Skip to content
Memory & Knowledge

How to use Microsoft Copilot Notebooks for client work

2 min read

Build a notebook per client in Microsoft 365, add the right references and instructions, and get answers grounded only in what you added.

Short answer: in the Microsoft Copilot app, open Notebooks, create a notebook per client, add the client's Word, PowerPoint and Excel files, meeting notes and pages as references, and set custom instructions. Copilot answers only from the references in that notebook, not your whole OneDrive, email or Teams chats.

Steps follow Microsoft Support's Get started with Copilot Notebooks and How Copilot Notebooks works, last updated September 2026.

What you need

  • A Microsoft Copilot or Copilot Chat license. Microsoft says Notebooks is also available to Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, Premium and Pro subscribers.
  • A SharePoint or OneDrive license on the account, which Microsoft requires to create notebooks.

Step 1: Open Notebooks

  1. Go to the Microsoft Copilot app at m365.cloud.microsoft.
  2. Select Notebooks in the left navigation. If you don't see it, open the app launcher at the top of the left pane and select Notebooks.

The same notebook also opens in OneNote for a fuller workspace, so you can move between the two.

Step 2: Create a notebook per client

Create a new notebook and name it after the client. Microsoft describes a notebook as a scoped workspace: Copilot uses only the curated content you add. One notebook per client is what keeps client answers separate.

Step 3: Add references

Add Microsoft 365 files, Copilot pages, meeting notes, links and Copilot chats. For a client notebook, start with:

  • The statement of work and current plan.
  • The brand guide.
  • Recent meeting notes or recaps from Teams.
  • A dated decisions page that you keep current.

Microsoft says references update as your project evolves, so edit the source file instead of uploading a copy.

Step 4: Set custom instructions

Add instructions for tone and format, for example: "Answer for a fractional CMO. Short bullets. Flag when references disagree and name the newer one."

Step 5: Ask, summarize, and catch up

  • "Summarize what changed in the last two meetings."
  • "List open questions for Thursday's call."
  • Use an audio overview to catch up on the way to a meeting.

Step 6: Share with your team

Share the notebook so teammates work from the same references in real time.

Sources

Checked October 9, 2026.

Related: Armbrain vs Copilot Notebooks · How to use NotebookLM for client work · All comparisons