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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Set up Microsoft 365 Copilot's features in three places (Copilot Chat custom instructions, the Excel COPILOT function, and Outlook Copilot prioritization) to get more tailored results and less manual sorting. The speaker, a Copilot principal engineer at Microsoft, demonstrates each one as a quick tip for becoming a Microsoft 365 Copilot expert.
Key Points
- Copilot Chat custom instructions apply a standing instruction (for example, a response style) to every new chat, so you don't have to repeat it in each prompt.
- The Excel COPILOT function is entered in a cell as a formula that takes a text instruction and a cell reference, then returns results based on the value in that referenced cell.
- Outlook's Copilot "Prioritize" feature uses natural-language rules, such as naming a sender or project, to mark emails as high or low priority.
- Changing the Outlook settings also lets you show a priority arrow on emails and sort the inbox by priority.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions:
- Copilot Chat: Open the M365 Copilot app (or go to m365copilot.com in a browser), click the three dots at top right, choose Settings, then under Personalization open Custom Instructions. Type your instruction (e.g., "Every time you respond, do so as a cheery poem"), turn on the toggle, and click Save. Start a New Chat, because the instruction applies from then on. The speaker notes you must slide the toggle on, or the instructions won't be used.
- Excel: Create a blank workbook, click any cell, type "=" and then "Copilot" to select the COPILOT function. Enter the instruction in quotes, followed by a comma and the cell reference, such as H2 (e.g., "List all the ingredients for this food", H2). Enter a value in H2 (the speaker used "burger" and then "chicken soup") and the result updates. You can change the instruction to other tasks, such as listing the major cities in a country named in the cell.
- Outlook: Open Settings (gear icon, top right), select Copilot at bottom left, then choose Prioritize. Turn on "Let Copilot prioritize my email," then under Customize, add rules for higher priority (e.g., emails from a named sender) and lower priority (e.g., emails from another named sender). Click Save. To see the arrows, turn on "Apply low priority label," then sort the inbox by priority.
- The speaker says you can ask Copilot to be concise, very detailed, or to explain as if to a fifth grader, as examples of custom instructions.
- Custom instruction rules in Outlook are written in natural language, not just sender-based like traditional rules, and can also reference project names or events.
- Copilot Chat can be accessed through the desktop app or a web browser, and the speaker says the interface is the same in both.
Bottom Line
Spend a few minutes configuring these three settings, since each one makes Copilot do repetitive work for you in Chat, Excel, and Outlook.
