Get started with Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Applies To
The Researcher agent is your intelligent assistant in Microsoft 365 Copilot—built to tackle complex, multistep research and deliver a structured, source-cited report. Think of it as a supercharged research partner that helps you gather, analyze, and summarize information from the web and, at work, from files, emails, meetings, and chats you have access to. Researcher makes it easier to get thorough answers and make decisions faster.
Note: Researcher is currently available to Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers and to Microsoft 365 business and enterprise users with a Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on license. Learn more about Microsoft 365 plans. Learn more about Microsoft 365 plans.
What’s the difference between Researcher and the standard Copilot experience?
Researcher is designed for deeper reasoning of your tasks. It excels at tackling complex, layered tasks that require thoughtful analysis. By taking longer processing time, Researcher delivers more comprehensive output, making it ideal for detailed research projects.
The standard Copilot experience helps with a broad range of everyday tasks across Microsoft 365 apps. It's optimized for speed and efficiency and is great for quicker tasks like summarizing emails or drafting short replies.
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When you want to... |
Choose |
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Get a quick answer, short summary, or brainstorm ideas |
Copilot Chat |
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Do in-depth research across multiple sources (web + your work) and get a report you can share |
Researcher |
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See citations and a well-structured report with headings and visuals |
Researcher |
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Have a back-and-forth conversation for simple tasks |
Copilot Chat |
The differences are by design. Researcher is built to take more time so it can deliver deeper insights and a report you can trust.
Why use Researcher agent?
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Saves you hours: It pulls from your work content and the web and composes a structured, reasoned response.
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Builds trust: It shows sources and organizes findings so you can verify and share with confidence.
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Fits how you work: It’s right inside Microsoft 365 Copilot. At work, it respects the same permissions, policies, and compliance you already rely on.
Wondering what the final result looks like? Researcher produces well‑structured reports that are easy to read and ready to share. These reports can include:
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Visuals, charts, and graphs to make data easier to understand
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Organized sections that help you present findings clearly
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Cited sources so you can trust the information
Where to find Researcher
Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. You can find Researcher under Agents in Chat.
How to use Researcher
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Open Researcher (under Agents) in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
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Ask a question: Start by typing a topic or question—like “What are the benefits of AI in education?”—into the Researcher prompt. Or use one of the built-in prompt examples.
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Clarify (Optional): Researcher might ask follow-up questions to better understand what you’re looking for. You can answer the questions or just say “Go ahead.”
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Watch it work: The agent finds and analyzes information from trusted sources, including your own work files and the web.
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Get a report: You’ll receive a structured summary with key insights, source citations, and next steps.
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Take action: You can edit the report, share it, or use it to kick off a presentation or document.
Get the best results with Researcher
Be specific in your prompt Clear and detailed questions lead to more focused and reliable results. For example, instead of saying: “Write a report for my performance review.” try: “Write a report on my business impact on the Contoso project for my performance review.”
Define your search scope Decide whether you want data from workplace resources, the web, or both. This helps create a more targeted and relevant report.
Engage with clarifying questions Researcher may ask clarifying questions to guide the output and keep you involved. This phase is important to help you steer the research and ensure the final report meets your needs.
Use Claude with Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot
Researcher now supports working with the Claude AI models created by Anthropic.
Your admin must allow access to Anthropic AI models in the Microsoft 365 admin center before you can use Claude in Researcher. Anthropic AI models are hosted outside of Microsoft and subject to Anthropic Terms and Data handling.
For more information, see Use Claude with Researcher in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
Looking for ways to start?
Here are a couple of examples to inspire you.
Prepare for a client meeting: Let's say you’re meeting with a healthcare client and want to understand how AI is transforming their industry. Ask Researcher:
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Create a learning resource: You’re building a training deck on sustainability. Ask:
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Note: If the Researcher agent is not available, it may be because your administrator has not enabled it. Administrators can learn more about managing agents in Manage agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
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