Many Microsoft 365 customers are starting to notice Copilot Chat appearing in their apps and are asking the same questions:

• Is this included in our current Microsoft 365 subscription?
• Does it learn from our data?
• Who can access it?
• Is our information secure?
• And what is it actually useful for day to day?

This article breaks down what Copilot Chat is, how it works inside Microsoft 365, and how businesses can safely use it to improve productivity without compromising data security.

What Is Copilot Chat?

Copilot Chat is Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant built directly into Microsoft 365. It allows users to interact with AI using natural language, similar to a chat interface, while being connected to Microsoft’s enterprise security and compliance framework.

Depending on your licence, Copilot Chat may be available as a free, limited chat experience within Microsoft 365 or as part of Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, which integrates deeply with your organisation’s data in Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint and OneDrive.

Even without the paid Copilot licence, many users already have access to Copilot Chat in a general business context.

Does Copilot Chat Learn From or Share Your Data?

This is the most important question—and the short answer is no, your business data is not used to train Microsoft’s AI models.

Key data security points include:

• Your prompts and responses are not used to train public AI models
• Your organisation’s data stays within your Microsoft 365 tenant
• Copilot respects existing permissions and can only access what the user already has permission to see
• Data is not shared with other organisations
• Chat content is not exposed to Microsoft employees

Microsoft positions Copilot Chat as an enterprise-grade AI governed by the same security, privacy and compliance controls that already apply to Microsoft 365.

If a user does not have access to a file, mailbox or SharePoint site, Copilot does not either.

Who Has Access to Copilot Chat?

Access depends on licensing and tenant configuration.

In general:

• Users signed into Microsoft 365 with a work or school account can access Copilot Chat where it is enabled
• Access is governed by Entra ID (Azure AD) user accounts
• Administrators can enable or disable Copilot features
• Administrators can control data access via Microsoft Purview, DLP and Conditional Access
• Use can be restricted on unmanaged or non-compliant devices

This means Copilot Chat is not a consumer tool—it is tied directly to your organisation’s identity, security policies and compliance posture.

How Do You Use Copilot Chat?

Copilot Chat is designed to be simple and conversational.

Users type requests such as:

• Summarise this document
• Draft an email based on these notes
• Explain this spreadsheet
• Create a meeting agenda

Depending on your licence, Copilot Chat can work with general knowledge and prompts or pull context from Microsoft 365 apps you are already using. With the full Copilot licence, it can assist directly inside Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams.

The more structured and clear the prompt, the better the result.

How to Access Copilot Chat in Microsoft 365

Copilot Chat is accessed through your Microsoft 365 work or school account. There are several ways users can open it, depending on how they are working.

Access via the Web (Recommended Starting Point)

The simplest way to access Copilot Chat is through your web browser.

1. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 work or school account
2. Go to: https://copilot.microsoft.com
3. Make sure you are logged in with your organisation’s account (not a personal Microsoft account)

If Copilot Chat is enabled for your tenant, you will see a business-branded Copilot experience rather than the consumer version.

Access via Microsoft 365 Apps

Copilot Chat is also accessible directly inside Microsoft 365 applications, depending on licensing.

• Microsoft Teams
  Copilot appears in the left-hand app rail or within chats and meetings
  https://teams.microsoft.com
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (Web)
  Copilot appears as a panel or icon within the app
  https://www.office.com
• Microsoft 365 Home
  Users can launch Copilot Chat from the Microsoft 365 portal
  https://www.microsoft365.com

Desktop Apps

If your organisation has licensed Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, Copilot will also appear inside the desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook once updates are applied.

Users must:

• Be signed into the desktop app with their work account
• Have an eligible licence assigned
• Be running a supported version of Microsoft 365 Apps

‍

Practical Business Use Cases for Copilot Chat

Here are real-world examples of how businesses are using Copilot Chat today.

Email Drafting and Summaries

• Draft professional emails from dot points
• Summarise long email threads before replying
• Adjust tone to be formal, concise or friendly

Meeting Preparation and Follow-Ups

• Generate meeting agendas
• Summarise Teams meeting notes
• Create follow-up task lists

Document Creation and Editing

• Draft policies, proposals and reports
• Rewrite content for clarity or brevity
• Convert notes into structured documents

Excel and Data Assistance

• Explain formulas and spreadsheets
• Create summaries of large datasets
• Generate insights without complex formulas

Knowledge and Training Support

• Explain technical concepts in plain English
• Assist with onboarding documentation
• Create internal how-to guides

Marketing and Communications

• Draft social media posts
• Rewrite website content
• Generate campaign ideas and outlines

For regional businesses with lean teams, Copilot Chat often acts like a virtual assistant, reducing administration time and allowing staff to focus on higher-value work.

What Copilot Chat Is Not

It is important to set the right expectations.

Copilot Chat does not make decisions for your business, does not replace professional judgement, does not bypass security controls, and any content it generates should always be reviewed before sending or publishing.

Think of it as a productivity accelerator, not an autopilot.

You might already have access to Copilot Chat as it is already available to many Microsoft 365 customers and can deliver immediate productivity gains when used correctly.

The key advantages are enterprise-grade security, no training on your business data, permission-based access, and tight integration with Microsoft 365.

For businesses already invested in Microsoft 365, Copilot Chat is a low-risk, high-upside tool—especially when paired with strong identity management, device compliance and data protection policies.

If you are unsure what level of Copilot access your business currently has, or whether your Microsoft 365 environment is configured securely, it is worth reviewing this before rolling it out more broadly.

‍

‍