50 Copilot Prompts That Actually Save Time at Work

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 such as dividing by zero that I should handle.

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.

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.

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.

I want to know [revenue by region and month for this year]. Build the PivotTable that answers it: tell me which fields go in rows, columns, and values, which aggregation to use, and how to sort it so the biggest contributors are at the top. Then describe in two sentences what the result shows.

Compare [sheet A] and [sheet B] on [the invoice ID column]. Tell me which rows exist in one but not the other, which rows match but have different [amounts], and give me the formula or approach to produce that list automatically so I can rerun it next month.

Using the [monthly] history in this table, project [the next 6 months] of [revenue]. Show the method you used, state the assumptions in plain language, give a low, expected, and high case, and tell me which assumption the forecast is most sensitive to.

Build a chart from this table that makes the point that [our churn dropped after the March release]. Choose the chart type, tell me which columns to plot, suggest a title that states the takeaway rather than describing the axes, and note anything in the data that would undermine this conclusion.

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

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.

Write speaker notes for each slide in this deck. For every slide give me [3] talking points in the order I should say them, one transition sentence into the next slide, and a rough time budget so the whole deck fits in [20] minutes. Write it the way I would say it out loud, not the way it reads on the slide.

Review this deck as a narrative. Tell me the story it currently tells, where the argument breaks or repeats, which slides should be reordered, merged, or cut, and what is missing before the ask on the final slide. Give me a recommended slide order with a one-line reason for each change.

Add a slide after slide [4] that covers [the implementation timeline]. Match the tone, bullet style, and level of detail of the surrounding slides, keep it to [4] bullets, and suggest a simple visual such as a timeline or a three-column layout.

Summarize this presentation in [10] bullets: what is being proposed, the supporting evidence, the ask, and the assumptions it depends on. Then list the [3] questions I should ask in the meeting, and flag any claim that is stated without data behind it.

Adapt this deck for [an executive audience instead of the technical team]. Cut implementation detail, lead with the business outcome and the numbers, reduce it to [7] slides, and rewrite every slide title so it states a conclusion. Tell me which slides you removed and why.

Based on this deck, draft a follow-up email to [audience] recapping the [3] main points, the decision we asked for, and the next steps with owners. Keep it under [150] words, attach nothing, and end with a single clear question that makes it easy to reply yes or no.

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.

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.

Go through my unread email from [the last 3 days] and group it into: needs a reply from me today, waiting on someone else, FYI only, and can be archived. For each item in the first group, give me the sender, the ask in one line, and how urgent it looks based on the thread.

Draft a follow-up to this thread. It has been [8] days with no reply. Keep it under [60] words, do not apologize for following up, restate the one thing I need and by when, and give them an easy out if the answer is no. Suggest a subject line that makes the ask visible in the preview.

Read this thread and produce a decision log: each decision, who made it, the date, and the message it came from. Then list anything that was raised but never resolved. Format it as a table I can paste into [a Word doc / our project page].

Review this draft before I send it to [recipient, who is currently frustrated about the delay]. Tell me how it will land, flag any sentence that sounds defensive, dismissive, or passive-aggressive, and suggest a rewrite for each one. Do not soften the actual message, only the delivery.

Draft an email telling [client/team] that [the delivery date is slipping by three weeks]. Lead with the news in the first sentence, give the reason in one line without blaming anyone, state exactly what we are doing about it and the new date, and close by inviting a call. Under [150] words, no filler.

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.

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.

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.

From this meeting, list only the action items. One line each: owner, the action phrased as a verb, the due date if one was given, and the timestamp where it was agreed. Skip discussion, context, and anything that was suggested but not committed to. If an item has no clear owner, put OWNER UNCLEAR.

Produce formal minutes for this meeting: date, attendees, apologies, agenda items in order, a short record of the discussion under each, decisions taken with any vote or approval noted, and actions with owners. Neutral third-person tone, no adjectives, no interpretation of what people meant.

Across this meeting, pull out everything related to [topic]. Give me what was said, by whom, in what order, and what the conclusion was. Quote the key lines. If the topic came up more than once, keep them separate rather than merging them into one summary.

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.

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.

Summarize the activity in this channel from [the last week]: main topics, decisions made in chat, questions still unanswered, and anything directed at me or [my team]. Group by topic rather than chronologically, and note which threads are still active.

Compare [meeting 1] and [meeting 2] on [project]. What changed between them: decisions that were reversed, dates that moved, scope that was added, and concerns that were raised in the first and never addressed in the second. Present it as a short before-and-after list.

Explain what #selection 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.

/tests for #selection 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.

Refactor #selection 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.

I am getting this error: [paste error message]. The relevant code is #selection. 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.

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.

@workspace Draft a .github/copilot-instructions.md for this repository. Cover the stack and versions actually used here, the folder structure and what belongs where, naming and error-handling conventions you can infer from the code, the testing framework and how tests are named, and what Copilot should never do in this repo. Base every line on what is in the codebase, not on general best practice.

Create a [frontend].instructions.md file for .github/instructions/ that applies to [src/components/**]. Include the applyTo frontmatter, then the rules that only apply to this area: component structure, styling approach, state management, and accessibility requirements. Infer them from the existing files in that folder and keep it under [30] lines.

Turn this task into a reusable .prompt.md file: [describe the recurring task, e.g. adding a new API endpoint]. Include the steps in order, which files usually need to change, the conventions to follow, and the checks to run before it is done. Write it so a teammate who has never done this task could run it.

@workspace Review my staged changes as a strict reviewer on this codebase. Flag bugs, unhandled errors, security issues, and anything that breaks the conventions in this repo. For each finding give the file, the line, the risk, and the fix. Rank them by severity and do not comment on formatting.