Microsoft’s AI powered assistant Copilot is now available on major microsoft apps and OneNote is one of it. OneNote is a popular note taking app that can be very helpful whether you are writing down your meeting minutes, doing some research or organising ideas. Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant isn’t just another feature—it’s like having a smart co-writer and a college that helps you think, summarise, get insights from notes and and even draft content If you’re still taking notes the old-fashioned way, you’re missing out. So in this blog i would share 5 ways Copilot makes OneNote Better and how you can use to optimise your note taking experience and reduce the manual effort.
What Exactly Does Copilot Do in OneNote?
Copilot will be your every day comapanion if you are using microsoft products. Being specific to OneNote, Copilot would be the best tool that you can interact and create concepts based on the notes or the meeting you had.
Imagine, you just finished a long 2 hour meeting, your notes are mixed with bullet points and scribbles, there are multiple handwriting errors, half ideas and conversations and random action items. You will put additional 30 – 60 minutes to clean the information, make a proper understanding and get the action items.
Here comes Copilot, you prompt the copilot to “summarise the meeting contents, give the AI overview, and action items”. With in seconds you will receive a clear and concise summary of meeting minutes, key highlights and the action items ready to start working on it. This is the magic of Copilot on OneNote.
5 ways Copilot makes OneNote Better
1. Summarises long notes in seconds
Summarising long notes into concise points is one the efficient task completed by Copilot. As it uses natural language processing to identify topics, themes, names, date and data points. It is also intelligent to understand relationships between ideas which can help you make your notes concise as per your needs and requirement.
This feature Eliminates “Note Blindness” – We often overlook important details in our own writing, saves Saves 70-90% of review time and never misses the key points. Some of the supporting real world examples that can save hours are:
- For Students: After a 3-hour lecture with 10 pages of notes:
“Summarize key concepts from today’s marketing class with examples” → Gets you a perfect 1-page study guide
- For Professionals: Post-meeting with scattered notes:
“Pull out decisions made and who owns each follow-up” → Instantly creates a clear accountability list
- For Researchers: Facing 20 pages of interview transcripts:
“Identify common themes from all respondent answers” → Reveals patterns you might have missed
2. You Brainstorm Better
Weather you have started noting down your notes and ideas or not, Copilot is intelligent and powerful tool that can provide you the best ideas from scratch. All you need to do is ask copilot with a prompt like
“Give me ideas for a marketing campaign.”
“What are the key points I should cover in upcoming group marketing meeting?”
Instead of starting from scratch, copilot gives you the idea boost that you can start actioning. This also will equally help you save time if you have a deadline to meet.
3. Turns notes into actionable task items
With the traditional task management, the action items are oftern buried on multiple paragraphs, scattered across multiple notes and written differently each time making it hard to understand sometimes. With Copilot automatic task detection feature, copilot scans your notes and identifies action items using:
- Action verbs (“email”, “call”, “review”)
- Time references (“by Friday”, “next week”)
- Common task patterns
Copilot can also help user to organise the task based on its priority, standardisation and steps required. It can convert them into checklist ites with checkboxes and can them together based on their similarities and deadlines. You can also connect the task to planner, outlook and To-Do lists as well as teams.
4. Explains Complex Topics Simply
Copilot for OneNote acts like your personal tutor, breaking down complex topics into clear, digestible explanations. Just ask: “Explain quantum computing like I’m 15” or “Summarise this research paper’s key findings in simple terms”, nd you’ll get an instant, easy-to-understand breakdown. Unlike static study guides, Copilot adapts to your level of understanding—whether you need a high-level overview or a step-by-step walkthrough. It can even transform dense textbook chapters into concise bullet points, highlight connections between ideas, and provide real-world examples to cement your understanding.
Perfect for last-minute exam prep, work presentations, or simply satisfying your curiosity, Copilot ensures you spend less time decoding jargon and more time actually learning. It’s like having a patient, knowledgeable study buddy available 24/7—one who never gets tired of your questions.
5. Seamless integration with Microsoft 365
Copilot in OneNote works effortlessly with your entire Microsoft 365 suite. Forward an Outlook email to OneNote, and Copilot will summarize key points instantly. Preparing for a Teams meeting? It automatically gathers relevant notes and creates talking points. Working in Word? Copilot can simplify complex sections with a single request. This deep integration saves you from switching between apps, keeping all your work connected and accessible in one place. It’s like having an assistant who organizes everything across Outlook, Teams, Word, and more—so you don’t have to.
How to Start Using Copilot in OneNote?
Open OneNote (desktop or web).
Look for the Copilot icon (usually in the top-right corner).
Type a prompt—just like you’re asking a colleague for help.
Example prompts:
“Turn these rough notes into a structured outline.”
“What are the key takeaways from this lecture?”
“Draft a follow-up email based on these meeting notes.”
The more specific you are, the better the results.
Pro tips to get the best from copilot
- Treat it like a mate – Don’t just ask for the basics. Chuck in questions like, “How can I make this easier to understand?” to get smarter suggestions.
- Let it handle the tags – Copilot can auto-tag your important notes, so you’re not wasting time organising manually.
- Use it as your research sidekick – Stuck on a topic? Ask it to spot missing info or suggest extra angles you might’ve missed.
- Play around with your prompts – The more you tweak your questions, the better Copilot gets at giving you spot-on answers.
