Prompt Library

Microsoft & GitHub Copilot Prompts That Actually Save Time

21 copy-paste prompts

A copy-paste library of Copilot prompts for Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and coding. Built to reference your open files, emails, and meetings so Copilot does the heavy lifting.

In short: This page contains 21 copy-paste ready prompts, organized into 5 categories with a description and pro tip for each. The first 15 prompts are free instantly — no signup needed. Hand-curated and tested by the AI Academy team.

By Louis Corneloup · Founder, Techpresso

Last updated May 15, 2026·Hand-curated & tested by the AI Academy team

Microsoft 365 Copilot (Word & Outlook)

5 prompts

Draft a Document From a Brief

1/21

Draft a [type of document, e.g. project proposal] about [topic] for [audience]. Use a [professional/friendly] tone, keep it under [word count], and structure it with a short intro, [number] main sections with headings, and a clear next-steps conclusion. Pull any relevant details from [/file name or this document].

Generates a full first draft in Word from a one-line brief, optionally grounding it in an existing file. Use it to skip the blank-page stage.

💡

Pro tip: Reference a source file with a forward slash (e.g. /Q3 Plan.docx) so Copilot grounds the draft in real content instead of inventing details.

Rewrite for Tone and Length

2/21

Rewrite the selected text to be [more concise/more formal/friendlier] and cut the length by about [30%]. Keep all key facts and any numbers exactly as written, preserve the headings, and flag in a short note at the end anything you removed that I should double-check.

Tightens or reframes a passage you have selected in Word without losing meaning. Use it for executive summaries and polish passes.

💡

Pro tip: Ask Copilot to 'flag anything you removed' so you can catch cases where it drops a caveat or number you actually needed.

Summarize a Long Document

3/21

Summarize this document into [5] key takeaways and a one-paragraph executive summary. Then list any open questions, risks, or decisions that still need an owner. Keep it skimmable with bullet points and bold the most important phrase in each bullet.

Turns a long Word doc into a leadership-ready brief. Use it before forwarding reports you have not had time to read fully.

💡

Pro tip: Adding 'open questions and decisions that need an owner' surfaces gaps the author left out, not just a restatement of what is already there.

Reply to an Email Thread

4/21

Draft a reply to this email thread that [confirms the meeting / declines politely / answers their three questions]. Match the sender's level of formality, keep it under [120 words], end with a clear call to action, and leave a [bracketed placeholder] anywhere I need to add a specific detail.

Writes a context-aware Outlook reply grounded in the full thread. Use it to clear your inbox faster without losing nuance.

💡

Pro tip: Tell Copilot to leave bracketed placeholders for specifics it cannot know (dates, prices) so you never send a confidently wrong reply.

Catch Up on a Long Thread

5/21

Summarize this email thread: who is involved, what has been decided, what is still open, and what action is expected from me. Present it as a short bulleted brief, then suggest a one-line reply I could send to move it forward.

Distills a tangled Outlook thread into who/what/next. Use it when you have been added late to a conversation.

💡

Pro tip: End with 'suggest a one-line reply' so the summary immediately turns into an action instead of just context.

Prompts get you started. Tutorials level you up.

A growing library of 300+ hands-on AI tutorials. New tutorials added every week.

Start 7-Day Free Trial

Excel & Data With Copilot

4 prompts

Explain and Build a Formula

6/21

In this sheet, I want to [calculate the % change between column C and column D, ignoring blanks]. Write the exact formula, tell me which cell to put it in, explain in one sentence what each part does, and warn me about any edge cases (like dividing by zero) I should handle.

Turns a plain-English goal into a working Excel formula with an explanation. Use it instead of hunting through function docs.

💡

Pro tip: Ask Copilot to 'warn me about edge cases' so it adds IFERROR or blank-handling you would otherwise discover only when the sheet breaks.

Analyze a Table for Trends

7/21

Analyze the data in this table and tell me the top [3] trends, any outliers, and the single most important insight a manager should know. Reference specific rows or values to back up each point, then suggest one chart type that would best visualize the main trend.

Pulls insights and anomalies out of an Excel range and recommends how to visualize them. Use it as a first pass before building a report.

💡

Pro tip: Make Copilot cite specific rows/values for each claim so you can verify it against the data rather than trusting a vague summary.

Clean Up Messy Data

8/21

Suggest steps to clean this table for analysis: identify inconsistent formatting, duplicates, blank cells, and date columns stored as text. For each issue list the affected columns and the exact Excel feature or formula to fix it, in the order I should apply them.

Audits a dataset for common quality problems and gives a fix sequence. Use it before pivot tables or charts.

💡

Pro tip: Request the fixes 'in the order I should apply them' so deduping does not undo formatting changes you just made.

Add a Highlight Column

9/21

Add a new column that flags each row as ["On track", "At risk", or "Overdue"] based on [the date in column E versus today]. Give me the formula, explain the logic, and suggest conditional formatting colors so the statuses are easy to scan.

Creates a rule-based status column with formatting guidance. Use it to turn raw dates or numbers into an at-a-glance tracker.

💡

Pro tip: Pair the formula request with a conditional-formatting suggestion so the column is readable the moment it is added.

PowerPoint & Meetings (Teams)

4 prompts

Build a Deck From a Document

10/21

Create a [10]-slide presentation based on [/document name] for [audience]. Use one clear idea per slide, write a punchy title and 3-4 concise bullets each, suggest a relevant image or icon per slide, and finish with a summary slide and a call-to-action slide.

Converts a Word doc or brief into a structured PowerPoint deck. Use it to skip building slides from scratch.

💡

Pro tip: Specify 'one idea per slide' and a slide count, or Copilot tends to overload slides and produce a deck that is too long to present.

Rewrite Slide Text to Be Punchy

11/21

Rewrite the text on this slide to be more concise and presentation-ready: short phrases instead of full sentences, a maximum of [5] bullets, and a stronger title. Keep all the key numbers and suggest where a chart or visual would communicate the point better than text.

Tightens wordy slides into scannable talking points. Use it on slides that read like paragraphs.

💡

Pro tip: Ask where a visual 'would communicate better than text' to cut bullet bloat and identify slides that should become a chart.

Recap a Teams Meeting

12/21

Summarize this meeting: list the key decisions, the action items with an owner and due date where mentioned, and any unresolved questions. Then draft a short follow-up message I can post in the channel recapping what was agreed and who owns what.

Turns a Teams meeting transcript or recording into decisions and action items. Use it right after a call so nothing slips.

💡

Pro tip: Have Copilot draft the channel follow-up in the same prompt so the recap is shareable in one step, not two.

Catch Up on a Meeting You Missed

13/21

I missed this meeting. Give me a brief catch-up: what was discussed, what was decided, anything that mentioned [my name or my project], and whether there is any action expected from me. Keep it to a short bulleted summary and bold anything that needs my response.

Lets you get caught up on a recorded Teams meeting in seconds. Use it instead of rewatching the full recording.

💡

Pro tip: Ask Copilot to surface mentions of your name or project specifically so you do not miss an action buried mid-discussion.

Like these prompts? There are full tutorials behind them.

Learn the workflows, not just the prompts. 300+ easy-to-follow tutorials inside AI Academy — and growing every week.

Try AI Academy Free

GitHub Copilot for Coding

5 prompts

Explain Unfamiliar Code

14/21

Explain what this selected code does in plain language, step by step. Call out the inputs and outputs, any side effects or external calls, and one thing that could break it. Assume I am familiar with [language] but new to this codebase.

Uses GitHub Copilot Chat to demystify a function or block before you change it. Use it when onboarding to a new repo.

💡

Pro tip: State your familiarity level so Copilot explains the parts that matter to you instead of over-explaining basic syntax.

Generate Unit Tests

15/21

Write unit tests for this selected function using [testing framework]. Cover the happy path, edge cases, and at least one failure case. Use clear test names that describe the scenario, mock any external dependencies, and add a comment for any case you think I should verify manually.

Scaffolds a test suite for the current function with edge and failure cases. Use it to lock in behavior before refactoring.

💡

Pro tip: Ask Copilot to comment cases 'to verify manually' so you catch assumptions it baked into mocks that may not match reality.

Refactor for Readability

16/21

Refactor this code to be more readable and maintainable without changing its behavior. Improve naming, reduce nesting, and extract reusable logic where it makes sense. Show the updated version, then list the specific changes you made and why in a short bullet list.

Cleans up a working block while preserving behavior, with a change log. Use it on code that works but is hard to follow.

💡

Pro tip: Require the 'list of changes and why' so you can review the diff intentionally rather than trusting a silent rewrite.

Debug an Error

17/21

I am getting this error: [paste error message]. Here is the relevant code [selected]. Identify the most likely cause, explain why it happens, and give me a corrected version. List two other less-likely causes I should check if your first fix does not work.

Diagnoses a runtime or build error against your actual code. Use it to shortcut stack-trace hunting.

💡

Pro tip: Ask for 'two less-likely causes' so you have a fallback plan when the first fix does not solve it.

Write a Function From a Spec

18/21

Write a [language] function that [does X], taking [inputs] and returning [output]. Handle [these edge cases], follow the existing conventions in this file, and add a short docstring. After the code, note any assumptions you made about the inputs.

Generates a new function that matches your file's style from a plain-English spec. Use it for well-defined, self-contained tasks.

💡

Pro tip: Telling Copilot to 'follow the conventions in this file' keeps generated code from clashing with your project's style.

Everyday Work Prompts

3 prompts

Plan My Day

19/21

Based on my calendar and recent emails, suggest a priority plan for today. Group tasks into [must-do, should-do, can-wait], flag any meetings I am unprepared for, and call out one thing that is easy to forget. Keep it to a short, scannable list.

Pulls your Microsoft 365 context into a prioritized daily plan. Use it first thing in the morning to set focus.

💡

Pro tip: Asking it to 'flag meetings I am unprepared for' turns the plan into prep triggers, not just a to-do list.

Turn Notes Into Action Items

20/21

Convert these rough notes into a clean action list: [paste notes or reference the file]. Each item should have an owner, a clear next step phrased as a verb, and a due date where one is implied. Flag anything too vague to act on so I can clarify it.

Transforms messy notes into an assignable task list. Use it after brainstorms or calls.

💡

Pro tip: Have Copilot flag vague items separately so you do not assign half-defined tasks that bounce back later.

Prep for a Meeting

21/21

Help me prepare for my upcoming meeting about [topic] with [person/team]. Summarize recent relevant emails and documents, suggest [3] talking points, list likely questions they may ask, and draft one strong opening line. Keep it on a single screen.

Builds a quick brief from your recent Microsoft 365 history before a meeting. Use it 5 minutes before you join.

💡

Pro tip: Naming the person or team lets Copilot pull the specific thread history, which makes the talking points far sharper.

Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft 365 Copilot is an AI assistant built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams that works with your documents, emails, and meetings. GitHub Copilot is a separate coding assistant for developers that lives in editors like VS Code and Visual Studio. The prompts on this page cover both, grouped by where you use them.

In Microsoft 365 Copilot you can type a forward slash (/) followed by a file, person, or meeting name to ground the response in that specific content. For example, '/Q3 Plan.docx'. This keeps Copilot working from your real data instead of guessing, which dramatically improves accuracy.

Vague prompts get vague results. Add the audience, tone, length, format, and a source file or thread to reference. The prompts here include bracketed placeholders for exactly these details, so the more you fill in, the more tailored and useful the output.

Yes. Every prompt here is designed for legitimate, professional tasks and grounds Copilot in your own files and messages. Always review the output before sending or shipping it, especially anything with numbers, code, or commitments, since AI can occasionally get details wrong.

Many writing, summarizing, and coding prompts work in free Copilot chat or Copilot in Edge. However, the prompts that reference your specific Word documents, Outlook emails, or Teams meetings require a Microsoft 365 Copilot license, which connects Copilot to your work data.

Prompts are the starting line. Tutorials are the finish.

A growing library of 300+ hands-on tutorials on ChatGPT, Claude, Midjourney, and 50+ AI tools. New tutorials added every week.

Start 7-Day Free Trial Business & Work Prompts

7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Browse All Prompt Collections