You Already Have Copilot: Here's How to Get More From It

The AI You're Already Paying For

Here is something that surprises most organisations we work with: if you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you already have access to Copilot.

Not a trial. Not a limited preview. Actual AI chat capabilities, included in what you are already paying for.

It is called Copilot Chat (sometimes referred to as the 'included' or 'free' tier), and most businesses have no idea it exists. They assume Copilot requires the paid licence at around £24 per user per month. For many use cases, it does not.

Before you spend money on additional licences, it is worth understanding what you already have and how to get the most from it.

What Copilot Chat Actually Includes

Copilot Chat is AI chat grounded in web data, powered by GPT-5 and the latest large language models from OpenAI. It is available to anyone with a Microsoft 365 subscription through the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, Teams, Outlook, and Microsoft Edge.

Here is what you can do with it today:

• Research and summarise information from the web - Ask Copilot to explain concepts, compare options, or gather information on any topic
• Generate and refine content - Draft emails, reports, presentations, and documents with AI assistance
• Create images - Generate custom images using natural language prompts
• Use Copilot Pages - Save, edit, and share AI-generated content in collaborative pages
• Access pay-as-you-go agents - Use pre-built agents for specific tasks, charged on a metered basis

All of this comes with enterprise data protection. Your prompts and responses are not used to train AI models. Your data stays within the Microsoft 365 trust boundary.

The Three Ways to Work With Your Own Documents

The main limitation of Copilot Chat is that it is grounded in web data, not your work data. It cannot automatically search your emails, meetings, Teams chats, or SharePoint files.

However, there are three workarounds that let you bring your own content into the conversation:

1. Upload a File

Click the '+' button in Copilot Chat and upload a document directly. Copilot can then read, summarise, and answer questions about that specific file. This works well when you have a particular document you want to analyse or work with.

2. Copy and Paste Content

Simply paste text, data, or content directly into your prompt. This is quick and effective for smaller pieces of content. Ask Copilot to summarise it, rewrite it, extract key points, or turn it into something else entirely.

3. Use Copilot in the App With Content Open

When you use Copilot Chat within Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, or Outlook, it becomes aware of whatever you have open. You do not need to upload or paste anything. Just open the document and start asking questions about it.

This side-by-side experience is genuinely useful. You can ask Copilot to explain a spreadsheet you are looking at, suggest improvements to a document you are editing, or help you respond to an email thread.

Practical Tips for Better Results

Getting good output from Copilot Chat comes down to how you prompt it. Here are some techniques that consistently improve results:

Be Specific About What You Want

Instead of 'Write me an email about the project update', try 'Write a professional email to my team summarising this week's progress on the website redesign project. Include the completed tasks, current blockers, and next steps. Keep it under 200 words.'

The more context and constraints you provide, the better the output.

Tell Copilot Who It Is Writing For

Specify your audience. 'Explain this for a non-technical stakeholder' produces very different output from 'Explain this for a senior developer'. Copilot adjusts its language, depth, and assumptions based on who you say you are writing for.

Iterate and Refine

Your first prompt rarely produces the perfect result. Treat it as a starting point. Ask Copilot to make it shorter, more formal, add examples, remove jargon, or focus on a specific section. Each refinement gets you closer to what you need.

Use Copilot for the Middle, Not the End

AI-generated content should be a draft, not a final product. Use Copilot to get past the blank page, generate options, or create a structure. Then apply your own expertise, knowledge, and judgement to finish it.

When the Included Version Is Not Enough

Copilot Chat is genuinely capable for many tasks. But there are situations where the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence becomes necessary.

The fundamental difference is data grounding. The paid licence connects Copilot to the Microsoft Graph, which means it can automatically search and reason across your emails, calendar, Teams chats, meetings, and files stored in SharePoint and OneDrive.

Consider these scenarios:

• 'Summarise what I missed while I was on holiday' - Copilot Chat cannot do this. It has no access to your emails, meetings, or chats. Microsoft 365 Copilot can pull together everything relevant from the past week.
• 'Find the proposal we sent to Acme Corp last quarter' - Copilot Chat would need you to find and upload that document. Microsoft 365 Copilot searches your files automatically.
• 'Prepare me for my meeting with Sarah at 2pm' - Copilot Chat knows nothing about your calendar or your history with Sarah. Microsoft 365 Copilot can pull relevant emails, previous meeting notes, and shared documents.

If your work involves heavy email, lots of meetings, or frequently searching across scattered documents, the paid licence delivers genuine value. If you mostly work with specific documents and external information, Copilot Chat may be sufficient.

The Smart Approach to Licensing

Most organisations do not need Microsoft 365 Copilot licences for everyone. The cost adds up quickly at scale.

A more strategic approach:

1. Start with Copilot Chat - Make sure your team knows it exists and how to use it effectively. Many people have never opened it.
2. Identify power users - Some roles benefit dramatically from work-grounded AI. Executive assistants, project managers, people who live in email and meetings. These are your candidates for paid licences.
3. Measure actual usage - Before expanding licences, check who is actually using Copilot and getting value from it. There is no point paying for licences that sit unused.
4. Train before you licence - A paid licence without training is wasted money. Make sure people know how to prompt effectively and understand what Copilot can do before you give them access to more powerful features.

Getting Started

If you have not explored Copilot Chat yet, here is how to find it:

• Go to m365copilot.com and sign in with your work account
• Open the Microsoft 365 Copilot app from the app launcher
• Use Copilot within Teams, Outlook, or Edge

Spend 30 minutes experimenting. Upload a document you are working on. Ask it to help with a real task. See what it can do.

You might be surprised how much value is already sitting there, waiting to be used.

At IQ IT, we help organisations get more from their Microsoft 365 investment, whether that means maximising what is already included or rolling out Copilot strategically. If you want to understand what makes sense for your team, get in touch.