AI prompts for Outlook

Steps

1. 1

   Find out if you have Copilot.

   Open Outlook and look for the Copilot icon at the top of an email or in the toolbar. If it's not there, your plan may not include it. The prompts still work in any AI chat.

2. 2

   Start with your longest thread.

   Ask for a summary and what's still open. This is the quickest win.

3. 3

   Draft replies with facts, not feelings.

   Give the AI the dates, prices and yes or no answers. Let it handle the wording.

4. 4

   Prep for tomorrow's meetings.

   Copy tomorrow's calendar (titles, people, times) and ask for a short prep list.

5. 5

   Do a Friday sweep.

   Once a week, ask what you promised people and haven't done. Then do those first on Monday.

6. 6

   Always read before sending.

   AI can get a date or a name wrong. You're the one who signs it.

Prompts you can copy

What's going on in this thread

Summarize this email thread in 5 short bullets.
Then list: what I still owe anyone, what they still owe me, and any dates or deadlines.
Thread: [paste thread]

Reply with my facts

Write a reply to this email. Use these facts: [facts].
Under 80 words. Friendly and direct. Answer every question they asked. End with one next step and a day.
Email: [paste email]

Prep for my meetings

Here is my calendar for tomorrow: [paste titles, times and who is in each meeting].
For each meeting give me: the goal in one line, 2 questions I should ask, and anything I should bring or send before.
Keep each meeting to 4 lines.

What did I promise people

Here are the emails I sent this week: [paste or summarize them].
List every promise I made to someone (send something, call back, check on something) with the person and the date I said.
Put anything overdue at the top.

Example

This is a made-up example. You have a 40 email thread with a customer about a late shipment. The summary prompt gives you: the order is 2 weeks late, they want a credit, your warehouse promised a ship date of the 12th, and you still owe them tracking numbers. Now you know your reply: send tracking, confirm the 12th, and answer the credit ask. That took one minute, not twenty.

Tips

• In Copilot, you can often pick the length and tone of a draft. Pick short.
• Copilot only knows what's in your email and files. Tell it prices, stock and dates it can't find.
• For touchy emails, ask the AI to "read this like an upset customer and tell me what would make them angrier". Then fix those parts.

FAQ

Is Copilot in Outlook free?

It depends on your Microsoft 365 plan. Some plans include it and some need an add on. Ask whoever handles your company's Microsoft account.

Can these prompts work in the Outlook phone app?

Yes. You can copy an email on your phone, paste it into the ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot app with the prompt, and paste the reply back.

What should I not paste into AI from Outlook?

Leave out passwords, bank details, personal health or HR info and anything your company says stays inside. Check your company's AI rules first.

Rather have it done for you? We build the system that handles your outreach, one time, and you own it. See how it works.

First posted October 28, 2026. Last updated October 28, 2026. Free to copy and use, CC BY 4.0.