4
Coding
GitHub Copilot is the stronger tool for engineering; Microsoft Copilot helps with scripts, Excel formulas and Power Platform.
Microsoft Copilot: what it is and what it is best at
The assistant built into Microsoft 365, Windows and Teams for everyday office work.
The short version
At a glance
Made byMicrosoft
CategoryAssistants
Strongest atdata & analytics, privacy & control, coding
NameA copilot is a co-pilot: an assistant that sits beside you rather than flying the plane for you.
Overview
What Microsoft Copilot is
Microsoft Copilot spans a consumer assistant and Microsoft 365 Copilot, which works inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. It can summarise meetings, draft documents, build formulas and answer questions over your organization's files.
Its value is proximity to the documents and conversations people already use, with Microsoft's identity and compliance controls around it.
Current models. Microsoft routes Copilot across several underlying models and has been adding Copilot Studio agents, Autopilot and Code. Public reports from September 2026 describe the largest Copilot update to date; confirm in Microsoft's documentation.
Where it is strong
Capability profile
Scores are Halden’s editorial view of typical fit on a 0–5 scale. They are not benchmark results and will differ by task, model version and plan: test on your own work.
Coding, analytics, documents, research
How it performs by task
5
Analysis & analytics
Very useful inside Excel for formulas, summaries and pivots, and in Power BI for explaining dashboards.
4
Documentation & writing
Good for drafting and restyling Word and PowerPoint content and summarising Teams meetings.
3
Research
Best over your own organization's files and email; weaker as a general web research tool.
Practical tips
Get more from Microsoft Copilot
- Tidy permissions and file sharing first; Copilot can surface whatever a user is allowed to see.
- Start with meeting summaries and email drafting, where review is easy.
- Use Copilot Studio for narrow, supervised agents rather than open-ended ones.
Watch-outs
- Oversharing in SharePoint becomes visible quickly: audit access before rollout.
- Licences and features vary by plan and tenant.
What has changed recently
Latest news and releases
- Microsoft announces its biggest Copilot update
Reports describe Autopilot, Code, a combined Home and a more deeply embedded Office, with rollouts through Microsoft's Frontier programme.
Source: Dealroom - October updates for Copilot in SharePoint
Microsoft detailed document-management and workflow updates for Copilot in SharePoint.
Source: AF.net
Compiled on October 9, 2026 from public reporting, much of it secondary. Dates, names and specifications can change, so confirm on Microsoft Copilot’s own site before you rely on them.
Go deeper
How-to guides for Microsoft Copilot and similar tools
October 2, 2026 · 3 min readA safe rollout plan for Microsoft 365 CopilotCopilot works across files, email and meetings, so a good rollout starts with permissions and a small pilot, not a company-wide switch-on.September 17, 2026 · 3 min readAI for meeting notes and knowledge managementMeeting summaries are often the first AI win. Handled well, they also become a searchable record of decisions.September 24, 2026 · 3 min readAI for finance teams: close, forecast and explainFinance work is full of repeatable analysis and narrative. AI can accelerate both, as long as accuracy and accountability stay with people.
Keep exploring
Compare with other tools
FAQ
Microsoft Copilot: common questions
What is Microsoft Copilot used for?
Drafting, summarising and analysis inside Microsoft 365 apps, plus a general assistant on Windows and the web.
What do we need before deploying it?
Clean permissions, clear information rules and a small pilot group with defined tasks.
How is it different from GitHub Copilot?
GitHub Copilot is for developers inside code editors; Microsoft Copilot is for office and business work.
A next step
Choose tools on evidence from your own work.
Run a short pilot with the people who will use Microsoft Copilot, measure the result, and decide with data, not hype.