Use Microsoft Copilot in Outlook to Draft and Reply to Emails

What This Does

Copilot in Outlook drafts new emails and replies to incoming messages based on your instructions, saving the 5-15 minutes you currently spend writing each client email from scratch.

Before You Start

• You have Microsoft 365 (Business Standard or higher) with Copilot add-on enabled
• You're running Outlook desktop app or Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com)
• You'll see the Copilot icon (sparkle/star) in your toolbar if Copilot is active

Steps

1. Draft a new email with Copilot

Click New Email to open a compose window. Look for the Copilot icon in the toolbar above the message body (Outlook kept this placement through Microsoft's 2026 Copilot button reshuffle). Click it, then choose Draft (labeled Draft with Copilot in classic Outlook and on Mac). A text field appears. Type your instructions: "Write a professional email to a client named Patricia inviting her to schedule her annual review. Mention that markets have been active this year and it's a good time to check in on her retirement timeline."

2. Review the draft

Copilot generates a draft in about 5 seconds. It appears in your email compose window. Read it; you'll typically find it's 80-90% ready to send. If the tone or length is off, use the dropdown next to the draft to adjust it or run the same prompt again, then keep the draft in your email.

3. Reply to an email with Copilot

Open an email from a client. Click Reply. In the reply compose window, click the Copilot icon and select Draft. Describe how you want to respond: "Acknowledge their question about the market drop, explain our portfolios are positioned defensively, and suggest a call if they want to talk through concerns." Copilot drafts the reply using context from the original email.

4. Use the Summarize feature for long email threads

For long email chains, open the thread and select the Summary by Copilot box at the top of the conversation. Copilot produces a summary of the entire thread with numbered citations that jump to the source emails: what was asked, what was answered, and what's outstanding. Use this before client calls to catch up quickly without reading 20 emails.

Real Example

Scenario: You have 15 unread client emails after a busy morning. One is from the Chen family asking why their account is down and whether they should do anything.

What you type: "Reply to this email. Acknowledge their concern about the portfolio decline. Explain this is normal short-term volatility. Mention their portfolio is diversified and aligned with their 10-year time horizon. Suggest a call if they'd like to discuss. Keep it under 150 words."

What you get: A polished, reassuring reply that references their specific message and addresses each concern clearly, without you spending 10 minutes staring at a blank reply window.

Tips

• Always read Copilot's draft before sending. It occasionally misinterprets tone or omits a nuance you care about.
• For compliance-sensitive emails (investment recommendations, fee disclosures), use Copilot for structure and then edit carefully, don't send a Copilot draft unreviewed in these cases.
• The more specific your instruction, the better the draft: "under 100 words, formal tone, reference their specific question about bonds" produces much better output than "reply to this email."

Tool interfaces change, if a button has moved, look for similar Copilot/AI/sparkle options in the same compose or reading pane area.