Copilot
Copilot is easiest to reach when you already use Windows, Edge, or Microsoft 365. This guide covers the standalone chat, its Microsoft integrations, current plan choices, and the difference between Copilot and GitHub Copilot.
What is Copilot?
Copilot is Microsoft's chat assistant, built largely on OpenAI's models with its own tuning on top. You can use it on its own at copilot.microsoft.com, or find it already built into Windows, the Edge browser, and Microsoft 365 apps like Word and Outlook.
Unlike most of the assistants covered so far, you can try basic chat without signing in at all. Signing in with a Microsoft account raises the limits and adds features such as saved chat history.
Getting started
- Go to copilot.microsoft.com, or open the Copilot icon in Edge or Windows if you already have it.
- Sign in with a Microsoft account for full features (optional for quick chat).
- Type a message in the box at the bottom and press Enter.
- Reply in the same thread to keep the conversation going.
What Copilot can do
Copilot's strongest case is convenience: it is close to the files and apps many people already use. These are the features that make that useful.
Writing & everyday chat
Drafts, summaries, and general questions, with the convenience of being close to Microsoft apps.
Coding help
Explaining errors and writing small snippets, useful but not the specialized tool for this job.
File & image analysis
Upload a document or photo and ask questions about what it contains.
Attach a file, then ask about it in plain language.
Image creation
Describe a picture in words and get one generated, built on OpenAI's image models.
Copilot Vision
Share your screen or point your camera at something, and talk through what it's looking at in real time.
"What's wrong with this spreadsheet formula on my screen?" Copilot Vision can look at your screen, or through your camera on mobile, and talk you through what it sees.
Windows & Edge integration
Open it from the taskbar or the Edge sidebar without switching to a separate app or tab.
On newer keyboards, there's a dedicated Copilot key that opens it instantly.
Microsoft 365 Copilot
A paid add-on that works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, drafting documents and summarizing meetings using your own files. See Microsoft 365 Copilot for details.
Commercial data protection
For organizations on Microsoft 365 Copilot, business data isn't used to train the underlying models.
Worth checking with your IT team on exactly which protections apply to your organization's plan.
Pricing tiers
Microsoft adjusts these plans occasionally, so check the official pricing page before subscribing. The current choices look like this:
- · Chat without signing in
- · Built into Windows and Edge
- · Basic image creation
- · Priority access at busy times
- · Copilot inside personal Office apps
- · Faster image generation
- · Copilot across Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams
- · Works with an organization's own files
- · Commercial data protection
Copilot vs. GitHub Copilot
These two share a name and a maker, but they're different products. The Copilot covered on this page is a general assistant for chat, writing, and Office documents. GitHub Copilot is a separate, coding-focused tool that lives inside editors like VS Code, suggesting code and answering questions right next to the file you're working on. If you came here looking for the coding assistant, that's the one you want.
Best when you already use Microsoft
Copilot is the sixth stop in this AI Tools Course, after ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, and DeepSeek. Up next is Grok, then Meta AI, followed by app builders, image tools, and video/audio tools.
What's Next
Next up: Grok, the assistant built into X, known for real-time posts and a looser tone.