Microsoft Copilot Gets Deep Integration With Excel and Outlook for Automated Workflows

What Happened

Microsoft has rolled out a significant update to Copilot inside Microsoft 365, with major improvements to how it works in Excel and Outlook. The update introduces the ability to create automated multi-step workflows using plain language instructions, with no coding required.

Why It Matters

Microsoft 365 is one of the most widely used business software suites in the world. The businesses paying for Copilot licences now have access to automation tools that previously required dedicated software or technical staff to build.

In Excel, you can now ask Copilot to automatically pull in data from connected sources, run analysis, and produce formatted reports on a schedule. In Outlook, you can set up rules that go far beyond basic filters, such as automatically summarising long email threads, drafting replies based on your communication style, or flagging messages that need urgent attention.

Real Business Use Cases

A small business owner could use this to automatically generate a weekly sales summary from their data, emailed to the team every Monday morning without manual effort. A founder could have incoming investor emails automatically summarised and tagged. An operations manager could set up Outlook to route customer complaints to the right person instantly.

What You Need

These features require an active Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. Pricing starts at around 30 dollars per user per month on top of your existing Microsoft 365 subscription. The new workflow features are rolling out over the coming weeks.

What To Do

If you already pay for Microsoft 365 Copilot, check for the updated features in Excel and Outlook. Start with one repetitive task you do weekly and try building an automated version using plain language instructions in Copilot.