Master your inbox with an AI assistant

A man smiling at the counter of a café while using an AI email assistant to clear his inbox

That three-digit number of unread emails getting you down? Between newsletters, meeting invites, and endless threads, it’s easy to feel buried under a mountain of messages. But what if you could take control of your inbox with an AI email assistant that helps you prioritize, respond, and organize effortlessly? When you purchase a subscription to Microsoft 365, you gain access to Microsoft Copilot, your AI companion, right in your Outlook account. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can leverage Copilot to help you streamline your inbox, reduce stress, and focus on what matters most.

Prioritize what matters

One of the biggest challenges with email is knowing where to start. When you lean on Copilot as your AI email assistant, it can analyze your inbox and surface the most important messages first—whether it’s a time-sensitive client request or a follow-up from your manager. By learning your communication patterns and preferences, your AI companion helps you make sure that nothing critical slips through the cracks. Prompts like the ones below can help you get started:

Highlight unread messages from [name].
Flag emails with upcoming deadlines or meetings.
Summarize urgent messages received in the last 24 hours.

Draft replies in seconds

Responding to emails can be time-consuming, especially when you’re juggling multiple conversations. Copilot can generate draft replies based on the context of the conversation. Whether it’s a quick acknowledgment or a detailed response, your helpful AI companion provides a solid starting draft that you can review and personalize:

Draft a polite response declining this meeting invite.
Write a follow-up email thanking the client for their feedback and asking for more detailed instructions.
Create a professional reply to this job application inquiry offering three different interview times in the coming week.

A happy person using an AI email assistant to help her write a response to an email chain

AI art created via Copilot

Summarize long threads

We’ve all opened an email thread only to find a dozen back-and-forth messages. Scrolling through to find the key points can be frustrating and inefficient. Copilot can quickly summarize long threads, highlighting the main takeaways, decisions made, and any outstanding questions when you use prompts like the ones below:

Summarize this email thread in 3 bullet points.
List all action items from this thread, and who sent them.
Give me a quick overview of this client exchange.

Stay organized without the hassle

Keeping your inbox organized is essential for productivity, but it often falls to the bottom of the to-do list. Copilot can help you categorize emails, flag action items, and even suggest calendar events or task reminders based on message content. Prompts like the following can help you keep your inbox clean and organized:

Create a calendar event from this email.
Tag this thread as ‘Finance’ and mark it for follow-up.
Archive all emails older than 30 days.

Focus on what matters most

Ultimately, the goal of Copilot as your AI email assistant is to help you stay focused. With its useful integration into Outlook with a Microsoft 365 subscription and ability to handle the repetitive aspects of email management, Copilot frees you up to concentrate on strategic work, creative thinking, and meaningful conversations. Ready to master your inbox? Try Copilot in Outlook today and manage your messages with less stress.

DISCLAIMER: Features and functionality subject to change. Articles are written specifically for the United States market; features, functionality, and availability may vary by region.