Choose the right AI tool for the job

  • 8 minutes

Copilot meets you where you are—whether you're in a conversation, working with a purpose-built agent, or handing off an assignment for Copilot to run in the background. Each approach gives you a different level of involvement in the work.

In this unit, you'll compare three common ways to work with Microsoft 365 Copilot:

  • Copilot Chat is a conversation. You're in it, steering each turn—drafting, summarizing, researching, or working through a problem together.
  • Agents are purpose-built helpers for repeatable tasks in a defined area or workflow.
  • Cowork is an assignment. You hand off the goal and Copilot runs with it in the background—doing the file-and-task management work that would otherwise sit on your to-do list.

These approaches aren't mutually exclusive. Copilot is flexible, and many tasks can be approached in more than one way. The goal is to help you choose a useful starting point for the work in front of you.

Compare common Copilot approaches

Copilot Chat Agents Cowork
Often useful for Single-task work such as drafting a document, summarizing a meeting, researching a topic, or analyzing data Repeatable, scoped tasks in a specific domain or workflow Multi-task work where you hand off a goal and Cowork completes it across your apps while you move on
How you interact A conversation—you steer each turn and decide the next step You use an agent built for a specific purpose or area of work An assignment—you describe the outcome, Cowork runs with it and checks in when it needs you
Typical work pattern You're in the loop: one prompt, one result, then you choose what's next Task-specific assistance within a defined scope You step away: Cowork plans, manages files and tasks across apps, and delivers completed work
Where it may appear Microsoft 365 Copilot, Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other Microsoft 365 experiences Experiences where agents are available, such as Copilot Chat, Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, or other connected surfaces Microsoft 365 Copilot (web, desktop, and mobile)

Copilot Chat: a conversation you're part of

Copilot Chat is a conversation. You're in it. Even when Copilot does heavy lifting—deep research, complex analysis, lengthy drafting—you're the one steering each turn.

For example, you might ask Copilot Chat to:

  • Summarize an email thread
  • Draft a customer brief
  • Research a company and pull together key facts
  • Analyze a spreadsheet and surface trends
  • Identify action items from a meeting recap

Each prompt can result in one substantial piece of work. Some tasks take time, especially when Copilot reasons across multiple sources. But the pattern is the same: you ask for one thing, review the result, and decide what to do next.

Use Copilot Chat when you want to stay in the driver's seat—choosing each task and reviewing each result before moving on.

Agents: use purpose-built help for scoped work

Agents are designed to help with specific types of tasks, topics, or workflows. They can be useful when the work has a defined scope and follows a repeatable pattern.

For example:

  • An HR agent might answer questions about benefits or policy.
  • A sales agent might help with account-specific workflows.
  • An IT helpdesk agent might help triage common support issues.
  • A project agent might help answer questions grounded in a specific set of files or knowledge.

Agents are useful when the task fits the purpose of the agent. They aren't necessarily meant to handle every part of a broad, open-ended goal. Instead, they help within the boundaries of what they were built or configured to do.

To learn more about agents, see Get started with no-code Copilot agents in SharePoint.

Cowork: an assignment you hand off

Cowork is an assignment. You describe a goal, hand it off, and Copilot runs with it in the background—doing the kind of file-and-task management work that would otherwise sit on your to-do list. It plans the steps, works across your apps, and checks in when it needs your input or approval.

For example, you might assign Cowork to:

  • Prepare for an upcoming customer meeting by finding relevant emails, summarizing past discussions, and drafting prep materials.
  • Review your calendar and suggest ways to create more focus time.
  • Build a competitive briefing that includes research, organized findings, and a shareable summary.
  • Coordinate follow-up work from a meeting, including action items, draft messages, and supporting documents.

Each of these is a collection of tasks. With Copilot Chat, you'd manage them one prompt at a time. With Cowork, you hand off the goal and move on to other work while Copilot handles execution across your apps, files, meetings, and calendar.

It's the same Copilot in both cases—what changes is your role. In Chat, you're in the conversation. In Cowork, you've handed off the assignment.

Choose an approach based on the work

There isn't always one correct choice. In many cases, you could start in Chat, use an agent for a specific part of the work, or delegate a broader goal to Cowork.

Use these questions as a guide:

  • Is this one task you can describe in a single prompt? Start with Copilot Chat.
    • Example: "Summarize this email thread." or "Research Contoso and draft a one-page brief."
  • Does the task fit a specific, repeatable workflow? Look for an agent built for that purpose.
    • Example: "Use the HR agent to answer this policy question."
  • Are you describing multiple tasks you'd rather not manage one by one? Hand it to Cowork.
    • Example: "Help me prepare everything I need for Thursday's QBR."

Cowork may be a good fit when:

  • The work involves multiple tasks across email, files, meetings, calendar, or Teams.
  • The outcome requires more than one deliverable.
  • You'd rather hand off the work and come back to results than manage each step yourself.
  • The work may need to continue across time, check in with you, or run on a recurring schedule.

Tip

If your prompt starts to look like a long list of steps - "first do this, then do that, then create..." - you may be describing a larger goal. That can be a good signal to consider Cowork instead of managing every step yourself in Chat.