Tired of Digging Through Countless SharePoint Pages or Endless PDFs Just to Find What You Need?
With Copilot’s AI actions, you can instantly get the answers you’re looking for—summarize content in a flash, unravel complicated language, and make sense of even the most complex documents with just a click. In this month's article, you’ll discover how SharePoint Copilot agents and powerful AI actions can transform the way you find, understand, and use information—so you can get more done with less hassle.
Why Create a Copilot Agent in a SharePoint Document Library
A SharePoint Copilot agent is like a guide for your SharePoint Document Library: it finds the right information, summarizes the key points, and keeps answers aligned with what’s officially documented.
SharePoint is where many teams keep important information—policies, how-to steps, project documents, and FAQs. A SharePoint Copilot agent helps you use that information faster by answering questions and summarizing content right when you need it.
You can ask it things like “What’s the process?” “Where’s the latest version?” or “Can you summarize this?” and it will respond based on the pages and documents in that Document Library. It also respects your access—so it only uses and shows content you’re already allowed to see.
Instead of hunting through folders or asking around, you can ask the agent in plain language and get a consistent answer based on your team’s SharePoint content.
What You Need To Know
Think of an agent as a “Copilot experience with guardrails.”
Instead of searching everywhere, it focuses on a specific set of SharePoint content, so your answers are more consistent and easier to trust.
Focused: it looks at a defined SharePoint document library (not everything)
Purpose-built: it’s set up for a specific audience (for example, a project team or new hires)
Grounded in SharePoint content, such as:
- A SharePoint Document Library (recommended)
- Policies, procedures, or project content stored in SharePoint
Why are More Teams Using SharePoint Agents?
| Feature | Description |
| Consistent Answers | The same guidance, no matter how you ask; answers match your team’s policies and standards; clear, repeatable info for everyone; perfect for info that must be accurate and dependable. |
| No More Rewriting Prompts |
Save your best prompt once; make it reusable for the whole team; boost productivity—everyone benefits. |
| Keep Copilot Focused |
Uses only the Document Library (and folders) you pick; delivers sharper, more accurate results; great for teams that need answers grounded in one source of truth. |
| Self-Serve Answers |
Ask “What’s the process?” or “Where’s the latest version?” and get instant answers; no need to track down experts; saves time for everyone. |
| Scale Knowledge with No Duplication |
Respects permissions and sensitivity labels; only shows what users have access to; no content sprawl or duplicates; your site stays the single source of truth. |
| Tailored to Your Team |
Agents fit your team’s real roles and workflows; personal and purposeful—always relevant. |
| Your Knowledge, Already in SharePoint |
Existing documents power your assistant; keeping documents current automatically improves the agent; everything stays organized and easy to manage; it’s an easy way to make a library smarter. |
Planning Your First SharePoint Agent
| Step | Details | Prompts to Try |
| Define who it’s for |
New hires, a project team, field staff, managers, etc. | Explain this Document Library like I’m new—what’s here and where should I start? What should a new team member read first? Summarize the key things a manager should know from this library. |
| Pick a clear scope |
One library, or even one folder is usually best. |
Only use information from this library. If you can’t find it here, say so. Answer using the most recent document version you can find in this library. If there are multiple documents on the same topic, tell me which one you used and why? |
| Remember permissions |
You’ll only see content you already have access to—so request access first if something is missing. | List the documents you used to answer (title + where they are). If you can’t access a needed document, tell me what’s missing so I can request access. Answer only with content you can cite from this library. |
| Keep the “source of truth” current | Make sure key documents are up to date, clearly titled, and stored in the right folder. | What’s the latest guidance on ___? Include the document/page you used. Is there more than one version of ___? Tell me which is current. Summarize the top changes in the latest version of ___. |
| Write a short list of real questions | Process, definitions, latest version, status, owners. | What’s the process for ___? Give me steps and link me to the source. Who owns ___ and where is that documented? What does ___ mean in our context? Use our documentation. |
| Decide what a “good answer” looks like | How long, what tone, and whether it should point to the source. | Answer in 5 bullets, then add ‘Where this comes from’ with the page/document name. Write the answer for someone new to the team (no acronyms). If you’re not sure, ask me 1–2 clarifying questions before answering. |
| Test it | Try it with a small group, note what’s missing or confusing, and improve the content/scope. | What questions can you not answer from this library yet? What content is missing or unclear based on my last 10 questions? Suggest 5 improvements to our pages/doc titles to make answers clearer. |
Agents to Try
| Name | Where it Lives | Prompts to Try |
| Project Tracker Agent | Grounded on a project SharePoint Document Library |
What’s the status of Phase 2? What risks or issues are documented? Summarize recent updates or meeting notes |
| New Joiner / Onboarding Agent | Grounded on an onboarding Document Library | Answers common “day 1–30” questions Explains tools, processes, and where things live Reduces reliance on people to answer repetitive questions |
| Comms & Newsletter Content Agent | Grounded on a Comms SharePoint library |
Drafting newsletter blurbs Summarizing long updates Ensuring consistent tone and messaging |
If you're unsure, start with one library, one purpose, one audience.
What are AI Actions in SharePoint?
AI actions help you understand a document faster—without reading the whole thing.
They use Microsoft 365 Copilot to summarize, explain, and answer questions based on the content you already have access to!
They’re especially useful when:
- You didn't create the document
- The document is long or technical
- You just need the gist before a meeting
- You want to reuse content in a new format
AI Action |
What it does |
Why You Should Try |
Summarize |
Gives you the breakdown in minutes—pulling out the main points so you can understand what the document is saying without wading through every page. | Getting up to speed fast (especially on something you didn’t write) Quickly deciding: “Do I need to read this now—or can it wait?” Pre-reading before meetings so you can show up confident |
Create an FAQ |
Turns a long document into a set of plain-language questions and answers—so you can find what you need the way people naturally look for information. | Policies and guidance (when you just want the answer, not a deep read) Training and enablement content you want people to actually use Making a “wall of text” feel approachable for busy teams |
Create an Audio Overview |
Gives you a listenable overview—so you can absorb the key points like you would with a short audio briefing. | When you learn better by listening than reading Multitasking (commute, walking, between meetings, or on your phone) Accessibility and different learning styles (more ways to take in the same info) |
Ask a Question |
Lets you ask the document a question in plain language and get an answer pulled from what’s actually in the file—no digging, no guessing where it’s hidden. |
You get answers without searching, scrolling, or CTRL+F gymnastics You don’t need to know how the doc is organized to find what matters It feels like a quick conversation, not a technical tool |
Review PDFs with Confidence
PDFs often hide important details inside dense language.
Copilot cuts through the clutter by translating selected text into something instantly understandable.
This helps you move from reading → to clarity → to action—fast.
What You Can Use It For |
Prompts to Try |
Plain Language Explanations
|
Explain this section to me in simple terms Rewrite this paragraph so anyone can understand it—even without technical background Break this down like you’re explaining it to a new employee |
Summaries & Key Takeaways |
Agent Mode can identify, fix, and reconnect formulas across the workbook, not just explain them. It applies the fixes directly in Excel and explains what changed, which is especially useful for large or legacy files. |
Creating a report with tables, PivotTables, and charts |
This is a multi‑element task. Agent Mode can create the underlying tables, build PivotTables, generate charts, and format the output as a cohesive report—something standard Copilot isn’t designed to do end‑to‑end. |
Compare, Contrast, Clarify |
What’s the difference between the two concepts mentioned here Identify any contradictions or unclear statements in this section Simplify and reorganize this so it flows more clearly |
Turn Content into Something Actionable |
Turn this text into a checklist I can share with my team Convert this policy into a step-by-step process Draft a communication blurb based on this section Create a training talking point from this information |
Translate Dense Content Into User-Friendly Formats |
Rewrite this as a FAQ for employees Turn this into a quick ‘What you need to know’ summary Create a short script I can use to explain this in a meeting |
Spot What Matters |
Pull out any dates, deadlines, or compliance requirements List all responsibilities mentioned here and categorize them Extract all definitions and rewrite them in accessible language |
“Make My Life Easier” Prompts |
Shorten this without losing meaning Rewrite this in a friendlier tone Highlight what could confuse the average reader |
Copilot in your M365 game changing apps.
Forms + Copilot
OneNote + Copilot
Stream + Copilot
Loop + Copilot
Planner + Copilot
