Copilot Tasks (2026): How It Works, What It Can Touch and the Move to Cowork

So if you've just found Tasks, you're arriving in the middle of a change. Here's how it works, what it can touch, where Microsoft itself tells you to be careful, and what the Cowork version looks like, all from Microsoft's own support pages.

What Copilot Tasks does

Normally you work with Copilot one message at a time. Tasks flips that. You describe the outcome, Copilot plans and executes the steps to get there, and then it hands you a result to review. Microsoft says it may browse the web, click around websites, generate or edit files, or use connected services you've authorised, such as email or cloud storage.

The support page applies to personal Microsoft accounts only: Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro. If you sign in with a work or school account, this isn't describing your Copilot, and agents inside Microsoft 365 are a different thing, covered in my guide to Copilot agents.

One-off tasks versus scheduled ones

Microsoft splits Tasks into two types, and Cowork adds its own way to repeat a job. Here's how they compare:

What to compare	Regular task	Scheduled task	Cowork scheduled prompt
How it runs	Runs once, starting as soon as you submit	Runs at a set time or on a recurring schedule	A prompt Cowork runs automatically at a set time or on repeat
Microsoft's example	Order pizza for my family tonight	Email me a weekly summary of Microsoft stock performance	Send me a daily briefing every morning at 9 AM
Where you manage it	The Tasks view	The Tasks view, where you can also edit schedules	The Scheduled tab in My tasks, or the Scheduled section in the side panel
Before it runs	Starts when you submit	Copilot may ask for approvals during setup so it can run unattended	Cowork confirms the schedule and asks for your approval

Handing over your first task

1. Describe the goal in natural language, the way you'd brief a person: what you want, by when, and what the finished result should look like.
2. Decide whether it runs once or on a schedule, and put the timing in the request if it repeats.
3. Watch it in the Tasks view. As it runs, you'll see the steps it's taking and any websites or actions involved.
4. Stop it with the interrupt message button, or take control, if it does something you didn't expect. Copilot may also pause and ask for your input or approval.
5. Review the result before you use it or send it anywhere.

Two reassurances from the page. Tasks are user initiated and won't start unless you ask for one. And you can pause, turn off or delete scheduled tasks, and delete any memory Tasks has stored, whenever you like.

What Copilot can reach while it works

This is the bit worth reading before you connect anything. For browser-based tasks, Copilot works websites in a human-like way, clicking, scrolling and typing, and it may take screenshots of the pages it uses. Microsoft says it doesn't capture screenshots while you're in control of the browser, and that screenshots are kept for a limited time and not used for training.

It can also store task-specific memory, such as your preferences or important dates, and, if you allow it, encrypted cookies that keep you signed in, retained for up to 30 days. Connectors you authorise let it draft emails or manage your calendar, and Microsoft says Copilot doesn't independently store your information from those services. You can unlink a connector or turn memory off in your Copilot settings.

Copilot asks for approval, or hands control back to you, before purchases or payments, submitting personal details to outside websites, actions involving other people such as sending emails, account-altering actions like deleting files or cancelling subscriptions, and sensitive submissions such as health or government documents.

Where Microsoft tells you to slow down

Microsoft is unusually blunt here. Its banner says Copilot may make mistakes, misinterpret instructions, or be deceived by malicious hidden instructions. That last one is prompt injection: a website can hide text meant to steer an automated system. If Copilot heads to sites you didn't expect or asks for unfamiliar approvals, pause or cancel the task and look at what it's doing.

The page says to be especially cautious with:

• Payments or financial actions.
• Account or file changes.
• Websites you don't recognise or trust.
• Anything that needs a professional's advice, because Copilot isn't a professional advisor.
• Sensitive decisions about people, such as jobs, loans, insurance, housing or safety.

It also says Tasks may not work well for highly sensitive or critical work, advanced document layout or design, or websites that restrict automated interaction. You're responsible for what Tasks does on your behalf. For a wider view of the risks, see whether Copilot is safe to use.

The move to Copilot Cowork

The Tasks page carries an Important banner: customers using Copilot Tasks with a personal Microsoft Copilot account will begin to be migrated to Copilot Cowork over the next few weeks. The Tasks page doesn't say more than that, so I won't promise how long Tasks stays unchanged.

Cowork for personal accounts is in Preview, and its support page says it relates to a prerelease product that may be substantially modified before it's released. As it works, it loads specialised skills for jobs like creating documents, managing your calendar and preparing briefings, and you'll see a message such as Preparing to compose emails when it picks one up. Work or school accounts can add their own custom skills stored in OneDrive.

Your Cowork conversations sit in the My tasks view, with a Filters dropdown that shows tasks needing your input, in progress, complete, or scheduled. Select one to open its conversation and carry on.

Setting up a repeat prompt in Cowork

Scheduling works through ordinary language. Put the job and the timing in one message, and Cowork confirms the schedule and asks for your approval before it switches on. Microsoft's own example is a daily briefing:

Microsoft's example scheduled prompt

Send me a daily briefing every morning at 9 AM.

A weekly status report is the other example Microsoft gives. To change a schedule later, edit, pause or cancel it from the Scheduled tab in My tasks, or from the Scheduled section in the side panel. If you're new to the app itself, start with my walkthrough of the Microsoft Copilot app.

Where I'd start

I'd hand Copilot one low-stakes repeat job first, like a weekly briefing or a summary of something you'd normally look up yourself, and read the result before it goes anywhere. I'd skip anything involving payments, account changes or other people's data until you've watched a few runs. And because personal accounts are moving to Cowork, which is still in Preview, I wouldn't build a business process around either one yet. Treat it as an assistant you check, not a colleague you trust blindly, and look at Microsoft's own help page for the latest before you rely on it.

If you want repeat jobs like weekly briefings handled by AI without handing over control, that's the kind of workflow automation I help with. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.

Frequently asked questions

What is Copilot Tasks?

It's a Copilot feature for personal Microsoft accounts that lets you describe a goal in plain words while Copilot plans and does the steps, either once or on a schedule, then gives you the result to review.

Does Copilot Tasks work with a work or school account?

Microsoft's Tasks page applies to personal accounts only: Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro.

Is Copilot Tasks being replaced?

As of Nov 2026, Microsoft says customers using Tasks with a personal Copilot account will begin to be migrated to Copilot Cowork, which is in Preview.

Can Copilot Tasks start on its own?

No. Tasks are user initiated and won't start unless you ask. You can stop a running task with the interrupt message button, and pause, turn off or delete scheduled ones.

Does Copilot ask before making payments?

Yes. Microsoft says it asks for your approval or hands control back for purchases and payments, and you should always confirm the details first.