Microsoft Word

How to Create Audio Overviews of Word Documents with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Chris Menard

11 Sep 2025 — 3 min read

Microsoft 365 Copilot can convert Word documents into spoken audio summaries — what Microsoft calls Audio Overviews. Instead of reading a long employee handbook, report, or proposal, you can listen to it while commuting, walking, or preparing for a meeting.

The audio output can be saved as an MP3 to your OneDrive Recordings folder, and the feature works with both Word documents and PDFs.

YouTube Video

How to Generate an Audio Overview

The most reliable experience I've found is through OneDrive online:

Open OneDrive and navigate to the Word document or PDF you want to summarize
Click the Copilot icon that appears in the interface
Select "Create an Audio Overview"
Wait while Copilot processes the document — an audio player appears in the bottom right corner when ready
Use playback controls to play, pause, skip forward/back, and change playback speed
Click Save to OneDrive to create the MP3 in your Recordings folder

Two Listening Styles

Copilot offers two audio formats you can switch between:

Summary style — a single voice narrating a condensed overview of the document
Podcast style — two voices in a conversational format discussing the document content

Both styles include playback controls and speed adjustment. The podcast style feels more engaging for longer documents, while the summary style is faster for quick reviews.

Where to Use It

The feature works in both Word and OneDrive, but I find OneDrive online the most consistent experience. The saved MP3 goes to the same OneDrive Recordings folder where Teams meeting recordings are stored, so you can download it or play it from any device.

to learn more? Visit courses.chrismenardtraining.com for online training courses.

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