What Is Microsoft Copilot? Best YouTube Tutorials

What Microsoft Copilot is, what it costs, and the four YouTube tutorials that teach it fastest, starting with a clear 15-minute beginner's guide.

What you'll learn

• Understand what Microsoft Copilot is and where to type your prompts
• Use a simple prompt formula: role, task, context, constraints, tone and format
• Switch between quick and thinking models and regenerate answers
• Edit answers like a document, upload PDFs and generate images
• Try deep research mode, connectors and memory settings

If you have been wondering what is Microsoft Copilot and whether it is worth your time, this page picks the best YouTube tutorials to learn it fast, led by Howfinity's 15-minute beginner's guide. Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant for writing, research, summaries and everyday office work, and after these videos you will be able to ask it good questions, work with your own files and know which version you actually need.

Key takeaways

• Start with Howfinity's "How to Use Microsoft Copilot - 2026 Beginner's Guide" (14:59): it covers the free version, a simple prompt formula, file uploads and deep research.
• There is a free, limited version of Copilot. Paid home plans start at $9.99 a month (Microsoft 365 Personal), as of November 2026.
• Microsoft 365 Copilot for business costs $18 per user a month on an annual plan as a promotional add-on price through December 31, 2026 (normally $21), according to Microsoft.
• The big difference between versions is what Copilot can see: the free and basic chat versions work from the web and what you give them, while the paid business version can reach your work files and email.
• Lisa Crosbie, Office Skills with Amy and Mike Tholfsen fill in the business side: work data, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and the newest features.

What is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant you talk to in plain language. You type a question or a task, and it writes, summarizes, researches or drafts for you inside a chat window or inside apps like Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams. It is available with a personal Microsoft account (in the Copilot app and the Edge browser) and with a work account through Microsoft 365.

So how does Microsoft Copilot work? According to Microsoft's own documentation, it runs on large language models (the same kind of AI behind other chatbots) and picks a model for each prompt automatically. You can also choose Quick response for routine questions or Think deeper for harder ones. Its answers are "grounded" in information from the web, your organization's data, or both, and it only uses data the signed-in person already has permission to see.

Copilot for Microsoft 365 vs. the free Copilot

Copilot for Microsoft 365 (Microsoft now calls it Microsoft 365 Copilot) is the paid business version. Microsoft's documentation explains that the basic Copilot Chat included with eligible business plans mainly works from web data and whatever you upload or open, while the paid license pulls in your work files, email and meetings automatically through Microsoft Graph and adds full Copilot inside Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. When you sign in with a work account, look for the "Work" label and green shield, which mean enterprise data protection applies.

Is it free? Yes, in a limited form. Microsoft's pricing page for individuals describes a free version of Copilot that is "subject to available capacity and limits." As of November 2026, the paid home plans are:

• Microsoft 365 Personal: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with Copilot in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook and higher chat limits than free.
• Microsoft 365 Family: $12.99 a month or $129.99 a year for up to six people, but only the subscription owner gets the AI features.
• Microsoft 365 Premium: $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year, with much higher Copilot usage and limited agent and research features.
• Microsoft 365 Pro: $99.99 a month, with the highest Copilot limits.

For businesses, Microsoft lists Microsoft 365 Copilot Business as an add-on at $18 per user a month paid yearly (a promotional price for the first year, available through December 31, 2026, normally $21), or $25.20 per user a month on monthly billing. Bundles start at $23.50 per user a month for Business Standard with Copilot and $32 for Business Premium with Copilot, paid yearly. If you are still choosing an office suite, our Google Workspace vs. Microsoft 365 comparison walks through the plans side by side.

Why this Microsoft Copilot tutorial comes first

Howfinity's guide is the one to watch if you are new. In under 15 minutes it explains what Copilot is, then works through real tasks in the free version: travel and fitness plans, marketing ideas, writing and research. The most useful part for a business owner is the prompt formula (role, task, context, constraints, tone and output format), which works in Copilot, ChatGPT or any other chatbot. It also shows editing an answer like a document, uploading PDFs, generating images, deep research mode, connectors for email and cloud files, and memory settings.

More tutorials worth watching

• Microsoft 365 Copilot: Complete Tutorial for Beginners (2026) by Lisa Crosbie, about 53 minutes: the deep dive for teams on the paid business version, with chapters on licensing, work data, prompts, agents and Copilot in Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Microsoft Copilot Tutorial for Beginners (basic version) by Office Skills with Amy, about 10 minutes: five tips for the basic Copilot that comes with a Microsoft 365 business subscription, including Outlook, Word, PowerPoint and custom instructions.
• 7 New Microsoft Copilot Features That Save You Time (November 2026) by Mike Tholfsen, 10:17: this month's new tricks, such as cleaning messy data in Excel and building SharePoint pages, though he notes most of them need a paid Copilot plan.

Kevin Stratvert also has two newer walkthroughs we covered recently: how to use the new Microsoft Copilot, including Autopilot in Teams, and how to build an Excel dashboard with Copilot.

Quick start: your first 10 minutes with Microsoft Copilot

1. Pick your door. Use your personal Microsoft account in the Copilot app or Edge for personal tasks, or your work account if your business has Microsoft 365. Do not mix client work into a personal account.
2. If you signed in with a work account, check for the "Work" label and green shield before you paste anything sensitive.
3. Give it one real task from your week, using the formula from the Howfinity video: who it should act as, what you need, the background, any limits, the tone and the format.
4. Read the answer, then ask one follow-up to tighten it (shorter, warmer, add a bullet list). Copilot keeps the conversation, so you do not need to start over.
5. Upload a document you already know well, like a price list or a policy PDF, and ask for a five-bullet summary. Because you know the file, you can spot mistakes quickly.
6. Try Think deeper on a harder question, such as comparing two suppliers' terms, and see whether the slower answer is better.
7. Save the prompt that worked best in a note so you can reuse it tomorrow.

Tips the tutorials skip

• The free and basic versions cannot see your work files on their own. If an answer seems generic, upload or open the document you mean.
• On Microsoft 365 Family, only the subscription owner gets Copilot, so the rest of the household will not see it.
• The $18 business add-on price is a first-year promotion that needs an annual commitment and ends December 31, 2026. Budget for the regular price after year one.
• Microsoft notes that some advanced AI features carry usage-based billing on top of the license, so check your admin center before turning on agents for the whole team.
• The paid business version respects existing file permissions, which means it can surface anything a person already has access to. Tidy up old shared folders before you roll it out.

FAQ

How to use Microsoft Copilot?

Open the Copilot app, Copilot in Edge, or Copilot inside a Microsoft 365 app, then type what you need in plain language. Give it context and a format, read the answer and ask follow-ups to refine it. Learning how to use Microsoft Copilot well is mostly about writing clearer prompts, which is why the Howfinity video spends time on its prompt formula.

How does Microsoft Copilot work?

Copilot uses large language models to understand your request and write a reply, and it grounds that reply in web results, your organization's data, or both. Microsoft says it chooses a model for each prompt automatically, and it only uses data the signed-in person is allowed to see. The paid business version can reach your files, email and meetings through Microsoft Graph.

Is Microsoft Copilot free to use?

Yes, there is a free version with usage limits that depend on available capacity. Paid home plans start at $9.99 a month for Microsoft 365 Personal, and business plans that include full Copilot start at $23.50 per user a month paid yearly, as of November 2026. Eligible Microsoft 365 business plans also include Copilot Chat at no extra cost.

How long does it take to learn Microsoft Copilot?

Learning what is Microsoft Copilot takes minutes, and you can be useful with it in an afternoon. The Howfinity guide runs about 15 minutes and Amy's basic-version tutorial about 10, which is enough for everyday writing and summaries. Plan for a week of daily use, and Lisa Crosbie's longer course if you are on the business plan, before you rely on it for bigger work.

What is Microsoft Copilot best used for?

It shines at first drafts of emails and documents, summarizing long files, quick research and turning messy notes into lists or tables. Always check facts and numbers before you send anything it writes.