Copilot, Microsoft’s generative AI chatbot, can do many things, but one of its best uses is as a researcher, for pretty much anything you want in business or personal use.
If you’re looking for in-depth information, there’s a lot more you can do than type a simple request into Copilot’s search box. Simple prompts can be fine when you’re looking for basic information, but for anything beyond that, you need help. Here are six ways to turbocharge your research with Copilot.
Note that Copilot is available in several places and with varying capabilities. Everyone can use the free Copilot app for Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and on the web. There’s also Copilot Chat in the M365 Copilot web app, which provides access to more powerful tools under some Microsoft 365 subscriptions. And users with certain M365 subscriptions can use Copilot from within M365 apps like Word.
Business users with an M365 Copilot subscription can use an advanced Copilot agent called Researcher, built for very deep dives into enterprise data, which is then formatted into reports. We’ll cover the Researcher agent in this story, but it’s not something most business users would typically use as part of an everyday workflow.
Most of the tips here focus on widely available Copilot features that anybody can use. We’ve demonstrated using the basic Copilot app for Windows; similar features are available in other Copilot iterations.
One last note before we begin: Like all genAI tools, Copilot sometimes makes errors and spouts hallucinations — things that may sound reasonable but are pure fabrications. As you conduct your research, be sure to follow the advice in our guide to curbing hallucinations in Copilot.
A simple way to improve your research is to choose the right Copilot mode. Depending on the mode you choose, you can do quick-and-dirty searches, in-depth research, and more.
Just to the right of the + sign in the Copilot search box, you’ll see what mode you’re currently using. The default is Smart. If you click the down arrow next to it, you’ll have four choices. Three of them are ideal for different kinds of research:
Choose the right Copilot mode for the kind of research you’re doing.
The fourth mode, Study and learn, offers guided learning, quizzes, and more. It’s useful, just not for conducting research.
The research work Copilot does for you is only as good as the information it finds. And I’ve found that you can’t always rely on Copilot on its own to find the best information sources — that’s when it can go off the rails.
So when you craft a prompt for research, make sure to tell Copilot specifically where to look for the information. For example, if you were researching how much money the federal government has given in grants to small businesses over the last five years, you could craft a prompt like this:
Briefly summarize the total amount of money the federal government has given in grants to small businesses over the last five years. Use only official .gov sources. Provide links to all sources of information.
If you have found reliable sources of information over the years, point Copilot at those specific websites or pages when you craft a prompt. And if you have files that contain relevant information, upload them to Copilot and tell Copilot to use them for the research.
To do it, click the + sign at the left side of Copilot prompt box and select Add images or files. On the popup, navigate to the files you want, select them, and click Open. When you’re back at the prompt, tell Copilot to use these files exclusively for its research.
