All the answers
Give it the file
Without a paid Copilot licence, Copilot Chat works with what you give it. It does not go looking through your organisation's files on its own.
- Attach the file to the chat, or open it and use Copilot from inside Word, Excel or PowerPoint if your organisation has that switched on.
- If you need Copilot to search your work files, ask IT whether a paid Copilot licence is available.
A personal account can't see work files
Copilot on a personal Microsoft account only sees what you upload. It has no link to your employer's OneDrive, SharePoint or Teams.
- Check whether you are allowed to use a personal AI account for work.
- If you are, upload only what the task needs, and take out names and contact details first.
Check who you are signed in as
Look at the account picture or name in the corner of Copilot. If it shows your work email, you are using your organisation's Copilot. If it shows a personal email, you are not.
- Sign in with your work account and try again.
- Still stuck? Start this check again and pick the work option.
Copilot can't see your computer's folders
Copilot at work searches files stored in Microsoft 365, such as OneDrive and SharePoint, not files that only live on your own computer.
- Save the file to OneDrive or the right Teams channel, or attach it to the chat.
- Then ask again, naming the file.
That system may not be connected
Copilot only searches content in Microsoft 365 and any other systems your organisation has connected to it.
- Attach the file to the chat for now.
- Ask IT whether that system is connected to Copilot.
Copilot only shows what you can already open
Copilot uses your own access: Microsoft says it only shows organisational data you already have permission to view. If you can't open a file, Copilot won't show it to you either.
- Ask the file's owner to share it with you.
- Then ask Copilot again.
Point it at the file
Copilot finds a file far more reliably when you name it or link to it than when you describe what is in it.
- Paste the file's link into your request, or attach the file.
- Ask one thing about one file at a time.
Ask IT to check the settings
Organisations can hide some sites or labelled files from Copilot, and a new or moved file can take a while to show up in search.
- Wait a little and try again if the file is new or was just moved.
- Send IT the message below.