How to Ask Questions About Documents Using Copilot in Microsoft Word
Microsoft 365 Copilot in Word can do more than just draft content. You can use it to extract specific information from documents, ask questions about what is in them, and even generate standalone files from the answers.
In this walkthrough, Chris demonstrates how to query an employee handbook about dress code policies, then uses Copilot to create a separate policy document ready to share with a team.
Asking Copilot Questions About Your Document
Open any Word document and launch Copilot from the ribbon. You can ask natural language questions about the document content. Copilot scans the document and returns a focused answer drawn directly from the text.
This works well for long documents like handbooks, contracts, or reports where you need to locate specific sections without scrolling through dozens of pages.
Creating a Standalone Document from a Response
Once Copilot provides an answer, you can ask it to generate a standalone document based on that response. Chris demonstrates requesting a formatted policy document from the dress code information.
Copilot offers both PDF and Word output options. The Word format is generally the better choice when you need an editable document.
Reviewing and Editing the Output
The generated document includes proper formatting and structure. You can review, edit, and save it as a separate file.
If you are already using Copilot with Word, you might also find it useful to reference entire folders when working across multiple documents, or use Copilot to quickly add numbers in Word documents.
Requirements
- Microsoft 365 Copilot license
- Works in both desktop Word and Word for the web
Watch the full tutorial:
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