Copilot now manages inbox tasks
As per Microsoft, Copilot in Outlook can now take over routine inbox management tasks instead of just assisting with individual actions. It can prioritise emails, identify messages that need responses, draft follow-ups, and even create rules to organise incoming mail.
The company noted that users can assign tasks to Copilot using natural language prompts, after which it carries out multi-step actions while showing its progress. This allows users to review, modify, or intervene at any stage, rather than handing over full control without visibility.
Examples shared by Microsoft include identifying unanswered emails after a set period, drafting follow-ups, summarising missed messages after time away, and creating rules to highlight high-priority emails.
Calendar management becomes proactive
On the calendar side, Microsoft is positioning Copilot as a tool that continuously manages scheduling rather than reacting to individual requests. The assistant can respond to meeting invites, resolve scheduling conflicts, reschedule one-on-one meetings, and rebook meeting rooms.
It can also block focus time based on user preferences and help make manual changes, such as cancelling or rescheduling meetings, updating details, or drafting agendas based on context, such as meeting goals and participants.
Focus on aligning time and priorities
Beyond scheduling, Microsoft said that Copilot is designed to help users better manage how their time is spent. The assistant can analyse upcoming schedules, suggest which meetings to decline or delegate, and highlight areas where users may be overbooked.
It can also assist with meeting preparation by summarising relevant information, suggesting discussion points, and flagging potential risks based on context.
Availability
According to Microsoft, the new agentic Copilot experiences for inbox management are available across Outlook endpoints via the Frontier program.
Calendar-related features are also rolling out through the same program for Outlook on Windows and the web.
