Video summary

Microsoft Copilot: Hidden Features That Change Everything

Main summary

Key takeaways

Technology

Summary of the Video (Microsoft Copilot Hidden Features)

The video argues that many people with a Microsoft Office/M365 subscription don’t realize Copilot is available to them—or they use it only minimally. The speaker claims Copilot became much better by 2026 and highlights “hidden” features that move it from a generic chatbot to a more grounded, personalized, and even agentic (multi-step) work assistant.

Key Features Covered

1) “Grounding” Copilot in Your Real Work (Work IQ)

  • Problem: Users ask Copilot a question, get a generic answer, and then stop using it.
  • Fix: Ground Copilot using Work IQ (a work-context layer).
  • Work IQ is described as granting Copilot access to:
    • emails
    • Teams chats
    • meeting transcripts
    • files/projects
  • Benefit: More personalized and context-aware answers within a safe/approved environment.
  • UI hint: A “Work IQ” indicator appears in the top-left; ensure it’s switched on.

2) Pulling Context via “Tags” Instead of Pasting

  • Use a prompt shortcut (the chat mentions /) and then add tags such as:
    • files (e.g., Word documents)
    • meetings
    • people from the org
    • emails/chats/channels
  • Goal: Better context injection than manually describing or copying content.

3) Personalization Settings: Custom Instructions

  • Path: Settings → Personalization → Custom instructions
  • Applies across all chats.
  • Example preferences:
    • be direct and lead with the main point
    • concise and clear
    • use plain language unless technical precision is needed

4) “Saved Memories”

  • Turning on saved memories lets Copilot remember user details to improve response quality.
  • Includes the ability to manage/remove memories.

5) Copilot Inside Microsoft Apps (Workflow Integration)

Copilot is shown as available in:

  • PowerPoint
  • Excel
  • Word
  • Outlook

Examples mentioned:

  • PowerPoint: generate a presentation about AI improving productivity.
  • Outlook: review emails from the past 90 days and flag subscription/unsubscribe candidates.

The video emphasizes this is easy to miss because the entry point/button is small.

Intermediate-Level Features

6) Choosing Different Copilot Models

  • The speaker says Copilot can access multiple models, not just one.
  • Claims include access to:
    • standard models
    • “clawed” (unclear term in subtitles) models
    • some open models
    • a recent GPT version (5.6) already available in the experience
  • Rationale: Different models have different strengths; switching can improve outcomes for specific workflows.

7) Agents (Repeatable Workflows)

Agents are positioned as the next step beyond one-off answers.

  • Capabilities:
    • browse built-in/organizational agents or create your own
    • create an agent by describing instructions (example: an email assistant)
  • Example agent behavior:
    • respond in the user’s tone (brief, bullet formatting, data-informed)
  • How it’s used:
    • tag the agent into a chat and provide an email for it to respond
  • Recommendation: Build an agent if a task repeats more than ~3 times per month.

8) Notebooks (Curated-Source Grounding + Collaboration)

  • Presented as similar to NotebookLM:
    • answers are limited to a curated set of sources
  • Difference: Copilot notebooks can also be grounded in work files.
  • Details include:
    • add/cite up to 300 reference files
    • prompt like a normal chat but restricted to notebook context
    • can include meetings/chats references
    • sharing is controllable: notebooks/chats stay private unless explicitly shared
    • supports collaboration by sharing notebooks with others

Advanced Feature

9) Co-work (Agentic, Multi-Step Task Execution Across M365 Apps)

  • Described as moving from “chatbot” to an agentic workflow.
  • Intended for tasks that span multiple steps over time and can:
    • pull from multiple sources
    • produce a finished deliverable (not just a draft)
    • operate in the background across M365 apps
  • Admin note: IT admin may need to enable it (depends on org setup/permissions).

Co-work Building Blocks

  • Skills: instruction files
    • built-in skills for PDF, Word, Excel
    • users can create custom skills via chat
  • Scheduled tasks: run recurring actions
    • example: weekly priorities every Monday
  • Plugins: install integrations
    • examples mentioned: Fabric IQ and Dynamics
  • Approval steps: may require approval before actions are sent/executed

Speaker’s Positioning

  • Most people don’t use scheduled tasks or skills, but using them is where real value appears.

Main Speakers / Sources

  • Main speaker: Ken (described as the “AI productivity coach” and the creator of the channel/video)
  • Primary topic/source: Microsoft Copilot and its Microsoft 365 features (Work IQ, agents, notebooks, co-work, models, etc.)

Original video