and know exactly where things stand — and what's being asked of you.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user

• Get up to speed on a long document fast

  Get the three things your role actually needs from a 30-page document — without reading all of it.

  ⏱ 3 min 👤 End user

• Catch up on a Teams thread you were @mentioned in

  Know what happened and what you're being asked — in 30 seconds, from a thread you didn't follow.

  ⏱ 3 min 👤 End user

Communicate sharper

Make the message land — rewrite, re-aim, and brief up.

• Rewrite an email for a tougher audience

  Turn the draft you'd never send into a message that actually lands — sharper, cleaner, more appropriate.

  ⏱ 3 min 👤 End user

• Adapt a document or message for a different audience

  Transform any piece of content for a new audience in one prompt — no rewriting from scratch.

  ⏱ 10 min 👤 End user

• Draft an exec briefing from background materials

  Walk into any exec meeting with sharp talking points pulled from your docs — not written from scratch at 8 PM.

  ⏱ 10 min 👤 End user

• Draft a status update from your week's activity

  Turn a scattered week of emails, chats, and meetings into a crisp five-bullet status update in 30 seconds.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user

Plan and decide

Get from a blank page to a real plan or a clear call.

• Build a first-draft project plan

  Go from a vague goal to a structured plan with phases, milestones, and owners — in one session.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 Champion

• Plan your week from your calendar and inbox

  Start every Monday with a clear view of what matters, what needs prep, and what you can safely defer.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user

• Brainstorm solutions with structured tradeoffs

  Get past the blank page: structured options with honest tradeoffs so you can make a faster, better decision.

  ⏱ 10 min 👤 End user

• Prep for a 1:1 in two minutes

  Walk into any 1:1 with sharp talking points pulled from the work you've actually done that week.

  ⏱ 2 min 👤 Manager

Create from scratch

Never start from a blank page again.

• Build a meeting agenda from context and notes

  Never start from a blank page — build a structured, time-slotted agenda from whatever context you have.

  ⏱ 5 min 👤 End user

Adopt as a team

Turn "we have Copilot" into a habit other people pick up.

• Run a "Prompt of the Day" for your team

  Turn "we have Copilot" into a real daily habit with a 30-second team drip.

  ⏱ 10 min 👤 Champion

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Borrow, don't build

The single best "borrowed content" at this stage is Microsoft's Prompt Gallery — a browsable, filterable bank of ready-to-run prompts for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Point your team there instead of writing your own prompt list.

• Copilot Prompt Gallery — browse and copy ready-to-run prompts by app
• Microsoft Scenario Library — use cases organized by role and function
• The Art of the Prompt — a guided session on prompt craft
• M365 Copilot Mechanics playlist — short videos on how each feature works

The full curated set for this stage lives in Resources → Stage 1.

Security at this stage

Nothing to configure. Chat runs inside the Microsoft 365 service boundary, acts as you, and can only see content you already have permission to open — and your prompts aren't used to train the models. See the full picture in Security & Governance.

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Where this leads

Reaching for chat 3+ times a week? You're ready for the next surprise: you don't have to build anything to go further — Microsoft already ships purpose-built agents with your license.

Continue to Stage 2 · First-Party Agents →

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