Summaries and Analyst Mode

Using Copilot To Understand Existing Documents

Copilot isn't only for writing — it's also useful for reading. It can summarise long documents, answer questions about them, and pull out specific insights without you having to scan every paragraph.

For analysis, open the Copilot panel and turn off editing mode. That way Copilot focuses on understanding the document instead of modifying it.

Generating Summaries

Ask Copilot to summarise the document, and it pulls out the key points. You can shape the summary by adjusting your prompt:

• Ask for a shorter version when you want the gist;
• Ask for simpler language when the original is dense or technical;
• Ask for a focus on a specific area — risks, conclusions, action items.

The same document can produce very different summaries depending on what you ask for.

Asking Targeted Questions

Beyond summaries, you can ask Copilot specific questions about the document — for example, "What are the main risks mentioned?" or "What's the recommended next step?". This is faster than searching the document yourself when you know exactly what you're looking for.

Analyst Mode

For deeper, more reasoned answers, enable Analyst mode. It handles complex queries better and gives more thoughtful responses.

The trade-off: it takes longer to generate an answer. Use it when depth matters more than speed.

Verifying The Answer

When Copilot responds, it can reference the specific parts of the document its answer is based on. That means you can trace any claim back to the source and check it yourself.

This matters — it turns Copilot from something you have to trust blindly into something you can verify.

Inserting A Summary Into The Document

Copilot can also drop a summary directly into the document. Place your cursor where you want it, choose Insert a Summary, and Copilot generates a concise overview — useful for executive summaries, abstracts, or section intros.