Share via

Get started with Copilot Cowork (Frontier)

  • Applies to: Microsoft 365 Copilot

[This article is prerelease documentation and is subject to change.]

Important

  • You need to be part of the Frontier preview program to get early access to Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork. Frontier connects you directly with Microsoft’s latest AI innovations. Frontier previews are subject to the existing preview terms of your customer agreements. As these features are still in development, their availability and capabilities may change over time.
  • Note: if Cowork is not visible in Microsoft Admin Center Agent management, ensure that the admin account is also enrolled in Frontier (Copilot -> Settings -> Frontier).
  • This is a preview feature.
  • Preview features may have restricted functionality. These features are available before an official release so that customers can get early access and provide feedback.
  • For more information, go to our Microsoft Product Terms.

Cowork is available in Microsoft 365 Copilot. You describe what you need — draft an email, build a spreadsheet, schedule a meeting — and Cowork handles it. This article walks you through your first conversation, from sending a request to reviewing the result.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot access: An active Microsoft 365 Copilot license assigned to your account and enrollment in the frontier program.
  • A modern browser: Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome recommended.
  • Copilot Cowork available: Cowork is enabled in your Microsoft 365 Copilot environment.

Cowork works in your browser at m365.cloud.microsoft, in Outlook and Teams, and in the Microsoft 365 Copilot desktop app for Windows and Mac.

Open Copilot Cowork

  1. Open Microsoft 365 Copilot.

  2. Select Cowork.

    If you don't see it, select All agents.

The Cowork home page opens. A chat input where you can describe what you need appears, along with any recent tasks you can pick up where you left off.

Start your first conversation

  1. Type what you want done in the chat input, or select one of the suggested prompts such as Catch me up, Organize my inbox, or Prep for a meeting. You can enter up to 16,000 characters, so feel free to include plenty of detail.
  2. Attach files if needed. You can drag and drop files onto the input area, select Upload images and files to browse your device, or select Attach cloud files to pick files from OneDrive, SharePoint, or Teams.
  3. (Optional) Use voice input by selecting the microphone icon to speak your request instead of typing.
  4. Send your message by selecting Send.

Tip

The more specific you are, the better your results. Instead of send an email, try Send an email to the marketing team summarizing last week's campaign results and format the summary as a PDF.

Watch Copilot Cowork work

After you send your message, Cowork begins processing your request. Here's what appears in the chat as each step happens:

  • A thinking indicator: Appears while Cowork figures out the best approach.
  • Skill messages: Show when Cowork loads a skill it needs, such as "Preparing to compose emails" or "Preparing to create Word documents."
  • Tool steps: Show exactly what Cowork is doing at each stage, such as Composing your email or Creating your presentation.
  • The response streams in: In real time, so you can follow along as Cowork builds your result.

Approve actions

Before Cowork takes an action on your behalf, like sending an email, posting a Teams message, or scheduling a meeting, it asks for your permission. When the approval dialog appears, you have the following choices:

Approval prompts for medium and high risk actions include a risk level indicator so you can gauge the impact.

  • Approve: Allow this action to proceed.
  • Approve & Remember: Allow this action, and tell Cowork not to ask for approval on the same type of action again in this conversation.
  • Reject: Stop this action.

Note

Cowork doesn't take actions without your approval. You can also pause Cowork at any time (to finish the current step, or immediately), resume when you're ready, or cancel the task entirely.

Sometimes Cowork asks you a question to clarify your request. When this happens, you see a set of choices you can select from, or you can type your own answer. Select Skip if you'd rather not answer.

Review your results

When Cowork finishes, any files it created appear in the side panel on the right. From there you can:

  • Download individual files to your device, or select Download All to download every file as a single zip archive.
  • Preview files directly in the browser. Supported formats include PDF, Markdown, images, CSV, and HTML.
  • Open files in OneDrive and directly in the online version of PowerPoint.

The side panel also shows a progress bar with the percentage of tasks complete and the skills Cowork used. You can select thumbs down on responses that missed the mark, or thumbs up on ones that were helpful.

Find your past work

Select the Tasks view to see everything you asked Copilot Cowork to do. Here you can:

  • Switch between list view, kanban board, and the Scheduled tab depending on how you like to organize.
  • Select any task to open it and resume the conversation.

Related content

  • Last updated on