"I want to use ChatGPT, but I can't access it from my work PC..." In fact, there are quite a lot of business people who have this problem. Starting in 2025, there will be a rapid increase in companies blocking external AI services such as ChatGPT and Gemini from an information security perspective.

But don't worry. There's a good chance your company's PCs already have Microsoft Copilot installed. There is also a version that comes standard with Windows 11 and can be used at no additional charge if you have a Microsoft 365 license.

In this article, based on the latest information as of February 2026, we will introduce 7 ways to make your work more efficient even in an environment where you can only use Copilot on your company PC. Let's answer all questions such as "What can Copilot do?" and "Can it replace ChatGPT?"

Why can't I use ChatGPT on my work PC?

First, let's solve the question "Why am I blocked?" There are three main reasons why companies restrict the use of ChatGPT:

1. Risk of information leakage
In the free and Plus versions of ChatGPT, there is a possibility that the information you enter may be used as training data for AI. Personal Information Protection Commission also issued a warning in June 2023, and once confidential company information or customer data is entered, it cannot be taken back.

2. Shadow IT measures
If employees start using external AI tools without permission, it will become a "shadow IT" situation that cannot be managed by the IT department. Because it becomes impossible to know what kind of data is being sent to the outside world, many companies block it across the board.

3. Copilot protects your data
On the other hand, when you use Microsoft Copilot by signing in with your company's Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), the input data is not used to train the AI. According to Microsoft official documentation, data is processed within the service boundaries of Microsoft 365, making it "easy-to-manage AI" for enterprises.

In other words, there are good reasons why companies block ChatGPT and allow Copilot. In that case, Using Copilot is a smarter choice.

What you can and cannot do with the free version of Copilot

Copilot has multiple plans, but there are broadly two types that can be used on work PCs.

① Copilot (free) included as standard in Windows
Chat AI included in Windows 11 from the beginning. You can also access it from your browser Edge. As of February 2026, you can chat up to 300 times a day, with a maximum of 30 turns (30 round trips) per session.

② Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat (for corporations/no additional charge)
This is the version included in licenses such as Microsoft 365 E3/E5, Business Standard/Premium, etc. According to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat FAQ, the biggest feature is that commercial data protection is applied and input data is not used for learning.

On the other hand, be aware of what cannot do.

  • Image generation up to 15 times a day (for free version)
  • Direct operation within Word, Excel, and PowerPoint requires Paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license (¥4,497/user per month)
  • Searching and summarizing internal files is also limited to the paid version
  • The amount of text that can be processed in one input is approximately 4,000 tokens (approximately 3,000 characters). Shorter than the paid version of ChatGPT

However, the free version is fully usable for chat-based questions, consultation, and writing. From here, let's take a look at specific usage techniques.

7 ways to use Copilot to make your work more efficient

Utilization technique 1: Create a draft of an email in an instant

Creating business emails takes a surprisingly long time. Simply write in Copilot, ``Write an email to your business partner apologizing for the delivery delay.The cause was a delay in parts procurement.The new delivery date is March 15th'' and you'll be able to complete a polite email that follows business etiquette.

The trick is to give the person, purpose, and points you want to convey in bulleted form. This alone will greatly improve the accuracy of the output.

Use technique 2: Summarizing long documents

When you think, "I don't have time to read a 30-page PDF...", copy the text, paste it into Copilot, and ask someone to "summarize this text in 300 characters." However, the free version has an input limit of approximately 3,000 characters, so it is important to divide and summarize long documents into sections.

Utilization technique 3: Get help creating Excel functions

"I don't know how to write VLOOKUP" or "I want to create conditional SUMIFS" - In such cases, please consult Copilot. For example, if you ask someone, ``If you have a table with product names in column A and sales in column B, what is the Excel function to calculate the total sales for the product name apples?'', they will tell you the correct function.

You can just copy and paste the generated function into Excel. Even if you don't have ChatGPT, you can still get the same quality answers withCopilot.

Utilization technique 4: Creating a meeting agenda/minutes template

By entering "Create an agenda for next week's planning meeting. There will be 5 participants, the topic will be considering the target group and price range of a new product, and the time required will be 60 minutes." You can create an agenda with time allocation.

After the meeting, all you have to do is paste the notes you took and instruct them to ``summarize this content into minutes. Separate the decisions and action items.''

Utilization technique 5: Translation and correction of English emails and documents

Copilot is also an excellent translation tool for those who have to deal with people overseas. Just ask them to "translate the following Japanese email into business English." Conversely, when summarizing an email received in English, you can simply summarize the main points of this email in three points in Japanese.

The strength of AI chat is that it produces more natural business English than Google Translate.

Utilization technique 6: Brainstorming opponent

If you narrow your question down to specific conditions, such as "Think of 5 campaign ideas for new customers. Your industry is a BtoB IT company, and your budget is less than 500,000 yen," you will receive specific ideas.

Copilot does not have a feature like ChatGPT's "Custom Instructions", but you can achieve a similar effect by specifying your role at the beginning of every chat by saying, "You are a marketing expert."

Utilization technique 7: Super fast startup with Windows key + C

What is surprisingly little known is that you can immediately start Copilot using the Windows key + C shortcut (for Windows 11). You can quickly call it up while you're working and ask questions without having to open a browser, which makes researching much more efficient.

Furthermore, Copilot's chat screen can be pinned to the front, enabling a workflow where you can talk to Copilot next to you while operating Excel or PowerPoint.

Understand the difference between ChatGPT and Copilot

You may be thinking, "Isn't ChatGPT better after all?" Certainly, the fields of expertise differ depending on the application.

Comparison itemsCopilot (free version)ChatGPT (free version)
AI modelGPT-4 basedGPT-4o mini
Number of uses per day300 timesLimited (varies)
Web searchCompatible with Bing integrationCompatible
Image generationDALL-E 3 (15 times a day)DALL-E 3 (limited)
File uploadImage only (free version)Supported
Data protection (for enterprises)Compatible with Entra ID linkageRequires Team/Enterprise version
Office integrationSupported with paid versionNot supported

Roughly speaking, Copilot is "AI that safely performs company work," and ChatGPT is "AI that you can flexibly consult about anything." In most cases, Copilot is sufficient for use on a company PC.

Tips for when it's still not enough

There are some situations that cannot be handled by Copilot alone. I'll introduce techniques for such situations.

1. Using Copilot on the Edge side
Copilot, installed in the sidebar of Microsoft Edge, reads the contents of the currently open web page and answers your questions. You can use "Summary the contents of this page" to speed up your research work.

2. Use different AIs on your smartphone
Even if you can't access it from your company PC, it's fine for many companies to use ChatGPT or Claude from your personal smartphone (however, never enter confidential company information). It is realistic to use your smartphone for generating ideas and private research, and using Copilot on your company PC for work with business data.

3. Be creative with your prompts
In order to improve Copilot's response accuracy, how you write prompts is important. Please refer to the template below.

"[Role]You are an expert in XX.[Task]Please XX the following.[Condition]In the format of XX, within XX characters.[Input data](Paste text here)"

Just by structuring it like this and issuing instructions, you will receive answers on the same level as ChatGPT.

FAQ

Will the information I enter into my company's Copilot be used for learning?

If you are signed in with your Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), your input data will not be used to train the AI. Microsoft official clearly states that "commercial data protection" applies. However, this protection may not apply if you're signed in with a personal Microsoft account, so make sure you're logged in with a company account.

Can I directly operate Excel or Word with Copilot?

To use Copilot in Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, you need a paid Microsoft 365 Copilot license (¥4,497/user per month as of February 2026). In the free version, you can generate functions and templates via chat and manually copy and paste them.

How many times a day can I use the free version of Copilot?

As of February 2026, the free version allows up to 300 chats per day. The upper limit per session is 30 turns (30 round trips). Most people will never reach the limit for business use.

How do I request permission from my IT department to use ChatGPT?

ChatGPT Team ($25/user/month) and ChatGPT Enterprise versions have data protection features for businesses. Let's make a proposal to the IT department with points such as "information will not be used for AI learning" and "SOC 2 compliant security". However, the final decision depends on your company's security policy.

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