How to get more out of Copilot: 15 tips from a Microsoft executive

Mike Tholfsen, who according to a summary is Principal Group Product Manager at Microsoft Education, published a video with 15 tips for Microsoft Copilot on January 13, 2026. Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant, which you can chat with and which is also built into apps such as Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and Excel.

The information here is based on a summary of the video, not on the video itself. The tips are one person's guide and not an official Microsoft announcement.

Better questions give better answers

The first three tips are about how you write to Copilot. Start with a clear goal and some background. State positively what Copilot should do, rather than what it should not do. And refine the answer step by step until it fits.

Chat, files and agents

Tips 4-6 are about Copilot Chat. You can switch between personal and work contexts, give standing instructions about tone and priorities, and search past answers and chat history. According to the summary, the core features are free, while full access and the standing instructions require a premium plan.

Tips 7-8 involve having Copilot base its answers on your own files in OneDrive and SharePoint. This is meant to deliver answers with sources, summaries and data extraction. The summary marks this as free.

Tips 9-10 are about agents, meaning specialized helpers for multistep tasks, such as document and persona agents. They remember the conversation when you give follow-up tasks. According to the summary, they are premium and powered by GPT-5.2.

In your apps

In Outlook, Copilot can, according to the summary, turn an inbox into prioritized task lists and create weekly plans based on your calendar. In Word, it can draft documents from keywords. In PowerPoint, it can build slides and edit images. Basic features are free, while advanced features and certain Outlook features depend on the license.

The last tip covers Excel Agent Mode and Copilot features for formulas, data analysis and automatic charts. According to the summary, the plan is to roll out the feature to all M365 customers in March 2026. It is premium, but is expected to become standard.

The same topics in training

A training course at Texas A&M describes 20 Copilot skills, including standing instructions, using your own files, choosing a model, agent mode and agents such as Researcher and Analyst. This suggests that the same features are central to Copilot training.

Check your own license

The split between free and premium is unclear for several tips, and the rollout timing may have changed since January 2026. Check what your own license includes.