What Copilot in Outlook actually does
Copilot in Outlook is a writing assistant built into Microsoft's email program that suggests ways to rewrite, shorten, or expand the emails you draft. It does not send emails on your own or access your contacts — you stay in control of what gets written and what gets sent. Think of it as a colleague who reads your draft and offers to make it sound more professional, friendlier, or more concise.
The tool works by analyzing the text you have already typed and offering rewrites based on patterns it learned from billions of words on the internet. It can suggest tone changes (formal to casual, or the reverse), trim wordiness, or add detail to a vague sentence. You see the suggestion, decide whether to use it, edit it further, or ignore it entirely.
Copilot is available in Outlook on the web and in the Outlook desktop app for Windows and Mac, but only if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription that includes it — not all subscriptions do. If you do not see the Copilot button in your Outlook, your account either does not have access or your organization has turned it off.
Key Takeaways
- Copilot suggests rewrites of emails you have already drafted, but you choose whether to accept, edit, or reject each suggestion.
- The tool requires a Microsoft 365 subscription that includes Copilot Pro or a business plan with Copilot access — not all subscriptions include it.
- You can ask Copilot to change tone (more formal or casual), shorten a rambling draft, or expand a sentence that feels too brief.
- Copilot sees only the email you are currently writing, not your past emails or your contacts, so it cannot learn your personal writing style over time.
- Your organization can disable Copilot for all users, so check with your IT department if you cannot find the feature.
How to turn on Copilot in Outlook
Open Outlook on the web or the Outlook desktop app and start a new email. In the compose window, look for a button labeled "Copilot" — it usually appears in the toolbar at the top of the message, near the formatting buttons. Click it to open the Copilot panel on the right side of your screen.
If you do not see the Copilot button, your subscription may not include it. Check your Microsoft 365 plan details by going to account.microsoft.com and looking under "Subscriptions." If you have Copilot Pro or a business plan that includes Copilot, but the button still does not appear, your organization's IT department may have disabled it. Contact them to ask whether Copilot is available for your account.
On the web version of Outlook, the Copilot panel opens on the right. On the desktop app, it may open as a side panel or a separate window depending on your version. Either way, the workflow is the same: you draft your email, then ask Copilot to help rewrite it.
Writing an email and asking Copilot to revise it
Type your email as you normally would. You do not need to write perfectly — in fact, Copilot works best when you give it a rough draft with all your thoughts, because it has more material to work with. Once you have written at least a few sentences, click the Copilot button to open the panel.
In the Copilot panel, you will see options like "Tone" and "Length." Click "Tone" to see choices such as Professional, Casual, Confident, or Curious. Select the tone you want, and Copilot will rewrite your draft to match it. Click "Length" to choose Concise (shorter), Balanced (about the same), or Expand (longer). You can also type a custom instruction in the text box — for example, "Make this sound grateful" or "Remove jargon."
After you choose a tone or length, or type a custom instruction, Copilot generates a rewritten version of your email. The new version appears in the compose window, replacing your original draft. Read it carefully. If you like it, keep it. If you want to adjust it further, you can edit the text directly, or ask Copilot to revise again with a different instruction.
Understanding what Copilot can and cannot see
Copilot can see only the email you are currently writing — the subject line, the body text, and the recipient's email address. It cannot see your past emails, your contact list, your calendar, or anything else in your Outlook account. This means it cannot learn your personal writing style or remember that you always sign off a certain way.
Because Copilot does not have access to your history, it treats every email as a fresh start. If you have a signature you always use, you will need to add it yourself after Copilot rewrites the email, or include it in your draft before asking for a rewrite. If you have a standard opening or closing you prefer, include it in your draft so Copilot can preserve it.
Microsoft stores the text you send to Copilot temporarily while it processes your request, then deletes it. If your organization has specific data-handling rules, ask your IT department about Copilot's privacy and storage practices for your account type.
Common reasons Copilot suggestions might not fit your email
Copilot learns from patterns in public text on the internet, so it sometimes suggests changes that sound generic or miss the specific context of your situation. For example, if you are writing to a close colleague, Copilot might suggest a tone that is too formal. If you are explaining a complex technical problem, Copilot might oversimplify it when you ask it to shorten the email.
Always read Copilot's suggestion before sending. Edit it if it does not match what you actually want to say. You can ask Copilot to revise again with a more specific instruction — for example, instead of just "Professional," you might say "Professional but warm, since this is a colleague I work with regularly."
If Copilot's suggestions are consistently off-target for your needs, you may find it faster to write and edit the email yourself. Copilot is a tool to speed up writing you already know how to do, not a replacement for thinking about what you want to say.
Privacy and data handling with Copilot
When you use Copilot in Outlook, the text of your email is sent to Microsoft's servers to be processed. Microsoft does not use your email text to train Copilot or to improve its models — that is a key difference from how some other AI tools work. However, Microsoft does keep logs of requests for a limited time for security and troubleshooting purposes.
If you work for an organization with a business Microsoft 365 account, your IT department controls whether Copilot is available and may have additional policies about how your data is handled. Some organizations disable Copilot entirely for security or compliance reasons. If you are unsure whether your organization allows Copilot, ask your IT team before using it for sensitive information.
Do not use Copilot to write emails containing passwords, financial account numbers, health information, or other sensitive data that should not be sent to Microsoft's servers. For routine business or personal emails, the privacy risk is low, but for anything confidential, it is safer to write and edit the email yourself.
Keyboard shortcuts and faster workflows
On the Outlook desktop app for Windows, you can press Alt + Shift + C to open Copilot while composing an email. On Mac, the shortcut is Option + Shift + C. These shortcuts save you a click if you use Copilot frequently.
If you find yourself using the same tone or length setting repeatedly, you can speed up your workflow by typing a custom instruction instead. For example, if you always want emails to sound "professional but approachable," type that phrase once, and Copilot will remember it for the current session. You can also copy and paste custom instructions you use often.
Some people find it faster to draft an email completely, then use Copilot once at the end to polish the tone. Others prefer to write a rough outline and ask Copilot to expand it. Experiment to find the workflow that saves you the most time without making you feel like you have lost control of your own writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Copilot send my email for me?
No. Copilot only rewrites the text you have drafted. You must click the Send button yourself. Copilot cannot access your contacts, your calendar, or any other part of your Outlook account.
Can Copilot learn my writing style over time?
No. Copilot sees only the email you are currently writing, not your past emails. It treats every email as a new task and does not remember your preferences from previous messages. If you have a signature or standard opening you always use, include it in your draft before asking Copilot to revise.
What if my organization does not have Copilot?
Copilot is included in some Microsoft 365 plans but not others. If you do not see the Copilot button in Outlook, contact your IT department to ask whether your subscription includes it or whether it has been disabled by your organization's policies.
Is it safe to use Copilot for work emails?
For routine business emails, yes. Your email text is not used to train Copilot or shared with other users. However, do not use Copilot to write emails containing passwords, financial details, health information, or other sensitive data. If your organization has strict data-handling rules, check with your IT team first.
Can I undo a Copilot rewrite if I change my mind?
Yes. After Copilot rewrites your email, you can edit the text directly, or press Ctrl+Z (Windows) or Command+Z (Mac) to undo the rewrite and go back to your original draft. You can also ask Copilot to revise again with a different instruction.