2.4. Copilot Feature Differences Across M365 Apps
💡 First Principle: Each app's Copilot is optimized for that app's purpose. Copilot in Word is a writing assistant; Copilot in Excel is a data analyst; Copilot in Teams is a meeting facilitator. The brand is consistent, but the feature set is not.
This is one of the most straightforward but heavily tested topics on AB-730: knowing what Copilot can and cannot do in each specific application.
Microsoft 365 Copilot — App Feature Matrix:
| App | What Copilot Can Do | Signature Feature |
|---|---|---|
| Word | Draft documents, rewrite/refine existing text, summarize long documents, generate from a brief | Draft with Copilot from a prompt |
| Excel | Analyze data, generate formulas, create charts, summarize data patterns, answer questions about your data | Natural language data analysis |
| PowerPoint | Create presentations from a prompt or existing document, add slides, generate speaker notes, apply design | Create from document |
| Outlook | Draft email replies, summarize email threads, coach on email tone, suggest calendar times | Thread summarization |
| Teams | Recap meetings, generate action items, answer questions during live meetings, summarize channels | Live meeting assistance |
| Loop | Real-time co-creation with Copilot in collaborative workspaces | AI content in shared canvases |
Copilot in Teams is worth special attention because it has capabilities no other app has:
- Ask questions about a meeting while it is happening ("What has been decided so far?")
- Generate meeting recap with action items after the meeting ends
- Summarize a Teams channel conversation
⚠️ Exam Trap: Copilot features are not interchangeable across apps. You cannot ask Copilot in Word to generate a meeting recap, and you cannot ask Copilot in Teams to create a formula from your data. The exam will present scenarios and ask which app's Copilot is the right tool — knowing which capabilities live where is essential.
Reflection Question: An executive wants to quickly understand the key decisions made in a two-hour strategy meeting they missed. Which Microsoft 365 app and which specific Copilot capability should they use?
