1. Turn on Saved Memories
Go to Settings and turn on Saved Memories, then check that it's actually saved.
Once it's on, Copilot remembers context details across conversations instead of starting cold every time.
That means you stop re-explaining who you are, what you're working on, and how you like things done every single session.
What this looks like in a real workday: you mention once that you manage a specific project or team, and Copilot keeps that in mind the next time you ask it something related.
Caution: if you share a device or log in on a shared account, don't store anything in Saved Memories you wouldn't want visible to whoever else has access.
2. Find the mode selector
Auto is the default mode, and it decides how long Copilot thinks before it answers.
You can override that: force a quicker response when you just need something fast, or force it to think deeper when the task actually needs it. This is also where you choose which model runs underneath, either Claude or ChatGPT.
Caution: forcing "think deeper" on a simple question just slows you down. Match the mode to the task, not the other way around.
3. Set your custom instructions
While you're in Settings, go to custom settings. This is where you tell Copilot how you actually write — for example, bullet points or concise summaries, not Microsoft's default tone.
Paste in a description of how you want Copilot to respond or how you want its outputs to look.
If you're unsure what custom instructions to include, this prompt will have Copilot identify your habits and needs for you.
Open Copilot chat and run this prompt:
Prompt: Act as my Microsoft 365 Copilot profile analyst.
Analyze my last 90 days of work activity and create an executive briefing about me.
Include in at most 5 bullet points:
My key projects,
Stakeholders,
Meeting patterns,
Communication themes,
Areas where I spend most of my time,
Potential productivity bottlenecks,
Automation opportunities,
Information I repeatedly search for,
Knowledge areas I should strengthen,
Recommendations for how Copilot can save me the most time over the next month.
Be specific and evidence-based.
Based on our interactions, suggest Custom Instructions for Copilot for:
Custom Instructions, Memory updates, Preferred formats, Communication preferences
Prompt: Act as my Microsoft 365 Copilot profile analyst.
Analyze my last 90 days of work activity and create an executive briefing about me.
Include in at most 5 bullet points:
My key projects,
Stakeholders,
Meeting patterns,
Communication themes,
Areas where I spend most of my time,
Potential productivity bottlenecks,
Automation opportunities,
Information I repeatedly search for,
Knowledge areas I should strengthen,
Recommendations for how Copilot can save me the most time over the next month.
Be specific and evidence-based.
Based on our interactions, suggest Custom Instructions for Copilot for:
Custom Instructions, Memory updates, Preferred formats, Communication preferences
Caution: vague instructions like "be more helpful" don't change anything. Be specific about format, tone, and length, or Copilot defaults right back to generic.
Take what it gives you to Settings → Personalization → Custom Instructions, paste it in, and save.
4. Customize your prompt gallery
Save any prompt you know you'll need again instead of retyping it every time. Microsoft has built-in prompts in the gallery too, if you need a starting point or some inspiration.
What this looks like in a real workday: the prompt you use every Monday to summarize your week doesn't need to be rebuilt from scratch.
5. Create a Notebook
Think of a Notebook as an AI brain for one project; it remembers all the emails, messages, and documents you feed it. It's a folder system, not a blank chat.
Set one up and feed it the right documents, and you've effectively built your own AI project manager for that project.
Caution: Notebooks work because they're scoped to one project. Dump every document you own into a single Notebook and you lose the thing that made it useful.
Once all five are set, Copilot stops sounding like a generic assistant and starts working like it actually knows your job.