How to Use Copilot in Microsoft Teams for Meetings and Chats

Quick Answer

Copilot in Microsoft Teams is an AI assistant built into the Teams interface. It is available during meetings, in chat threads, and across channels. Copilot generates meeting summaries and action items after video calls, recaps unread chats, drafts messages, and identifies key information from previous discussions. It requires a compatible Microsoft 365 subscription and meeting transcription to be enabled for meeting-specific features.

Introduction

Most of us spend our workdays constantly engaging with information - attending multiple meetings, catching up on chats, and juggling activities that can easily get lost in the shuffle. Copilot in Microsoft Teams addresses these challenges with AI features integrated into the tools you already use every day.

This guide explores how Copilot in Microsoft Teams works as an AI assistant to improve your workflow by summarizing content, helping you catch up on missed discussions, and providing support for both collaborative and administrative tasks.

Getting the most out of Copilot starts with hardware that can keep up. HP laptops built for businesses deliver the performance, display quality, and processing power that Microsoft Teams and AI-powered features demand.

What Is Copilot in Microsoft Teams?

Copilot is the built-in AI-powered assistant in Microsoft Teams. It does not function as a standalone chatbot. Instead, it works specifically within meetings, conversations, channels, and collaboration workflows. This distinction matters because Copilot does not provide generic answers - it draws from the meetings you attended, the chat threads you read or missed, and the project channels you are working in.

Copilot allows you to bypass manual review of hour-long discussions by providing summaries of key decisions finalized in a meeting. It can also provide recaps of missed messages or a general overview of events while you were away from your desk.

Copilot in Teams is accessible through Microsoft 365 subscription plans. Organizations seeking access should consult Microsoft directly for current licensing, feature availability, and pricing.

Copilot in Teams Meetings: Summaries, Action Items, and Catch-Up

Meetings are one of the most important - and most time-consuming - parts of professional collaboration. Copilot in Microsoft Teams delivers its most immediate value here by providing summaries, recaps, and missed information instantly.

During the meeting: real-time assistance

Most of us have joined a meeting late at some point. Joining late means missing information, decisions, or shared links. People often spend the first few minutes scrolling the chat window for context, which slows the conversation for everyone.

Copilot addresses this by providing real-time assistance during supported meetings. Instead of asking colleagues to repeat what was discussed, you can directly request a summary of what has been covered so far. Copilot highlights important topics, identifies decisions already made, and provides context to help you participate effectively.

This is especially valuable for people who regularly move between meetings or experience interruptions during a call. Copilot provides the key details of any discussion already in progress.

After the meeting: summaries and action items

Once a meeting ends, the real work begins - piecing together decisions, reviewing notes, and identifying targeted outcomes. Copilot streamlines this by generating meeting recaps that include summaries of key discussion points, major decisions, and next steps.

One of Copilot's primary capabilities is extracting action items. For example, after an hour-long project review involving multiple stakeholders, you can ask Copilot to identify action items instead of manually reviewing notes or replaying recordings. Critical outputs include:

• What decisions were made

• Who is responsible for each task

• What deadlines were discussed

• Which issues require follow-up

This functionality is effective for managers, project leads, and hybrid teams, as it reduces administrative overhead and improves accountability.

Meeting recaps for those who could not attend

Not everyone can attend every meeting, especially when schedules involve back-to-back calls. Copilot helps absent team members catch up quickly with a recap instead of watching lengthy recordings or scrolling through transcripts manually. This capability helps distributed teams stay aligned while reducing the time required to get up to speed.

Copilot in Teams Chats: Catch Up Without Scrolling

Copilot works well beyond meetings. It handles multiple unread messages across channels and helps you find the context you need.

Chat thread summaries

When you are working across multiple channels with several ongoing conversations, Copilot can recap those threads for you. Select the Copilot icon in the chat panel and ask it to summarize the conversation. You will receive a high-level overview of the primary discussions, questions raised, and next steps discussed in that specific thread.

This allows you to get a summarized version without reading every individual message, so you can jump back to your ongoing workflow in a fraction of the time.

Drafting messages with Copilot

In collaborative work environments, quick replies and follow-ups are critical. Copilot can help draft messages directly in the chat interface. If you need to send a professional response but are short on time, provide a prompt such as "draft a follow-up to confirm the project deadline." Copilot generates a message ready for you to edit and send, maintaining a consistent professional tone for your communications.

This capability is especially useful throughout the day when handling repetitive communications across projects.

Copilot for Everyday Work in Teams

Beyond meetings and chat recaps, Copilot in Teams offers several additional productivity improvements for daily workflows.

Find information faster

Searching through conversations that took place weeks ago can be frustrating and time-consuming. Instead of manually reviewing endless messages, you can ask Copilot questions about previous discussions and decisions. Examples include:

• What decision was made regarding the marketing launch?

• Which file was shared during last week's planning discussion?

• When was the new deadline approved?

Copilot surfaces the relevant information quickly, saving time on manual searches.

Refine messages before sending

Professional communication often requires adjusting tone and clarity. Copilot can rewrite draft messages to make them more concise, formal, conversational, or easier to understand. This is useful when communicating across departments, leadership levels, or with external stakeholders.

Prepare for upcoming meetings

It is common to review previous conversations, project updates, and action items when preparing for an upcoming meeting. Copilot can summarize recent channel activity before a meeting begins. You can request a recap of the most important recent developments so you are prepared with the most relevant information.

Follow up on action items

Follow-up communication tends to delay after a meeting concludes. Copilot helps maintain project momentum by enabling swift follow-ups. You can recap previous discussions, send updated deadline reminders to team members, or summarize next steps after a planning session. This ensures that project progress remains consistent and well-coordinated.

Recap channel activity

Project channels grow rapidly, and catching up can be a challenge after a vacation or training. Ask Copilot to summarize what happened in a channel over the past week to get a comprehensive update on team progress without scrolling through every post.

Recommended HP Laptops for Microsoft Teams and Copilot

AI-powered features like Copilot perform best on hardware designed to handle AI workloads and real-time collaboration. Here are a few HP laptops worth considering:

HP Copilot+ PCs - Laptops with built-in neural processing units (NPUs) that accelerate AI tasks locally on the device. For teams that use Copilot in Teams daily, an NPU-equipped laptop delivers faster meeting summaries, message drafting, and real-time AI responses. Explore HP Copilot+ PCs

HP EliteBook line - Enterprise-grade laptops with high-definition webcams, noise-reducing microphones, and HP Wolf Security. A strong choice for teams that rely on Microsoft Teams for daily video meetings and sensitive communications. Explore HP EliteBook laptops

HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 - A thin, lightweight laptop with long battery life, ideal for professionals who move between meetings and remote work locations throughout the day. Explore HP OmniBook laptops

For a full comparison, read our guide: Best HP Laptops for Microsoft 365.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Copilot do in a Microsoft Teams meeting?

Copilot in Microsoft Teams provides real-time assistance during meetings by answering questions about ongoing discussions. After a meeting, Copilot generates summaries of key discussion points and extracts action items, including who is responsible for each task and what deadlines were discussed. Meeting transcription must be enabled for Copilot to process meeting-specific summaries and tasks.

Does Copilot in Teams work without recording the meeting?

Yes. Copilot can work without recording the video of a meeting. However, the meeting transcription feature must be turned on. Transcription allows the AI to read the conversation in real time and generate recaps and action items after the call concludes.

Can Copilot summarize a Teams chat I missed?

Yes. Copilot can recap unread messages in both individual chats and group channels. To use this feature, select the Copilot icon in the chat interface and ask it to summarize the discussion. Copilot provides a high-level overview of the main topics, questions raised, and decisions made during the conversation.

Which Microsoft 365 plan includes Copilot in Teams?

Copilot in Microsoft Teams is available as an add-on or included feature for select Microsoft 365 business, enterprise, and education plans. Microsoft updates these offerings regularly, so it is recommended to check current plans and pricing directly on Microsoft's website to determine which option is suitable for your organization.

Is Copilot in Teams the same as a Copilot+ PC?

No, they are different products. Copilot in Teams is a Microsoft 365 software feature integrated into the Teams platform that provides AI-assisted meeting summaries, chat recaps, and message drafting. A Copilot+ PC is a category of Windows PCs equipped with specialized AI hardware, including a neural processing unit (NPU), that accelerates AI tasks locally on the device. Both products serve different purposes, but using Copilot in Teams on a Copilot+ PC - such as an HP Copilot+ PC - can deliver faster AI responses and smoother performance.

Which HP laptop works best for Copilot in Microsoft Teams?

For users who rely on Copilot in Microsoft Teams daily, HP Copilot+ PCs with built-in NPUs deliver the fastest AI performance for meeting summaries, message drafting, and real-time assistance. HP EliteBook laptops are ideal for teams that need enterprise-grade security alongside high-definition webcams and noise-reducing microphones for video meetings. The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14 is a strong choice for mobile professionals who need lightweight portability and long battery life. 

Conclusion

Copilot in Microsoft Teams improves collaboration by integrating AI directly into the environment where meetings, chats, channels, and daily tasks happen. Meeting summaries, action item extraction, chat recaps, and message drafting work together to reduce administrative overhead and keep your team aligned.

To get the full value out of Copilot in Teams, reliable hardware makes a difference. Pairing your Microsoft 365 subscription with an HP Copilot+ PC equipped with a built-in NPU ensures faster AI responses and smoother multitasking. For teams that depend on daily video meetings, HP EliteBook laptops deliver enterprise-grade webcams, microphones, and security.