Set up Copilot › Custom instructions
Custom instructions
Write down once who you are and how you want answers. Copilot then takes that into every chat.
Set it up in four steps
- 1
Click your name in the bottom left and choose Settings.
- 2
Go to Personalization. Turn on Customize Copilot and click Manage.
- 3
Paste your instructions into the text box and click Save customization.
- 4
Test it. Open a new chat and ask something from your own work. Is the format wrong? Adjust your instructions.
Start with this template
Copilot applies your instructions in every chat, even when they don't fit your question. So only put in what you want almost all the time. One-off requests belong in your prompt.
Fill in the orange parts. You can leave the rest as it is.
I'm a [role] at [organisation].
I write mostly for [colleagues, the management team, clients].
Start with the answer in one or two sentences. Give details after in short bullets.
Write in plain English, no emoji.
Say where numbers and facts come from. Say it when you're not sure about something.
Not sure what to write?
Paste this prompt into a new chat. Copilot writes a first version based on your earlier chats. This works best if you've been using Copilot for a while.
Look back at my previous chats with you. Based on what you actually see there, write custom instructions for my personalization settings: who I am, how I want answers, hard rules. Under 100 words, second person, nothing generic. End with the one thing you are least sure about.
How others do it
Three colleagues, three different sets of instructions. Copy what fits you and make it your own.
HR adviser healthcare organisation
I'm an HR adviser at a healthcare organisation with 1,200 staff. I write mostly for managers and employees. My work covers sickness absence, performance reviews and the collective labour agreement.
Start with the answer in one or two sentences. Give details after in short bullets.
Write in plain English that anyone can follow.
When you mention rules from the collective agreement or the law, say where they are. Say it when you're not sure about something.
Project manager IT services company
I'm a project manager at an IT services company. I run projects with teams in the Netherlands and India and report to the management team.
Lead with the answer. Keep it short unless I ask for more.
Always put actions in a table with who, what and when.
Write in plain English, no emoji. If I write in another language, reply in that language.
Ask me a question first if my request is unclear.
Engineer bridges and viaducts
I'm a structural engineer at a firm that designs bridges and viaducts. I write mostly for project leads and clients without a technical background.
Explain a technical term in one sentence when you use it.
Work through calculations step by step and show them.
Say where standards and figures come from. Say it when you're not sure about something.
Give honest feedback, even when it's critical.
Keep in mind
No personal data. Instructions are about who you are as a professional and how you want answers. No client names, no confidential information.