Build a Word document from a file you reference instead of pasting
The policy is fourteen pages and the regional managers will read one. Copilot in Word can draft that page from the file itself, as long as you check that “must” is still “must” when it arrives.
What you'll make
a one-page briefing in Word, drafted from a file you select as Copilot’s reference, with every rule, threshold and condition checked against that file.
What you'll need
Copilot inside Word, which needs a Microsoft 365 Copilot (Basic or Premium) experience; the free Copilot Chat on its own doesn’t include Copilot in Word. You also need a source file in OneDrive or SharePoint that you can open, and about 25 minutes, most of it checking.
Example result.
Managers must complete the risk questionnaire before approval (s.2).
Procurement approves suppliers up to £10,000 annual spend; above
£10,000, Finance approval is also required (s.3).
Do not begin setup until all required approvals are recorded (s.4).
What changed from version 3: not covered in the source.1. Check you have Copilot in Word and a cloud copy of the source
Open a document and look at the bottom-right corner for Copilot. If it isn’t there, that’s a licence or rollout question for your administrator, not something you can prompt your way around. Your Copilot label shows which experience you have.
The source needs to be uploaded or in OneDrive or SharePoint; local paths aren’t supported. Confirm its title, version and status. A tidy filename isn’t evidence that a policy is approved.
Why this works: most “it doesn’t work” moments are a missing licence or a file on the desktop.
What you should see: the Copilot control in Word, and the source open in another window for checking.
2. Select the file and ask for the briefing
Open a blank document and open Copilot from the bottom-right corner. Type your request, and where it names the source, type / and choose the file from the list. Typing the filename as ordinary text isn’t the same as selecting it.
Draft a one-page internal briefing for [audience], using only
[selected file]. Cover [the questions they need answered].
Quote the exact wording for any rule, threshold, deadline or figure,
and give its section. If something I ask for is not in the file,
write "Not covered in the source". Do not soften a requirement into
a recommendation, and do not add standard practice or web information.
If you cannot read the file, stop and say so.[audience] is who will read it; [selected file] is the file you picked with /; [the questions they need answered] are three or four specific points. Then select Generate.
Why this works: “Not covered in the source” gives Copilot a permitted way to fail. Without it, a gap gets filled with something plausible. Asking for exact wording makes your check mechanical, and the softening rule exists because summaries flatten tone: “must” becomes “should” when a model is trying to be readable.
What you should see: a short draft with section references after each rule, and “Not covered in the source” wherever the file is silent.
3. Check the draft against the file, in order
Work through four passes with both documents open:
- Numbers and dates. Find every threshold, deadline and amount in the source. Check the edges: “up to £10,000” and “above £10,000” are different groups.
- Modal verbs. Search the draft for “should”, “may”, “can” and “typically”, and compare each with the source wording.
- Coverage. Did it answer every question? Long files get less attention in the middle, so check the middle sections specifically.
- Additions. Anything sensible-sounding that isn’t in the file at all.
Why this works: each pass looks for one kind of error, which is quicker and more reliable than rereading the whole thing hoping to notice.
What you should see: every rule matched to its section, and a short list of anything to fix.
Check the result
- Every figure and threshold appears in the source, with each case on the right side of its threshold.
- “Must”, “only if” and other conditions match the source wording.
- Every question you asked is answered or marked “Not covered in the source”.
- Nothing in the draft comes from general knowledge.
The usual failure: a draft that reads well and changes the rules. A requirement softens to “should”, a plausible fact arrives from nowhere, or a threshold case lands on the wrong side. Spot it with the four passes, then fix all three in one go in the same chat:
Correct only these items:
- [Statement] is not in the referenced file; remove it.
- [Statement] changes the source's requirement. Restore [exact rule]
from [section], with its condition.
- [Topic] is missing. Add it from [section], or mark it Not covered
in the source.
List the changes and change nothing else.Fill each line with what you found; delete lines you don’t need. Check the revision, including the text around each change, because a regenerated draft is a new draft.
Worked example: a supplier briefing
Fictional example. The source is Supplier onboarding standard v4. The relevant sections:
Section 2: Managers must complete the risk questionnaire before approval.
Section 3: Procurement approves suppliers up to £10,000 annual spend.
Above £10,000 annual spend, Finance approval is also required.
Section 4: Do not begin setup until all required approvals are recorded.
This excerpt contains no retention period or comparison with version 3.The first draft said: managers “should complete the risk questionnaire”; “a supplier with £10,000 annual spend needs Finance approval”; and “keep supplier records for six years”. Three failures: a requirement softened, a threshold case on the wrong side (exactly £10,000 is not above £10,000), and a plausible UK retention period that isn’t in the policy. After the repair prompt, the draft matched the example result above.
What mattered:
- One word changed a control. “Should” turns a requirement into a suggestion; nobody did it on purpose, it just read better.
- The threshold needed a test. At exactly £10,000, Procurement alone approves under this rule. At £10,001, Finance joins.
- The six years came from general knowledge. It fitted neatly, and would have been quoted as policy within a week.
Try it
Exactly £10,000 is not above £10,000
Move spend across the boundary and inspect the required approval path.
£10,000 annual spend: Procurement under the supplied rule. Complete the questionnaire first; record required approvals before setup.
Task kit for this job: Download (ZIP) · Reusable instructions
Go deeper
Compare two versions before drafting from them
If you need to know what changed, select both files and name their roles before asking for a briefing:
Compare [old file] with [new file] for [topics]. Show the wording in
each and its section. Separate changed requirements from unchanged
wording and gaps. Do not assume the newer file is approved unless its
stated status says so.[old file] and [new file] are both picked with /; [topics] are the sections you care about.
Rewrite one section without losing its conditions
Select a short passage, open Copilot from the mini toolbar, and choose Auto Rewrite or describe the change. Compare the result with the original before choosing Replace; Insert below keeps both visible while you check. A rewrite that says “Finance approves all suppliers” has lost the threshold, so keep the original and ask for a smaller change.
Reuse the method, not the source
Save the audience, question list and four checking passes. Replace the source every time and confirm its date and version. For a route that doesn’t need Copilot in Word, see using business files and checking the answer.