If you’ve ever spent too much time searching through files, Copilot in OneDrive can help. It’s a built-in assistant that makes it easier to find, understand, and work with your documents.
You don’t have to open every file to see what’s inside. Using Copilot for OneDrive gives you quick answers, summaries, and insights just by asking.
How to Open Copilot in OneDrive
You can use Copilot to help organize folders in your OneDrive, suggest relevant titles for folders and documents, and give short summaries as to what is inside each folder based on its name. This all helps save you time and keep your work easier to navigate. To open Copilot in OneDrive:
Step 1: Go to ‘onedrive.live.com’ and sign in.
Step 2: Select the files you want Copilot to help with.
Step 3: Click the Copilot symbol at the top of the page.
Step 4: Use the chat box to ask for assistance.
What Copilot Can Do in OneDrive
Copilot in OneDrive helps you find, read, and work with your files faster without needing to open each one. It works directly inside the OneDrive web app and connects with your stored documents like Word files, Excel sheets, PowerPoints, and PDFs.
Here’s exactly how you can use it:
Search the Content of Files
Copilot searches inside your files, not just by file name. This is great when you can’t remember where you saved something, but know what it was about.
Step 1: Go to OneDrive and open Copilot.
Step 2: Type something like: ‘Find files about the team budget’ or ‘Show documents that mention project launch’.
Copilot will pull up files that contain those words or related info.
Summarize Documents Without Opening Them
Summarizing documents using Copilot saves you from scrolling through long files just to get the main idea. You can select a file and ask Copilot to give you a quick summary in plain language.
Step 1: Click the checkbox next to a file.
Step 2: Click the Copilot icon.
Step 3: Ask ‘Summarize this file’ or ‘What’s this document about?’.
Pull Out Details From Files
If you need to find deadlines, people’s names, or action items from a file, Copilot can extract that info for you. It’s great when you’re reviewing docs quickly or looking for follow-up actions.
Step 1: Select the check box by a file.
Step 2: Open Copilot.
Step 3: Ask for details like ‘What dates are mentioned?’ or ‘Who is talked about in this file?’.
Understand Excel Files Without Formulas
If you’ve saved an Excel file to OneDrive, Copilot can read it and explain the numbers.
Step 1: Select an Excel file.
Step 2: Click Copilot in the top.
Step 3: Type something like ‘What’s the total of each column?’ or ‘Which category has the highest value?’
This way, you don’t have to open Excel or know how to use formulas.
Draft or Plan Based on Stored Files
Copilot can help you write messages, summaries, or checklists – based on what’s inside your files. This helps when you’re following up on meetings or building out a task list.
Step 1: Select the document.
Step 2: Instruct Copilot to ‘Write a summary email based on this’ or ‘Create a to-do list from this document’.
Explain Uploaded Web Pages
If you save a web page or article (as a PDF or doc) in OneDrive, Copilot can explain it to you. This works well for research, reading assignments, or content reviews.
Step 1: Upload or save the file.
Step 2: Select it and open Copilot.
Step 3: Ask ‘What is this page about?’ or ‘Summarize this article’.
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Last updated on 25 May, 2025
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