M365 Copilot — Notebooks · Quick Start Guide

At a glance

What it is
A named workspace where you pin files once.
Copilot answers every question from those files only.

Key difference from Chat
Chat queries your live inbox and Teams data.
Notebooks query the documents you chose to pin.

Wave 3 addition
Pin entire SharePoint sites and folders.
Ground a Copilot Studio agent on a Notebook.

Use case	What you pin	For
Multi-document analysis	Reports, specs, contracts across a project	PM · Delivery Lead · Commercial
Standards reference	Regulatory docs, internal policies, compliance frameworks	Legal · Compliance · HSE
Document comparison	Multiple versions of a deliverable or proposal	Technical Lead · Bid Manager
Meeting prep pack	Agenda, pre-reads, background briefings	Manager · Executive · EA
Team knowledge base	Procedures, org charts, onboarding docs	HR · Team Lead · New joiners
Portfolio tracking	Initiative briefs, status reports, decision logs across a programme	Programme Director · PMO · Department Head

Notebooks vs Chat vs Pages — when to use each

Tool	Best for	Data source	Persists?
Notebooks	Querying across specific documents repeatedly over time	Files you pin (OneDrive, SharePoint, local uploads)	Yes — named workspace, returns to where you left off
Chat	Quick one-off queries against live email, calendar, Teams	Your live M365 data (email, calendar, Teams)	History saved, but no persistent reference set
Pages	Sharing a Copilot output as a collaborative editable document	Created from a chat — not independently grounded	Yes — stored and shareable like a document

Setup — 5 steps

Open Notebooks

Name it

Give the notebook a specific name — by project, topic, or initiative. One notebook per discrete topic works better than one large catch-all.

Add references

Add files via: Search (by name), OneDrive (files or folders), SharePoint (files, folders, or entire sites — Wave 3), or Upload from your device. Up to 300 references per notebook.

Create and query

Click Create. Start asking questions in the chat panel. Every answer draws only from your pinned references, not from the internet or your inbox.

Share with your team

Click the people icon (top left) → enter names or email addresses → Invite. All invited members receive editing access — read-only sharing is not currently supported.

Use cases — what to pin and what to ask

Each card shows references to add + example queries

Use cases — by role and scenario

Project document analysis

PM · Delivery Lead · Commercial Manager

Most common starting point

Pin these

Project status reports (current period)
Risk register
Contract and scope documents
Meeting minutes and decision logs
Latest P6 schedule export (PDF or Word)

Ask this

What are the open risks above threshold across all documents?
List every decision made in the last status period and who owns follow-up.
What scope items are referenced in the contract but absent from the schedule?
Summarise all schedule delays mentioned and their stated causes.

Copilot draws only from the documents you pinned. If the information is not in a pinned file, it will say so rather than infer from general knowledge.

Standards and compliance reference

Legal · Compliance · HSE · Technical Authority

High value for regulated industries

Pin these

Applicable regulatory frameworks (EU AI Act, ATEX, ISO standards)
Internal compliance policies and procedures
Client-specified engineering standards
Audit findings and corrective action reports

Ask this

What does [standard name] require for [specific activity]?
List every obligation that applies to AI systems in explosive atmospheres under these documents.
Which open corrective actions have a deadline in the next 30 days?
What are the differences between the client standard and the internal procedure on [topic]?

Add standards as PDFs directly rather than relying on SharePoint folder grounding. Individual file pinning guarantees inclusion; folder scanning selects up to 300 most relevant files automatically.

Proposal and tender review

Bid Manager · Technical Lead · Commercial Director

Useful at bid and FEED stages

Pin these

ITB or RFP document
Draft proposal or technical response
Client-specified scope and requirements
Previous similar project lessons learned
Subcontractor quotes (where available as documents)

Ask this

What requirements in the ITB are not addressed in the current proposal draft?
List every clause that places a deadline obligation on us as the contractor.
What assumptions in the proposal are not supported by the scope document?
What lessons from previous projects are most relevant to this scope?

Pin the ITB first, then the draft response. Ask gap questions before each review cycle rather than at final check.

Portfolio and initiative tracking

Programme Director · PMO · Department Head · Executive

Programme management

Pin these

Initiative briefs and business cases
Current status reports per initiative
Decision logs and steering committee minutes
Portfolio overview and KPI tracking documents
Budget and benefits realisation reports

Ask this

Which initiatives are behind plan and what reasons are documented?
What decisions are pending across the portfolio with no stated owner?
Summarise reported benefits realised to date against the programme target.
Which initiatives have not produced a status update in the last reporting period?

Update the status report files each reporting period and the notebook reflects the new state automatically. No need to re-pin unless the file is replaced rather than updated.

Meeting prep pack

Manager · Executive · EA · Programme Sponsor

Short-lived, high-value

Pin these

Meeting agenda
Pre-read documents sent by attendees
Minutes from the previous meeting on this topic
Any open action register

Ask this

What are the three most important decisions this meeting needs to reach?
Which actions from the last meeting are still open, and who owns them?
What are the points of disagreement or tension in the pre-read documents?
What questions should I ask based on the agenda and the background material?

Create a temporary notebook per major meeting. Delete or archive after — this keeps your notebook list clean and reference counts manageable.

Rules for getting reliable results

01
Pin specific files, not just folders. When you add a SharePoint folder, Copilot selects the 300 most relevant files automatically. If a specific document must be included, add it directly.
02
Web URLs cannot be added as references. Copilot Notebooks do not retrieve information from the internet. Add web content by downloading it as a PDF and uploading the file.
03
Ask precise questions, not open-ended ones. "What risks are mentioned in these documents?" produces a better result than "Summarise everything."
04
Add a negative instruction when output is noisy. Append "Do not include items that are marked as closed or resolved" or "Do not repeat content that appears in multiple documents — consolidate."
05
One notebook per topic. A notebook named "Q2 2026 Projects" covering 15 unrelated initiatives produces mixed results. Separate notebooks for separate topics give sharper answers.

What Notebooks can access

Copilot Notebooks answer only from the references you pin. They do not query your inbox, your calendar, or Teams messages — that is Copilot Chat's domain. They also do not retrieve information from the internet.

OneDrive files and folders

SharePoint sites and folders — Wave 3

Uploaded files — .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .pdf, .loop, .page

Outlook email and calendar — use Chat instead

Copilot Pages and Loop components

Web URLs — download as PDF and upload

Teams messages — use Chat instead

SAP · Primavera · project systems

Available now

Wave 3 (rolling out April 2026)

Not accessible

Failure modes to expect

The answer does not mention a document you pinned. If the file contains scanned images rather than searchable text, Copilot cannot read it. Convert to a text-based PDF before pinning. Alternatively, the document may not have been within the 300-file limit for folder-based references — pin it directly.

The answer draws on general knowledge instead of your files. This means the referenced documents do not contain the information requested. Copilot states this when it happens — take it at face value and check whether the right document is pinned.

Shared notebook members see different results. Each user's answer is grounded in the references they have permission to access. If a team member cannot see a pinned SharePoint file, it will not be included in their query results. Verify file permissions before sharing the notebook.

Stale answers after a document is updated. When you update a pinned file in OneDrive or SharePoint, the notebook reflects the new version on the next query. If you replace a file rather than edit it, re-pin the new version.

A pinned file is deleted or moved in SharePoint. The notebook does not display an error — the reference silently breaks. Copilot will either answer from the remaining references or note that the document is unavailable. Check your pinned references list periodically in shared notebooks, especially if team members manage the underlying files.