Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork is an AI-powered assistant built into the Microsoft 365 environment that helps teams move work from to-dos to done. Instead of just giving suggestions, it’s designed to plan, execute, and deliver real work based on what you ask it to do.

It’s powered by what Microsoft calls Work IQ, which combines knowledge about your content, context, and collaboration patterns to support everyday tasks. In practice, that means Copilot Cowork can help you organize tasks, coordinate steps, and keep work moving across your Microsoft 365 apps.

With Copilot Cowork, you start by describing the outcome you want in natural language—for example, “Create a launch plan for our new product and outline key tasks for marketing and sales.”

Copilot Cowork then uses its Work IQ capabilities to:

• Plan – Break the outcome into structured tasks and milestones.
• Execute – Draft documents, emails, or plans and organize them in the right Microsoft 365 tools.
• Deliver – Help you track progress so work moves from an initial idea to a completed deliverable.

The goal is to help teams reimagine how they move from intent (“what we want to achieve”) to execution (“what we actually deliver”) inside the tools they already use.

Work IQ is the intelligence layer that powers Microsoft 365 Copilot Cowork. It’s focused on understanding how work actually gets done across your Microsoft 365 environment.

Work IQ matters because it helps Copilot Cowork:

• Use the context of your existing documents, messages, and tasks to provide more relevant help.
• Connect planning, execution, and delivery so work doesn’t get stuck at the “to-do” stage.
• Support teams as they rethink and reshape their day-to-day workflows, rather than just adding another disconnected tool.

In short, Work IQ enables Copilot Cowork to act less like a simple chatbot and more like a collaborative partner embedded in your daily work.