Use Copilot in Outlook to pull requests, promises and dates from a long thread

What This Does

A thread with an underwriter, a product manager or a client can run to thirty messages, and you were copied on message nine. Copilot in Outlook scans the thread and writes a summary at the top. You turn that summary into a short list of what was asked, what was promised, which dates were named and what is still open. Then you open the source emails before you act on any of it.

Before You Start

• You use Outlook for Microsoft 365 (new Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac or the mobile app). Microsoft's page covers all of them, with slightly different labels.
• Copilot is part of your license. If you cannot find the summary box or the Copilot icon, it may not be included in your subscription or enabled by your organization. Ask your IT team.
• You have checked your company's AI policy. Threads can hold client results, unreleased rates and sometimes policyholder or claimant details. Use Copilot only on threads the policy allows, and never ask it to repeat personal details into a note. If the policy is unclear, practice on a thread you write yourself with invented people ("Underwriter P", "Client X").

Steps

1. Open the thread and start the summary

Select the conversation in your inbox. The labels depend on your version of Outlook, per Microsoft's page:

• New Outlook: select the Summary by Copilot box at the top of the thread.
• Classic Outlook: select Summarize.
• Outlook for Mac: select Summarize in the Summary by Copilot box at the top of the thread.
• Outlook for iOS and Android: select the Copilot icon in the toolbar. The summary appears under the email.

Copilot scans the thread for key points. When it finishes, the summary sits at the top of the email.

2. Read the citations

On the desktop versions, the page says the summary may include numbered citations. Select a number and Outlook takes you to the matching email in the thread. The page describes this as something that may happen, so some summaries will have no citations. A statement without a citation needs extra care.

3. Turn the summary into your own list

Write the following in your notes or in a reply draft, using the summary only as a pointer:

1. What was asked, and by whom.
2. What was promised, by whom and by when.
3. Dates named in the thread.
4. Open questions with no answer yet.

4. Open the cited emails before acting

For anything about numbers, dates or scope, open the source email and read the wording. A summary can compress "we can try for Friday" into "Friday". Do this before you reply, change a deliverable, or tell the reviewing actuary what was agreed.

Real Example

Scenario: An invented thread between you, Underwriter P and Product Manager Q about a results pack for Line 3. You were added late.

The thread, in short: on Monday 2027-02-08, Underwriter P asks for the pack to include Block B. On Wednesday 2027-02-10, Reviewer B says Block B can be included if the data check is done first. On Thursday 2027-02-11, Product Manager Q writes that the pack is expected on Friday 2027-02-12.

What you do: Select the summary box, read the summary, and select the citation numbers beside each date.

What you get: A summary that mentions Block B, the data check and a Friday date. Your list from step 3:

• Asked: add Block B to the pack (Underwriter P, 2027-02-08).
• Conditional: only after the data check (Reviewer B, 2027-02-10).
• Stated date: the pack is expected on 2027-02-12, which is 4 days after the request of 2027-02-08.
• Open: no message says the data check is done.

The open item matters. The summary may read as if the pack is on track, but the cited emails show the date was stated by Product Manager Q, not promised by you. You ask the reviewing actuary how to reply rather than confirming the date yourself.

Tips

• Ask the summary to help you find things, never to decide scope. Scope and dates are for you and the reviewing actuary to settle.
• If a thread mixes several topics, summarize it first. Then search the thread for the one topic you need and read those emails directly.
• Do not paste the summary into a client email. Write your own reply from the facts you confirmed.

Tool interfaces change. If a button has moved, look for similar Copilot or summary options in the same menu area.