If you use Microsoft OneNote, you’re about to discover some game-changing features. Thanks to the new Copilot AI assistant, your note-taking can become faster and smarter. From summarizing long notebooks to creating visuals, Copilot is designed to make your work easier and more organized.

Getting Started with Copilot in OneNote

To use Copilot in OneNote, you need a Microsoft 365 subscription—either Personal, Family, or a business plan that includes Copilot. If you’re on a consumer plan, Copilot works in the desktop app for Windows. Business users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot plan can also access it through the web, Mac, and iPad apps.

Remember, like any AI tool, Copilot isn’t perfect. It can make mistakes, so it’s a good idea to double-check its work. The main way to interact with Copilot is through a sidebar on the right side of your OneNote window. You can enter prompts, ask questions, or give commands to help with your notes.

How to Use the Copilot Sidebar

Start by opening a notebook and selecting a page you want to work on. Then click the Home tab and find the Copilot icon in the toolbar. A sidebar will appear on the right, showing some suggested prompts to get you started. You can customize these or type your own commands in the chat box at the bottom.

The sidebar also has icons to clear prompts, see suggested prompts, or even turn on your microphone for voice commands. When you ask Copilot to do something, it generates a result right in the sidebar. You can copy the output, rate it, or ask follow-up questions to refine the answer.

Top Ways to Boost Your Notes with Copilot

One of the most useful features is summarizing your notes or meetings. As your notebooks grow, they can become cluttered and hard to follow. Copilot can analyze your selected pages or passages and generate a concise summary. For example, it can pull together notes from multiple people in a shared notebook and produce a single overview of a meeting.

To do this, select the pages or text you want summarized. Then type a prompt like “Summarize my notes” or “Highlight key points.” Copilot will analyze the content and give you a summary, making it easier to review and share insights.

Organizing and Creating with Copilot

Keeping your notes tidy is important as your collection grows. You can ask Copilot to organize pages within a section, such as sorting them by date or tags. Simply select the section, type “Organize this section,” and let Copilot suggest an order. If you like it, click apply, and your pages will be rearranged automatically.

Need a template for recurring meetings or projects? Just tell Copilot what sections or tables you want. For example, you could say “Create a meeting template with sections for attendees, agenda, and action items,” and Copilot will generate it for you. You can also ask it to create tables, task lists, or visual diagrams to enhance your notes.

In short, Copilot transforms OneNote from just a simple note-taking app into a powerful productivity tool. Whether summarizing lengthy content, organizing pages, or generating templates, it helps you work smarter and save time. Give it a try to see how this AI assistant can change the way you take and manage notes every day.

Inspired by

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/4022584/9-ways-copilot-can-turbocharge-onenote.html

Sources

• gmpg.org
• microsoft.com
• howardwen.com
• podigee.com
• podigee.com