Powerful Microsoft 365 Copilot Prompts That Actually Change How You Work

7 January 2026

Microsoft 365 Copilot powered by GPT-5 is starting to feel less like a helpful assistant and more like a true thinking partner. With deeper reasoning and a better grasp of context, Copilot can now handle complex questions that used to require hours of manual prep.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella recently shared a set of prompts that show what this next generation of Copilot is capable of. These are not gimmicks. They are practical, everyday prompts that senior leaders and teams can use right now to work faster and think more clearly.

Below are a few standouts and why they matter.

Prepare for meetings with real context

“Based on my previous interactions with [person], identify the five topics they are most likely to focus on in our next meeting.”

This is where Copilot’s reasoning really shines. Instead of just summarising past emails, it looks across meetings, chats, and patterns of interaction to surface what someone is likely focused on right now.

The result is better preparation, fewer surprises, and more productive conversations. It is especially useful ahead of client meetings, senior stakeholder check-ins, or performance discussions.

Draft smarter project updates

Prompt:
“Draft a project update based on emails, chats, and all meetings in [series]: KPIs vs targets, wins and losses, risks, competitive moves, plus likely tough questions and answers.”

This goes far beyond a basic summary. Copilot pulls signals from multiple sources and structures them into a clear narrative, including risks and anticipated questions.

For project leads and executives, this cuts down hours of manual synthesis and helps ensure updates are balanced, honest, and ready for scrutiny.

Check progress and quantify risk

Prompt:
“Are we on track for the [Product] launch in November? Check engineering progress, pilot program results, risks. Give me a probability.”

Asking for a probability forces Copilot to reason, not just report. It evaluates progress, weighs risks, and gives a judgement call based on available data.

This kind of prompt is powerful for decision-making meetings, steering committees, and launch readiness reviews where confidence levels matter as much as raw status updates.

Get insight into how you really spend your time

Prompt:
“Review my calendar and email from the last month and create 5 to 7 buckets for projects I spend most time on, with percentage of time spent and short descriptions.”

This is a simple prompt with big impact. It gives leaders a clear view of where their time actually goes, not where they think it goes.

Used regularly, it can highlight overload, misalignment with priorities, or opportunities to delegate and refocus.

Getting more value from Copilot

If you want to go deeper, Microsoft has made it easier to build real capability around Copilot:

• Copilot Academy offers structured learning paths with hands-on guidance from Microsoft experts
• Free Microsoft 365 Copilot training helps users explore role-specific tips and real-world examples
• The Microsoft 365 Copilot app lets you stay productive across devices using your work account

The real shift with Copilot and GPT-5 is not speed alone. It is judgement, context, and reasoning. The prompts above show how asking better questions unlocks far more value from the tools teams already have.

The organisations that win with Copilot will be the ones that treat it as a thinking partner, not just a faster search bar.