What is Microsoft Copilot Academy, and how can you benefit from it?
In those parts of the planet that are connected to the web, even if the connection is a high-latency satellite deal, hardly anyone hasn’t heard of artificial intelligence. Many people, even the tech-savvy types, try the respective services out, but then find little to no use for them. Microsoft, being one of the key players in the field via its investments in OpenAI and otherwise, decided to remedy the situation and created Microsoft Copilot Academy. This piece explains what it is and how it can help you to actually start putting AI to good use.
First things first: as the name implies, the Academy, which is an expert-led learning platform, was created to help users harness the full potential of Microsoft 365 Copilot, an AI-powered productivity assistant seamlessly integrated into Microsoft 365 applications. However, this does not mean that what you learn won’t be applicable outside the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Copilot Academy: the background
Microsoft 365 Copilot was launched globally in November 2023; initially, it was mostly about giving AI-driven summarization and content generation capabilities to Word, Excel, and Outlook. Microsoft Copilot Academy emerged in early 2025, but back then, it was more of a collection of structured learning materials on Viva Learning, the company’s centralized educational hub.
Obviously rooted in some analytical work, the Academy addresses Microsoft’s primary concerns about their flagship consumer-oriented AI product. It is designed to satisfy the growing demand for effective training on AI-driven tools that enhance productivity, creativity, and workflow efficiency across various roles and industries. On the corporate level, the platform has extensibility features that allow companies to tailor the curricula with the specifics of their industries without having to build anything from scratch.
Currently, Microsoft reports receiving positive feedback from the users of Microsoft 365 Copilot: they report significant time savings (averaging about an hour and a half per week) through automation of routine tasks such as catching up on meetings, managing emails, and drafting documents. Copilot’s capability to support users in generating ideas, creating and transforming content, and extracting insights from documents and data is another part of the experience actually beneficial for users. Still, Microsoft obviously believes things can go better.
So what’s in Microsoft Copilot Academy for you?
Basically, the Academy teaches effective prompting techniques, gives examples and ideas about how to interact with Copilot on a variety of tasks, and provides practical instruction applicable to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Power Automate.
There are two common ways to access the Academy:
- via the seeded service plan included with Microsoft 365 Business or Office 365 products,
- or through a paid Viva Learning or Viva Suite license.
Organizations have their own paths, if you think your company has a licence, inquire internally about joining the class.
Another good thing about Microsoft Copilot Academy is that it is available within Microsoft Teams, which is likely a tool you are using on a regular basis. There is also the Viva Learning web application available as an alternative to that.
The learning paths (that’s how courses are called there) are modular, which means you can start with the basics or jump directly to specific areas of interest. As of this writing, the Academy speaks eight languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, and Chinese.
Even if you already have some experience with Copilot and other AI tools, setting off from the “Get started with Microsoft 365 Copilot” path is a good idea. It will not only refresh your knowledge, but let you understand the suggested pace, enabling educated decisions about how to proceed through the material.
All in all, the academy’s curriculum covers all the key topics: effective prompt strategies, idea generation and content creation with Copilot, and content transformation. With practical tutorials, it is easy to see how exactly Copilot can take some of the load off your shoulders in tasks involving summarization of emails and meetings, data analysis, and workflow automation.
Ready to learn and master Copilot? Visit Microsoft Copilot Academy to get started.
