Copilot Cowork is Microsoft's agent for long, multi-step jobs: you describe the task, and it runs it end to end in the cloud across your Microsoft 365 data, then hands back a finished result. To use it, your admin must switch it on (it's off by default), you need a Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, and you open it from the Cowork toggle in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.
Copilot Chat helps you with a reply or a summary. Copilot Cowork is for the jobs that used to eat an afternoon: comparing a stack of files, building a report from several sources, working through a list and producing something finished at the end. Microsoft made it generally available worldwide to Microsoft 365 Copilot customers on 16 June, and it's been adding plugins and controls since.
Here's what it does, what has to be in place before you can use it, and how to write tasks it'll handle well. If you're wondering whether this is the same as Claude Cowork, it isn't: it's Microsoft's own product, though it runs on Anthropic's models among others.
What Copilot Cowork does
| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| End-to-end tasks | It returns a completed result, not just a draft or a list of suggestions |
| Cloud hosted | Tasks keep running when your laptop is off, and files aren't stored locally |
| Work IQ | It grounds the work in your organisation's emails, files and systems |
| Several models | Anthropic's Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6 at launch, GPT 5.5 in Frontier, Microsoft's Cowork 1 coming |
| Plugins | Partner tools such as Miro, monday.com, Morningstar and Harvey, with Adobe, Atlassian, Box and Canva coming |
| Microsoft 365 controls | Prompts, responses and files follow your existing compliance policies and sensitivity labels |
What you need before you can use it
- A Microsoft 365 Copilot user licence.
- Your admin to enable Cowork for your tenant and give you access. It's off by default.
- Copilot Credits, because Cowork is charged by usage on top of the licence. Admins can set limits for the whole organisation, for groups and for individuals.
- The Microsoft 365 Copilot app, where a toggle takes you into the full Cowork experience.
The catch people miss is that usage-based part. Each task draws on credits according to the model it uses, how much information it retrieves, the tools it calls and how long it runs. A big, sprawling task uses more than a tight one. If you're the admin, set limits and alerts before you roll it out; if you're a user and you run short mid-task, you can request more from inside Cowork.
How to write a good Cowork task
Because Cowork works on its own for a while, your instructions matter more than in chat. I'd always include four things: the outcome, the sources, the format and the limits.
Copy this prompt
Compare the three supplier proposals in this SharePoint folder. Produce a Word document with a side-by-side table of what each offers, delivery times and risks, then recommend one with your reasons. Don't contact any supplier.
Copy this prompt
Go through every client project in the 'Active projects' spreadsheet, check the latest email thread for each one, and produce a status report in Excel with the next action and owner for each.
Copy this prompt
Using our last four monthly reports, build a ten-slide PowerPoint deck summarising trends, wins and issues for the board. Use our template in the Brand folder.
Copy this prompt
Review the policy documents in this folder against the checklist attached, list every gap in a table, and draft suggested wording for each gap. Mark anything you're unsure about.
Copy this prompt
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Read the meeting notes from this quarter's team meetings and produce a single list of decisions made, actions still open and who owns them.
When to use Cowork and when to stick with Copilot Chat
Cowork shines on work that has several steps, several sources and a clear finished product: a comparison document, a status report, a deck built from monthly reports. For a quick question, a single email reply or a one-paragraph summary, Copilot Chat is faster and doesn't draw on Cowork credits. A simple rule I'd use: if you'd normally block out an hour or more and open several files, try Cowork. If it's a five-minute job, stay in chat.
Tips to keep tasks focused
- Point it at specific folders or files. Narrow sources mean faster, more accurate results and fewer credits used.
- Say what it mustn't do. For example, don't email anyone, don't change the original files.
- Ask it to flag uncertainty. "Mark anything you're unsure about" makes checking quicker.
- Check the output before sharing. It's finished work, but it's still your name on it.
If you're comparing agent tools, my guide to Claude Cowork covers Anthropic's own version, and Copilot Studio is Microsoft's route for building custom agents.
Tools that work with Copilot Cowork
Named here, not linked:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot app, where you switch into Cowork.
- Word, Excel and PowerPoint, for the finished files it produces.
- SharePoint and OneDrive, as sources for its work.
- Microsoft Edge, which Cowork can use to browse in the Frontier programme.
- Miro, monday.com and Morningstar, among the partner plugins.
- Copilot Studio, for building apps and agents alongside Cowork.
If you'd like a hand working out which jobs to give Cowork first, that's something I help teams plan.
My verdict
Cowork is the most useful thing Microsoft has added to Copilot for people who do long, document-heavy work. It's not for quick questions; Copilot Chat does that. Get your admin to set sensible limits, start with one well-defined weekly job, and judge it on the finished output. If that's good, widen it from there.
Frequently asked questions
What is Copilot Cowork?
It's Microsoft's agent for complex, long-running, multi-tool tasks. You define the job and it runs it end to end in the cloud, returning a completed result such as a report, spreadsheet or deck.
Is Copilot Cowork included with Microsoft 365 Copilot?
You need the Microsoft 365 Copilot user licence, and Cowork itself is charged on a usage basis in Copilot Credits on top of that.
Why can't I see Copilot Cowork?
It's off by default. Your admin has to enable it for your organisation and give you access.
Is Copilot Cowork the same as Claude Cowork?
No. Copilot Cowork is Microsoft's product inside Microsoft 365, though at launch it runs on Anthropic models including Opus 4.8 and Sonnet 4.6.
Does Copilot Cowork keep working if I close my laptop?
Yes. Microsoft says it's cloud hosted, so tasks keep running even when your laptop is off.
