Use Microsoft Copilot in Word to Rewrite and Format Documents

What This Does

Rewrites unclear, wordy, or poorly formatted sections of any document — and can transform rough bullet points into polished prose, making your documents look like they came from a professional communications team.

Before You Start

• You have Microsoft Word open (desktop or web) with the document you want to improve
• Your M365 license includes Copilot
• You've identified which sections need rewriting or improvement

Steps

1. Open the Copilot sidebar

In Word, go to the Home ribbon → click the "Copilot" icon (star-shaped). The sidebar opens on the right.

Alternatively, click in any paragraph → right-click → look for "Rewrite with Copilot" in the context menu for a quick inline rewrite.

2. Highlight text you want to improve

Select a paragraph, a section, or even a full document. Then in the Copilot sidebar, type what you want done: "Rewrite this to be clearer and more concise," "Make this sound more professional," or "Convert these bullet points into a flowing paragraph."

What you should see: A suggested rewrite appears in the sidebar as an alternative version. You can click "Replace" to swap it in or "Compare" to see it side-by-side.

3. Ask for specific tone adjustments

You can also type: "Shorten this to 2 sentences," "Make this less formal — it's for an internal team update," or "Add a stronger opening sentence." Copilot responds to natural instructions.

What you should see: Multiple rewrite options you can choose between, or a refined version that matches your tone direction.

4. Use "Draft with Copilot" for new sections

For sections you need to add from scratch: click in the document where you want new content → in the Copilot sidebar, type "Draft a [section description] for [audience]." This is useful for adding a summary section, an executive introduction, or a "next steps" close to reports.

Real Example

Scenario: Your manager sends back a 3-page vendor evaluation report saying it "reads awkwardly" and "the recommendation isn't clear." Instead of rewriting it yourself, you:

What you do: Select the executive summary paragraph → right-click "Rewrite with Copilot" → choose from 3 suggested rewrites → select the clearest one → repeat for the conclusion paragraph → done in 5 minutes.

What you get: A polished document returned to your manager same day, with substantially improved clarity.

Tips

• Use "Make it more concise" constantly. Business documents are almost always too long. Copilot can cut 30% of the word count without losing meaning.
• Apply a Styles set after rewriting. Go to Home → Styles → choose a built-in style like "Professional." This fixes font inconsistencies in one click, even after Copilot edits.
• Don't rewrite everything. Focus Copilot on sections flagged by your manager or sections you know are weak. Over-reliance can make documents sound generic.

Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.