How to Use Microsoft Copilot on Your Phone and PC in the UK

Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant, built into Windows, Edge and the Microsoft 365 apps, and available as a free app for iPhone and Android. It can draft emails, summarise long documents, explain tricky topics, plan a trip, write a shopping list and create images from a short description. If you have a Microsoft account, you can start using the free version today, and the steps below will get you going on your phone and your PC in a few minutes.

Copilot is free for everyday chat, image creation and web search. Some features inside Word, Excel and Outlook need a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription, which is aimed at workplaces.

Step 1: Get the Copilot app on your phone

The easiest way to use Copilot is through its own app. On iPhone, open the App Store and search for Microsoft Copilot, then tap Get to install it. On Android, open the Google Play Store, search for Microsoft Copilot, then tap Install.

Open the app and sign in with your Microsoft account, the same one you use for Outlook, Hotmail, Xbox or OneDrive. If you do not have one, you can create a free account in the app.

Once you are in, you will see a chat box at the bottom of the screen and a few suggested prompts to try. Type or speak your request in plain English, just as you would ask a person.

Step 2: Ask Copilot to write, explain and plan

Copilot works best when you give it a clear job and a bit of context. Vague requests get vague answers, so add the details that matter to you.

For writing, try “Draft a polite email to my landlord asking for a repair to a leaking tap, and keep it under 100 words.” For explanations, try “Explain how a fixed rate mortgage works in the UK, in simple terms, for a first time buyer.” For planning, try “Plan a two day weekend trip from London to the Lake District by train, with a budget of 300 pounds.”

You can also ask Copilot to change its answer. If a draft is too long, say “Make it shorter.” If it is too formal, say “Make it friendlier.” Copilot keeps the conversation in mind, so follow up questions work naturally.

Step 3: Create images with Copilot

Copilot can turn a short description into an image, which is handy for a birthday card, a poster, a social media post or a presentation slide. Tap the image or create option in the app, then describe what you want in a sentence or two.

Try “A watercolour style illustration of a red double decker bus driving through London on a rainy evening.” Copilot will usually offer a few versions to choose from. If the first result is not quite right, refine your description and ask again.

Images made with Copilot are free for personal projects, but check the terms in the app if you plan to use one commercially. AI images can also include odd details, so look closely before you share one.

Step 4: Use Copilot on your Windows PC

If you use Windows 11, Copilot is already on your PC. Look for the Copilot icon on the taskbar, or press the Windows key and search for Copilot. Click the icon to open a chat window, then sign in with the same Microsoft account you use on your phone.

On your PC you can do everything the phone app does, plus a few extras. You can ask Copilot to summarise a web page you have open, draft a reply to an email, or help you write a document.

Step 5: Try Copilot in the Edge browser

Microsoft Edge has Copilot built into its sidebar, which makes it useful when you are reading or researching online. Open Edge, then click the Copilot icon at the top right of the window.

With a web page open, you can ask Copilot to summarise the page, explain a tricky paragraph, or compare it with another page. This is useful for long news articles, product reviews and government guidance pages.

Copilot in Edge can also search the web for you and pull together an answer with links to its sources. That is handy when you want a quick overview of a topic, but always click through to the sources for anything important.

Step 6: Understand Copilot in Word, Excel and Outlook

Copilot also appears inside Microsoft 365 apps, but this is where the free and paid versions split. If you have a Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription, you get some Copilot features in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, such as drafting help and summaries.

In Word, look for the Copilot button in the ribbon to draft or rewrite text. In Excel, Copilot can suggest formulas and explain what a table of data shows. In Outlook, it can summarise a long email thread so you can catch up quickly.

Step 7: Manage your privacy and chat history

Copilot saves your chats so you can return to them later, but you can delete them at any time. In the Copilot app, open your chat history and delete individual chats, or clear them all. On the web, you can manage the same history from your Microsoft account privacy dashboard.

Be careful about what you share in a chat. Avoid pasting passwords, bank details, medical records or other sensitive personal information into Copilot or any AI assistant. Treat it like a helpful stranger: great for drafting and explaining, not the place for private documents.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Microsoft Copilot free in the UK?

Yes, the basic version is free. The Copilot app for iPhone and Android, Copilot on Windows and Copilot in Edge are all free with a Microsoft account. You only pay if you want Microsoft 365 Copilot, the business add on that works deeply inside Word, Excel and Outlook.

Do I need a Microsoft account to use Copilot?

You can try Copilot without signing in, but with limits on how many questions you can ask and no saved chat history. Signing in with a free Microsoft account unlocks longer conversations, saved chats, image creation and syncing between your phone and PC.

Is Copilot the same as ChatGPT?

No, but they are related. Copilot is Microsoft’s own assistant, built on AI models from OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. Copilot is designed to work inside Microsoft products like Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365, while ChatGPT is a separate app with its own features and pricing.