Use projects in Copilot Cowork

  • Applies to: Microsoft 365 Copilot

Use projects in Copilot Cowork to keep related tasks, instructions, and context together. Start tasks from a project, return to related chats, and review the files those tasks produce. Projects are private to the individual creator.

Note

The steps in this article apply when Projects is available in your Cowork navigation. It might appear as Projects (Preview). Your layout and available options might differ.

Open your projects

In the left navigation, expand Projects and select a project's name to expand it and view its tasks.

From an open project, select Back to Projects to see the projects page. If your layout includes View all projects, you can also use that navigation link.

On the projects page, use Search projects to find a project by name, or use Active and Archived tabs.

The tabbed project page organizes your work into these sections:

Section What you can find
Recent Chats and tasks associated with the project. Select a task to return to its conversation.
Outputs Available files created by the project's tasks.
Project context Reference items, uploaded project files, and items from project chats, when available.

Create a project

Create a project for related work, such as preparing a launch or writing a recurring status report.

  1. In the left navigation, find the Projects heading.
  2. Select + next to the heading.
  3. Enter a project name.
  4. Choose a color for the project.
  5. Select Create.

Cowork opens the new project. You can add instructions and start a task from its page.

You can also create a project from within another project by selecting the ... menu and New or by selecting the ... menu on a task and selecting Move to project > New project.... You can also select Add project when you have no created projects.

Instructions apply to subsequent Cowork interactions within a project and take precedence of global Cowork or chat instructions.

Start a task in a project

Start from the project page so the task belongs to that project from its first message.

  1. Open the project.
  2. In the chat input, describe what you want Cowork to do.
  3. Send your message.

Cowork starts the task with the project's instructions and available context. To start another task, return to the project page and enter a new request.

Add existing chats to a project

You can add chats that aren't already in another project.

  1. Open an active project.
  2. Select add from existing or +. In some experiences, this link is labeled Add existing chats. If the project already has tasks, use the Add existing chats (+) button beside its task list.
  3. Select the chats you want to add. Use Search chats and tasks to find a chat, or Load older chats if that option is available.
  4. Select Add.

The selected chats appear in the project's task list. Chats shown as already in another project aren't selectable in this picker. You can move chats from one project to another by dragging and dropping.

You can also add an existing tasks to a project by selecting ... on the task and then selecting Move to projects.

Remove a task from a project

Remove a task when you no longer want to group it with the project.

  1. Open the project and find the task in Recent or the task list.
  2. Open the task's More actions menu.
  3. Select Remove from project.

Removing a task from a project doesn't delete its conversation. You can still open it from Recent.

Files cannot currently be removed from project outputs.

Set instructions for project tasks

Use project instructions to describe how Cowork should work on this project. For example, specify the audience for your reports, the format to use, or the terms to use consistently.

  1. Open the project.
  2. Open the project's More actions menu and select Edit instructions.
  3. Enter or update the instructions.
  4. Select Save.

If the editor shows that your instructions exceed the limit, shorten them before saving. If saving fails, review the error and try again after addressing it.

Project instructions apply to tasks in that project. They are separate from your personal instructions for Cowork. To set preferences for all your tasks, see Custom instructions in Cowork.

Review project context and outputs

Open Outputs to review files created by the project's tasks. Select a file to open it. Depending on the file and your experience, it can open on the web or in the task where it was created.

When available, open Project context to review the reference items and project files associated with the project. This section can also list items from chats in the project. Adding context to a project is different from attaching a file to one chat. Listing an attachment here doesn't mean every task in the project can use it.

Change a project's name or color

You can change how a project appears without editing its instructions.

  1. Open the project.
  2. Open the project's More actions menu and select Edit project.
  3. Change the name or choose a different color.
  4. Select Save.

To change how Cowork works on the project, use Edit instructions instead.

Archive or restore a project

Archive a project to move it out of your active projects. You can restore it later.

  1. Open the project.
  2. Open the project's More actions menu and select Archive.
  3. In the confirmation dialog, select Archive.

The project moves to Archived on the projects page and is hidden from the navigation.

To restore a project:

  1. Open the projects page and select Archived.
  2. Open the project you want to restore.
  3. Open the project's More actions menu.
  4. Select Restore.

The project moves back to Active.

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