Microsoft Copilot prompts
How to write prompts for Microsoft Copilot
Start with a clear goal, because it is the only part Microsoft Copilot requires, then add context, a source and what you expect back. Name the source, such as an email or a file, and put it last in your prompt.
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Updated
The recipe
Goal, context, source, expectations
Microsoft's own guide gives a four-part recipe, and only the first part is required.
| Part | What it is | A call recap, for example |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | What you want Copilot to do | Write a recap of Thursday's vendor call |
| Context | Why you need it and who is involved | It goes to the three people who attended |
| Source | A file, a web page or, with a work or school account, your emails, chats and files | The meeting chat and the calendar invite |
| Expectations | How Copilot should respond | A short email with decisions and actions |
The parts and their meanings come from Microsoft. The right-hand column is our example. Microsoft says all that is required is a clear goal, so a one-part prompt is allowed. The other three parts make the answer fit your real situation.
If you already use Scrubbr's six-part shape, the match is close. Our mapping, not Microsoft's: the goal is Goal, the facts are Context and Source, and the steps, limits, format and "a great answer" are Expectations. The hub has the shared core.
Scrubbr writes in any text box, including Copilot's chat box, and fills it with context from your own email, chats and calendar.
Source
Name the source
Copilot cannot guess where your facts are, so say where they are.
- A source can be an attached file, a web page or, with a work or school account, your emails, chats and files.
- Order matters. Later parts of a prompt tend to carry more weight, so put your source references last.
- Give lots of details, because Copilot is limited to your current conversation.
- Put exact wording you want kept in quotation marks.
This tool
What is different in Microsoft Copilot
Microsoft's guidance adds a few habits of its own.
- Say what to do, not what to avoid. Write "keep it under 150 words", not "do not ramble".
- Say the length and the audience. Both are named in Microsoft's advice on details.
- Type "new topic" when you switch jobs.
- In Outlook, name the key points. Start with a clear request in the Copilot box and list what the email must say. Tone and length controls sit in the dropdown or the Adjust menu. In Chat, Copilot may ask you questions before it drafts.
- Be polite and professional. Microsoft says that kind of language improves responses.
Refine
Refine, then check
Plan on a second round, because the first answer is often not the best one.
Start broad, then narrow with follow-ups. If the first draft misses, revise the prompt and try again. Microsoft says to expect some back-and-forth.
Then read the answer yourself. The same prompt can give slightly different results. Microsoft tells you to review and verify every response.
Worked example
From "recap the call" to a prompt with owners and dates
Maya runs operations at Marlow Freight. She had a call with a vendor, and she wants an Outlook recap that names who owns what.
In Outlook with Microsoft Copilot
You say
optionrecap the call with larkmoor for the group, the decisions and who owns what with dates, keep it short and friendly
Scrubbr finds
Microsoft Teams · Meeting chat, Larkmoor call, Oct 29- Outlook Calendar · Larkmoor weekly call, 2:00 pm, three attendees
- Outlook · Gareth Lowe, "Credit for the October overcharge"
Microsoft Copilot · Prompt
Goal: Write a recap email of the Oct 29 call with Larkmoor Haulage for everyone who attended. Without a clear record of who owns what, the credit and the new pickup time will slip.
Facts: Context: Maya Ibrahim and Isabel Moreno from Marlow Freight, and Gareth Lowe from Larkmoor Haulage, met for 30 minutes. Source (pulled by Scrubbr): the Teams meeting chat and the calendar invite. Decisions: Dock 3 pickups move to 7:00 am from Nov 9. Larkmoor credits $1,240 for the October pallet overcharge. Actions: Maya updates the dock schedule by Nov 4. Isabel confirms the revised pallet counts by Nov 5. Gareth sends the credit note by Nov 6.
Steps: 1. Open with one line on what the call was for. 2. List the decisions, one per line. 3. List the actions in order of date: owner, task, date. 4. Close by asking everyone to reply by Nov 4 if a line is wrong.
Limits: Write in a friendly, direct business tone for one vendor contact and two colleagues. Use only the facts above. Mark any missing detail as "to confirm". Keep to what was agreed on the call.
Format: An email under 150 words, with two short lists headed Decisions and Actions.
A great answer: Every action has one owner and one date. Every decision matches the Teams chat. Someone who missed the call knows what to do next.
Demo data. The people, company and facts are invented.
Questions
Microsoft Copilot questions
What is the best way to write a prompt for Microsoft Copilot?
Cover four things: the goal, the context around it, the source Copilot should use and what you expect back. Only the goal is required, but the other three make the answer fit your situation.
Can Microsoft Copilot use my emails and files?
Microsoft says a source can be a file, a web page or, with a work or school account, your emails, chats and files. Name the source in your prompt.
Why does Copilot lose track of what I told it?
Microsoft says Copilot is limited to your current conversation, so restate what matters. When you switch to a different task, type "new topic".
Should I tell Copilot what not to do?
Microsoft's advice is to say what to do instead. Write the thing you want, such as a word limit, rather than the thing you fear.
How should I word an email request to Copilot in Outlook?
Start with a clear request in the Copilot box and name the key points the email must make. If the draft misses, enter a new prompt and generate again.
Sources
Where these facts come from
Scrubbr writes this prompt for you. Hold Option and say one line.
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