If You Don’t Use Copilot in Microsoft OneDrive, You’re Missing Out

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Copilot successful OneDrive is simply a large instrumentality for summarizing and comparing files, extracting cardinal information, and generating FAQs—all of which you tin bash without opening a azygous file. In this guide, I'll stock respective ways to marque the astir of this AI relation astatine work, successful school, oregon astatine home.

At the clip of penning (May 2025), you tin lone entree Copilot successful OneDrive done the online mentation of Microsoft OneDrive. It's not disposable done your record explorer oregon the OneDrive mobile app.

Summarize Files

If you privation to cognize what a record contains but don't person the clip (or inclination!) to work it successful full, you tin get Copilot to summarize its contented instead.

Let's ideate you privation to bash immoderate last-minute studying earlier you beryllium your English Literature exam. However, the PowerPoint presumption connected the taxable of the supernatural successful Macbeth contains 14 slides, and determination isn't capable clip for you to work it successful full. Instead, marque Copilot springiness you an overview.

A pistillate   studying connected  a laptop and the Copilot logo behind.

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To bash this, hover your cursor implicit the record successful OneDrive online, click the "Copilot" icon, and prime "Summarize."

The Copilot icon adjacent  to a PPT record  successful  OneDrive online is selected, and the Summarize fastener  is highlighted.

Copilot past analyzes the file's content, earlier producing a condensed summary of the cardinal accusation that volition instrumentality acold little clip to work than the full presentation.

A Copilot summary of a PPT presumption    connected  the taxable   of the supernatural successful  Macbeth.

Click "Copy" astatine the bottommost of the summary model to duplicate the accusation elsewhere, similar successful a Microsoft Word document.

Copilot's capabilities aren't constricted to Microsoft documents. In this example, there's a wide predetermination coming up successful the UK, and you privation to rapidly reappraisal what the Liberal Democrats suggest to bash should they win. After downloading the lengthy manifesto successful PDF format from the party's website and redeeming it to your OneDrive, hover implicit the file, click the "Copilot" icon, and take "Summarize."

This time, since it's a longer papers divided into assorted sections, Copilot's summary contains subheadings, giving you a snapshot of their pledges successful the antithetic areas that substance to the people.

A Copilot summary of a PDF of the Liberal Democrats' Party Manifesto.

Copilot successful OneDrive works with galore file types, including DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLS, FLUID, LOOP, PDF, TXT, RTF, ASPX, HTM, HTML, ODT, and ODP.

Ask Questions About Files

While the summary instrumentality is utile for getting an overview of a file, you mightiness privation to extract much circumstantial information.

Sticking with the predetermination theme, this time, you've downloaded the Green Party's manifesto successful PDF format, and you privation to find retired what the enactment plans to instrumentality for the self-employed. Hover your cursor implicit the record successful OneDrive, click the "Copilot" icon, and take "Ask A Question."

The Copilot icon adjacent  to a PPT record  successful  OneDrive online is selected, and the Ask A Question fastener  is highlighted.

Then, successful the substance tract of the sidebar that appears, benignant your question, and click the "Send" arrow successful the bottom-right corner. In this case, you mightiness ask, "What are the Green Party's plans for radical who are self-employed?"

The Copilot sidebar successful  Microsoft OneDrive containing a question   astir  the Green Party's plans for the self-employed, and the 'Go' arrow is selected.

Now, Copilot scours the record to find each the accusation related to the keywords successful your question, and produces a polished effect successful conscionable a fewer seconds.

A Copilot effect   to a question   successful  OneDrive astir  a governmental  party's plans for radical   who are self-employed.

As good arsenic asking a question, you tin besides input a command. For example, the bid "Create a summary of the Green Party's plans for radical who are self-employed" produces the aforesaid oregon akin results arsenic the question "What are the Green Party's plans for radical who are self-employed?"

Generate Standard and Custom FAQs

Copilot tin nutrient 2 types of FAQs for a papers successful your OneDrive folder: modular FAQs and customized FAQs.

Standard FAQs

In this example, you've finished your world thesis titled "Cross-Border Data Flows successful AI-Driven International Trade successful Services" successful Microsoft Word, and the adjacent signifier is the thesis defense, which involves answering questions posed by a committee of experts and teachers.

To hole for this, you tin get Copilot to make a acceptable of FAQs. Hover your cursor implicit the record successful your online OneDrive account, click the "Copilot" icon, and prime "Create An FAQ."

The Copilot icon adjacent  to a Word papers  successful  OneDrive online is selected, and the Create an FAQ fastener  is highlighted.

After analyzing the contented of your thesis, Copilot produces a broad bid of questions and answers that tin assistance you go defense-ready!

A acceptable   of FAQs created by Copilot successful  OneDrive based connected  the contented  of an world  thesis.

Custom FAQs

Alongside Copilot's built-in FAQ tool, you tin besides usage the AI instrumentality to make a acceptable of much circumstantial FAQs.

Imagine you've conscionable installed a new printer successful your office, and you privation to pin a poster to the partition for your coworkers that explains however to photocopy and scan colour documents. However, the acquisition manual contains 141 pages, truthful uncovering and copying the applicable details manually volition instrumentality excessively overmuch time.

Instead, aft downloading the manual successful PDF format and redeeming it to your OneDrive, hover implicit the document, click the "Copilot" icon, and prime "Ask A Question."

The Copilot icon adjacent  to a PDF printer manual successful  OneDrive online is selected, and the Ask A Question fastener  is highlighted.

Next, successful the sidebar's substance field, benignant Create an FAQ that covers scanning and photocopying colour documents, and click the "Send" arrow.

The Copilot sidebar successful  Microsoft OneDrive containing a bid  to nutrient   an FAQ aabout scanning and photocopying colour  documents, and the 'Go' arrow is selected.

Copilot past produces a acceptable of easy-to-follow questions and answers specifically related to your command.

A customized  FAQ generated by Copilot successful  OneDrive that explains however  to usage  a printer to scan and photocopy colour  documents.

Now, click "Copy" astatine the bottommost of the Copilot response.

The Copy fastener  astatine  the bottommost  of a Copilot effect   successful  OneDrive is selected.

Finally, paste the effect into a Word document, edit and format the content, and people your poster.

A Word papers  containing accusation  copied from a Copilot effect   successful  OneDrive and formatted according to the idiosyncratic    requirements.
A Canon printer with a scanner.

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Compare Similar oregon Dissimilar Files

As good arsenic utilizing Copilot successful OneDrive to summarize, inquire questions about, and make FAQs for idiosyncratic files, you tin usage Microsoft's AI instrumentality to comparison up to 5 antithetic files without having to unfastened them 1 by one.

In this example, let's presume you privation to comparison the manifestos of 2 governmental parties, which you person downloaded successful PDF format and saved to your OneDrive. First, prime the files by activating their checkmarks. Then, click "Copilot" successful the ribbon on the apical of the OneDrive window, and prime "Compare Files."

Two PDFs are selected successful  OneDrive online, and the Compare Files fastener  successful  the Copilot drop-down paper   is highlighted.

After a fewer seconds, Copilot volition nutrient a array with the record names arsenic file headers and each enactment containing a succinct and nonstop comparison. Because the 2 files incorporate akin contented and themes, the effect delves into their details.

A examination  betwixt  2  governmental  parties' manifestos, generated by Copilot successful  OneDrive.

What's more, you tin comparison files successful antithetic formats and with divers content. For example, this effect shows the similarities and differences betwixt a lengthy PowerPoint record connected the taxable of the supernatural successful Macbeth and a Word papers containing a abbreviated effort paragraph connected the taxable of powerfulness successful the aforesaid play.

A examination  betwixt  a PowerPoint and a Word file, generated by Copilot successful  OneDrive.
PowerPoint with the Copilot punctual  model   open.

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Improve File Content

A little evident but arsenic utile capableness of Copilot successful OneDrive is its quality to suggest improvements to a file. The cardinal present is to marque definite your bid is specific, including limiting the fig of suggestions to debar becoming overwhelmed.

Imagine you person an Excel record containing 9 tabs with assorted statistic relating to your favourite shot team. However, you consciousness the workbook could beryllium streamlined to marque the information easier to analyze.

To bash this, hover implicit the file's sanction successful OneDrive online, click the "Copilot" icon, and prime "Ask A Question."

The Copilot icon adjacent  to an Excel record  successful  OneDrive online is selected, and the Ask A Question fastener  is highlighted.

Now, successful the sidebar's substance field, benignant a circumstantial command, similar Suggest 3 ways to condense this workbook into less sheets, and property Enter.

A bid  is typed into the substance   tract  successful  Copilot for OneDrive.

Since you instructed Copilot to lone marque 3 suggestions, they're manageable and casual to enactment through.

A Copilot effect   to a bid  that requests it suggests ways to condense an Excel workbook into less  sheets.

On the different hand, a little circumstantial command—like "Suggest ways to amended this workbook"—returns a overmuch lengthier effect with wide-ranging and much analyzable suggestions.

Points to Note

Before you spell up and usage this almighty AI instrumentality with your OneDrive files, present are immoderate points to note:

  • Copilot successful OneDrive is lone disposable done the online mentation of Microsoft OneDrive.
  • You tin usage Copilot successful OneDrive if you're signed successful to a work, school, personal, oregon household relationship associated with Microsoft 365. However, with a Microsoft 365 Family account, lone the subscription holder tin entree the tool.
  • Copilot lone works with files successful your OneDrive relationship that you person support to access.
  • You tin lone usage this diagnostic connected substance files. At the clip of writing, Copilot successful OneDrive doesn't enactment images, videos, and different record types.
  • While Copilot and different AI tools are utile for generating accusation quickly, you should ever verify their accuracy. AI is champion utilized alongside quality intelligence, alternatively than replacing it entirely.
  • Take immoderate clip to reappraisal Microsoft's organization and personal privateness policies if you program to usage Copilot frequently.
A laptop with OneDrive and a telephone  with the Copilot icon and an alert sign.

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Should You Be Concerned About Copilot successful OneDrive?

It mightiness airs much of an interior hazard than an outer one.


As good arsenic Copilot's quality to assistance you prevention clip successful OneDrive, it tin assistance you improve your penning successful Microsoft Word, organize your information successful Microsoft Excel, and craft the cleanable email successful Microsoft Outlook.

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