Executive Summary
- In our new series, Microsoft Copilot Release Roundup, we’ll share with you some of the recent updates for Copilot for Microsoft 365.
- With AI developing so fast, updates and new features are being added to Copilot all the time—many of which can make your working life easier and more productive.
- In this edition, covering June and July 2024, we’ll take a closer look at new AI features including “Catch-up”, new PDF support, file combination and comparison, AI summaries, and more.
Introduction
Since going live for all business customers in January 2024, Microsoft 365 Copilot (and its little brother, Microsoft Copilot) has brought generative AI to the masses.
Now built into every Windows 11 machine, Copilot can do almost anything—from answering trivia questions to optimising your PowerPoint deck for that big presentation.
And, because this is a Microsoft product, it’s been receiving updates thick and fast across all of its integrated apps. If you’ve missed any—and we wouldn’t blame you—we’ve compiled the latest updates from June and July 2024 below.
Copilot updates for July 2024
Make Excel (even) smarter with formula columns
Need to crunch some numbers? Copilot in Excel can now add formula columns based on selected tables, simplifying data analysis and making your spreadsheets work harder for you.
Never miss a thing with “Catch-up”
Copilot’s new “Catch-up” feature lets you quickly see what’s due, get updates on ongoing projects, and catch up on recent communications. Using it couldn’t be easier—just ask Copilot directly what you’ve missed and voila!
Take the slog out of organising documents
Copilot for Word saw a slew of improvements this month, with the ability to have Copilot help you refine, revise, and expand your documents, drawing on content from your organisation’s documents to add that professional touch.
Turn PDFs into presentations in PowerPoint
Copilot can now read PDFs and turn them into meeting-ready presentations, saving you time in the process.
Get everything you need in a nutshell
Copilot can now summarise information from emails, presentations, and Teams chats. Just ask things like “Summarise all of the emails, chats, and presentations I worked on last week” or “Create a to-do list based on the meeting I had yesterday.”
Copilot updates for June 2024
Get to the point faster with meeting agendas
All the best meetings meeting start with a good agenda…right? Maybe that’s just us, but either way, Copilot can now add an agenda slide to your PowerPoint presentations at your request.
Get a little help from your AI friend in Teams
The “Rewrite” or “Adjust” options you might have used in Word are now available in Teams chats, too. That means you can write out some stream-of-consciousness on a Monday morning and have Copilot turn it into something coherent.
Bring documents together to create brochures or newsletters fast
In Word, Copilot can now combine content from up to three different files to create polished brochures and newsletters without the fuss. To use this feature, just ask Copilot “Draft content combining /[file name], /[file name], and /[file name].”
Play ‘spot the difference’ with your documents
Need to compare documents? Copilot’s got you covered. It can now highlight the differences between two documents, meaning you no longer need to hop back and forth hoping for the best.
Get more from your PDFs
Copilot’s has been upgraded with the ability to access content within PDFs, meaning you can summarise or compare PDF documents. Similarly to the document combining feature above, you can use the commands like “Summarise /[PDF]” or “Compare /[PDF1] and /[PDF2] and list the differences between them.”
Keep an eye out for another Microsoft Copilot Release Roundup in the coming months. In the meantime, to learn more about Microsoft’s AI tools, talk to your Get Support Customer Success Manager or call us on 01865 594000.
