What’s New in Microsoft Copilot in Q1 of 2025
Microsoft’s Copilot is continually evolving, and 2025 has brought a slew of updates designed to enhance productivity and user experience across various applications. Let’s delve into the key enhancements introduced so far this year.
1. Copilot Prompt Gallery App
Discovering and utilizing Copilot’s capabilities just became more intuitive with the introduction of the Copilot Prompt Gallery app. This feature allows users to explore a collection of prompts across Copilot and its agents, making it easier to integrate AI assistance into daily tasks. Available on Teams, Outlook, and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, the Prompt Gallery was released in early February 2025.
2. Enhanced Copilot Features in Excel
Excel users are in for a treat with new Copilot functionalities aimed at streamlining data analysis and visualization:
- Formula Suggestions: By clicking the Copilot icon, users can now receive formula suggestions tailored to their data, reducing the time spent on manual formula creation.
- Formatting Ideas: Copilot offers recommendations for data formatting, ensuring that spreadsheets are not only functional but also visually appealing.
- Visualization Recommendations: Transforming data into insightful charts and graphs is now more straightforward, with Copilot suggesting the most suitable visualization options based on the dataset.
3. Copilot Integration in Outlook
Managing emails is a critical aspect of professional life, and Copilot’s new features in Outlook aim to make this process more efficient:
- Email Refinement: Copilot assists in drafting and refining emails, ensuring clarity and professionalism in communication.
- Enhanced Summarization: Long email threads can be condensed into concise summaries, allowing users to grasp essential information quickly.
- Attachment Suggestions: Based on email content, Copilot can recommend relevant files to attach, streamlining the process of sharing information.
4. Copilot in Word
Writing and editing documents in Word is now more interactive with Copilot’s latest updates:
- Contextual Chat: Users can select specific text and initiate a chat with Copilot, receiving responses and suggestions directly related to the selected content.
- Drafting Assistance: Copilot aids in drafting content by referencing data from the Microsoft cloud, including emails and meetings, to create contextually relevant material.
5. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat
A significant development this month is the relaunch of Microsoft’s free Copilot for businesses as Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This platform offers secure, GPT-powered AI chat capabilities, allowing users to upload files and interact with AI agents directly within the chat interface. This move aims to familiarize businesses with AI tools, providing a seamless on-ramp to integrating AI into daily workflows.
6. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Enhancements in Copilot Studio
Ensuring data security is paramount, and beginning January 2025, Copilot Studio has implemented changes to its Data Loss Prevention policies:
- Soft-Enabled Mode: This default mode allows published agents to operate without enforcing DLP policies but restricts updates to agents affected by DLP blocks.
- Transition to Enabled Mode: In February 2025, the default mode will shift to Enabled, enforcing DLP checks for both running agents and updates, ensuring all agents comply with defined DLP policies.
These updates reflect Microsoft’s commitment to enhancing user experience, productivity, and security across its suite of applications. By integrating advanced AI capabilities through Copilot, users can look forward to a more streamlined and efficient workflow.
Is Copilot Worth Using in 2025?
Absolutely.
The 2025 updates thus far show that Microsoft Copilot is becoming more than just an AI assistant—it’s an actual productivity booster. These improvements, from smarter email and meeting summaries to better data analysis and security, make AI feel like a real teammate rather than just another feature. If you’ve been on the fence about using Copilot, now’s the time to give it a shot.
What’s your favorite update? Let me know in the comments!
AI Agent & Copilot Summit NA is an AI-first event to define the opportunities, impact, and outcomes possible with Microsoft Copilot for mid-market & enterprise companies. Register now to attend AI Agent & Copilot Summit in San Diego, CA from March 17-19, 2025.
