Microsoft continues to integrate its Copilot intelligent assistant at the heart of its productivity tools.
After Word, Excel and PowerPoint, it’s now OneDrive and the Windows file explorer that benefit from new features based on artificial intelligence.
For Swiss companies and professionals using theMicrosoft 365 ecosystem, these developments promise to transform day-to-day document management.
Simplified access to AI directly from the file explorer
The major new feature is the ease of access to Copilot. From now on, a simple right-click on a file stored in OneDrive is all it takes to access the artificial intelligence functionalities, directly from Windows File Explorer or the OneDrive web interface.
This native integration eliminates superfluous steps, enabling users to exploit AI without leaving their usual work environment. The assistant also appears in the Windows taskbar and in the OneDrive Activity Center, multiplying entry points for seamless use.
What are the concrete functionalities?
Microsoft focuses on practical use cases that meet the everyday needs of professionals:
Instant summaries
Do you receive an 80-page PDF report before a meeting? A simple click gives you a summary of the key points without having to scroll through the entire document. This feature works with Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF documents and even Teams meeting transcripts.
Automatic FAQ generation
Copilot can generate a list of frequently asked questions from the content of a document. Ideal for preparing a training course, documenting a project or facilitating the integration of new employees.
Specific questions about your files
Instead of opening several documents to find specific information, ask Copilot directly. The wizard analyzes the content and provides you with a targeted answer, with reference to the source files.
File comparison
One of the most interesting features is the ability to compare up to 5 files simultaneously. Copilot identifies the main differences and can create a comparative table of costs, lead times or other relevant criteria. This saves valuable time when analyzing sales proposals or successive versions of a project.
Who can benefit?
These new features are available to different types of users:
- Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers: Copilot is included in the subscription, but only for the primary subscriber (no family sharing for these AI features).
- Business users: with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license
- Students: via discounted Microsoft 365 offers.
Functionalities are being rolled out gradually, and are not yet available everywhere simultaneously. The assistant supports several languages, including French, German and Italian, making it an ideal tool for the multilingual Swiss context.
A question of AI credits
It’s important to note that using Copilot consumes “AI credits” included in subscriptions. Each action using AI (summary, comparison, question) deducts one credit.
Microsoft has not publicly disclosed the exact volume of credits allocated, but says subscribers have a quota to use these features across all Microsoft 365 applications.
Compatible file types
The wizard works with a wide variety of formats:
- Office documents (DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, XLSX)
- Universal files (PDF, TXT, RTF)
- Web formats (HTML, ASPX)
- New Microsoft 365 formats (FLUID, LOOP)
- OpenDocument formats (ODT, ODP)
Implications for Swiss companies
For Swiss SMEs and large companies using Microsoft 365, this development raises several strategic questions:
Increased productivity: time saved reading and analyzing documents can translate into measurable operational efficiency, particularly in document-intensive industries.
Confidentiality and security: Microsoft claims that Copilot respects existing permissions and can only access files for which the user has rights. Data remains within the Microsoft 365 environment and is not used to train public models. Companies using Microsoft Purview for data encryption can continue to benefit from these protections.
Team training: Effective adoption of these tools requires that employees are made aware of the possibilities offered and the best practices for using generative AI.
Costs: Companies need to assess the return on investment of adding Copilot licenses, whose additional cost can be significant on an organization-wide scale.
Towards a new way of working
The integration of Copilot into OneDrive and Windows illustrates Microsoft’s strategy of placing artificial intelligence at the heart of productivity tools, where users work every day. This pragmatic approach aims to make AI accessible without requiring a radical change in working habits.
The next few months will tell us whether these functionalities will become indispensable to professionals, or whether they will remain occasional gadgets. One thing is certain: document management will not escape the generative AI revolution.
Need help deploying Microsoft 365 and Copilot in your company? Contact Infologo to discuss your needs.
