Welcome to Copilot in OneNote
Applies ToOneNote for Microsoft 365 OneNote for Microsoft 365 for Mac OneNote for the web Office for business OneNote for iOS Microsoft Office

Note:  Copilot in OneNote is available to customers with a Copilot Pro (Home) or Microsoft 365 Copilot (Work) license in OneNote for Microsoft 365 on Windows, Mac​​​​​​​, iPad, and OneNote Web.

Copilot in OneNote supercharges your notetaking and helps you understand, create, and recall information at the click of a button. With the power of large language models (LLMs) and your OneNote notes, Copilot can generate relevant and useful content based on your prompt and context.  

You can engage with Copilot's open chat capabilities and receive intelligent responses in multiple ways. The Chat pane allows you to interact with Copilot for actions like summaries, task lists, and idea generation. Simply select the Copilot button from the Home tab on the ribbon to open the Chat pane.​​​​​​​

Alternatively, the Canvas experience provides a quick, seamless shortcut to Copilot's capabilities directly on the page.

Tip: Use the on-canvas OneNote icon to instantly interact with Copilot without always needing to open the Chat pane. 

Use Copilot in OneNote to:

  • Understand your notes by:

    • Generating summaries.

    • Creating task lists.

    • Analyzing your ideas.

    • Rewriting your notes for clarity.

  • Create new content like event plans, presentation outlines, meeting drafts (agendas, discussion points, key objectives, action items, etc.), or brainstorm ideas. 

  • Chat with Copilot to receive responses to your prompts and get assistance in real-time. 

Use Copilot in OneNote

Note: This feature is currently rolling out to Copilot subscribers.

From the Home tab on the ribbon, select the Copilot button to open the Copilot pane, where you can interact with Copilot for summaries, task lists, idea generation, and more.  Accessing the Copilot in OneNote Button

You can also use the on-canvas OneNote icon for a quick, seamless shortcut to Copilot's capabilities directly on the page. This icon allows you to instantly interact with Copilot to summarize, rewrite, create task lists, gather/create notes, or generate new content ideas. Simply click the icon to get started.  ​​​​​​​ Accessing the on-canvas Copilot feature in OneNote

Understand your notes

When you have a lot of notes from meetings or planning sessions, Copilot can help make sense of everything for you. Copilot can summarize a section, a selection of text, or even specific details about a topic. 

Select one of the topics below to learn more.

Sometimes you need to take a lot of notes quickly, which can make your notes difficult to understand later. Copilot's Summarize feature makes it easy to make sense of an entire section by default, a selection of text, and a specific topic or feature.

  1. Select the Copilot button in the ribbon to open the Copilot pane.   

    Tip: You can click on the Copilot icon on the canvas or use right-click to access a quick action to summarize the page or selected content.

  2. Once you've entered the details (such as key points, action items, or specific questions you want answered), select the Send  Send button arrow. 

  3. Copilot will generate a summary of your content. You can select Copy to copy Copilot's response and paste it in OneNote or other apps.

To learn more about this feature, see Summarize your OneNote notes with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Need help tracking follow-up tasks or important items? Copilot can create task lists from your notes, a page, or section. 

  1. Select Copilot from the ribbon to open the Copilot pane.

    Tip: To create a tasks list from selected text, you can click the Copilot icon on the canvas or use the right-click context menu to access quick actions. 

  2. Once you've entered the details (such as specific tasks, deadlines, or priorities), select the Send arrow. For example, you could enter "Draft a to-do list for my upcoming project meeting, including tasks like preparing the presentation, sending invites, and finalizing the agenda." 

  3. Copilot will generate a task list in the Copilot pane. You can select Copy to copy Copilot's response and paste it in OneNote or other apps.

To learn more about how OneNote can help generate a to-do list, see Create a to-do list and tasks in OneNote with Copilot

Create new notes, pages, and sections

Coming up with new ideas or finding a place to begin can block you before you've written a single sentence. Copilot can help you when you're stuck on a blank page and unleash your creativity.

Select one of the topics below to learn more.

Finding inspiration for new ideas can stop progress on any project. Copilot can help you break mental blocks and provide ideas to get you started. 

  1. Select Copilot in the ribbon to open the Copilot pane.

  2. In the compose box, enter "Give me ideas" and details to specify what types of ideas you want. For example, "Give me ideas of names for a women's athletic clothing brand" or "I have 2 weeks of vacation this winter and want to go on a unique trip with my spouse and 2 young children. Give me ideas where we could go." 

  3. Choose the View Prompt icon to open the Copilot prompt menu and select Give me ideas for.

  4. Select the Send arrow.

  5. Copilot will place the ideas in the Copilot pane. You can select Copy to copy Copilot's response and paste it in OneNote or other apps.

Planning for a large goal is often overwhelming, especially when you don't know what the first step should be. Copilot can draft a plan for your projects, campaigns, and personal goals so you can save time planning and get to doing. 

  1. Select Copilot in the ribbon to open the Copilot pane.

  2. In the compose box, enter "Draft a plan" and details about what type of plan you need. For example, "Draft a plan for an interview as the interviewer" or "Draft a plan to reduce my stress this week." 

    Tip: Choose the View Prompt icon to open the Copilot prompt menu and select Draft a plan.

  3. Select the Send arrow.

  4. Copilot will place the plan in the Copilot pane. You can select Copy to copy Copilot's response and paste it in OneNote or other apps.

For more ideas on how to use Draft a plan in Copilot in OneNote, see Allow Copilot to create project plans in OneNote for you.

Writing your first draft is hard, but rewriting can be even harder. Copilot in OneNote can help you by rewriting your content for tone, style, formality, and even length. You can also ask Copilot to provide several options for its rewritten responses. 

  1. Select Copilot in the ribbon to open the Copilot pane.

  2. In the compose box, enter in a prompt like "Rewrite" and details to clarify how you want the text to be rewritten. For example, "Suggest 3 ways I could rewrite this text to sound more casual" or "Rewrite 2 versions of my cover letter to sound more professional." You can also do this by selecting some text and clicking the Copilot icon to get the menu option to Rewrite selected text. 

    Tip: Choose the View Prompt icon to open the Copilot prompt menu and select Rewrite. 

  3. Finish typing in the rest of your prompt to specify the section, selected text, or topic or feature you want to rewrite.

  4. Select the Send arrow.

  5. Copilot will place the rewritten text in the Copilot pane. You can select Copy to copy Copilot's response and paste it in OneNote or other apps.

For more ideas on how to use Rewrite in Copilot for OneNote, see Rewrite text in OneNote with Copilot.

Get Started

The features in Copilot are continuously expanding to enhance your experience and productivity. To explore these new capabilities: 

  • Use the Copilot pane: Access a comprehensive overview of all available features and tools.

  • Click the on-canvas OneNote icon: Quickly access specific features tailored to your current task.

  • Check the Help section: Find detailed examples and step-by-step guidance to make the most of the new tools.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions about Copilot in OneNote

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