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, click the Copilot icon in the lower-right corner of the document window. The sidebar opens on the right. Copilot is no longer on the Home ribbon; press F6 to reach the corner button by keyboard, or right-click it and choose Move to ribbon if you prefer the old placement.

Alternatively, select any text and choose Rewrite from the in-context Copilot options 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 as an alternative version. Pick the one you like to swap it in, or ask for another pass.

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 and use the inline Copilot icon in the left margin, or type "Draft a [section description] for [audience]" in the sidebar. 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 → choose Rewrite from the in-context Copilot options → review the 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.