The best Copilot shortcuts and hidden commands to work faster

Many of those who use Copilot Every day, whether you're browsing, using your phone, working in Office, Excel, or programming in your IDE, you're only scratching the surface. This AI from Microsoft and GitHub hides many tricks that you need to know to get the most out of everything it offers. In this article, we've compiled some of the best. Hidden Copilot shortcuts and commands. Don't miss them!

From the web version's conversation modes and the command bar with "/", to keyboard shortcuts in Visual Studio Code and JetBrains, and the most powerful uses in Excel, Word, Teams, and Outlook. Everything is explained in plain Spanish, clearly and without leaving out any important tricks.

Conversation modes and basic tricks in Microsoft Copilot

The version of Copilot you use in your browser or on its standalone website doesn't always respond the same way: You can choose from several conversation styles that change the way the AI ​​reasons and writes., something key to adjusting the result to what you need at any given time.

In the browser, each time you open a new chat, three main styles are displayed. The first is the Creative mode, based on GPT-4, designed for more original texts, crazy ideas, scripts, poems or anything where imagination takes precedence over total precision.

Then there is the balanced mode, which usually uses a variant of GPT-3.5It's the ideal middle ground for most tasks: it responds fairly accurately, maintains a natural tone, and still allows for some creativity. For general questions, standard emails, or technical queries, it's usually the best option.

Finally, you have the precise mode (sometimes listed as more conversational or classic)Based on a previous model, it focuses on giving you short, direct answers that are very close to the facts. It usually sacrifices embellishments and lengthy examples to get to the heart of the matter.

In the mobile app, things are simpler: You basically have one button to turn GPT-4 on or off.With the advanced model enabled, you get closer to the behavior of creative mode; if you leave it on GPT-3.5, the style is quite similar to the browser's balanced mode, perfect for everyday use.

Another simple but very useful trick is to control the language. Copilot detects your system language, but responds in any language you write to it in.If you're interested in practicing French, using prompts you've seen in English, or mixing languages ​​in the same conversation, simply change the language of your message and the AI ​​will adapt automatically.

Hidden “/” commands in Copilot for Office, Teams, and Microsoft apps

One of Copilot's lesser-known secrets, especially in work environments like Teams, Outlook, or Word, is that You don't always need to write complete sentences to ask for somethingSimply type the character “/” in the chat box to open a small menu with quick commands.

Typing “/” will display several pre-configured actions. For example, the command /summarize lets you quickly summarize the document, email, or meeting you have open.generating a direct summary without having to explain to the AI ​​what you want it to do.

If you need to rewrite a text, you have /rewrite, which reformulates the selected content by changing the toneMore professional, more informal, more concise, etc. It's perfect for cleaning up emails before sending them or for softening sensitive messages in Teams.

When you're lost among so many email threads or Teams channels, /catch-up helps you catch up Summarizing recent conversations and highlighting the most relevant points, which avoids hours of reading when you return from vacation or a long meeting.

You also have /draft to start drafting an email or document from scratch, asking you for some key details (subject, recipient, purpose) and generating a first draft that you can then iterate on with the AI ​​itself.

And for those who live surrounded by data, /visualize converts tables or numbers into charts and graphs without having to navigate through complicated menus. You tell it what information you want to see and Copilot takes care of suggesting the most appropriate type of chart.

The beauty of these hidden Copilot commands is that They are much faster than writing long requests in natural language.Instead of “Can you summarize this document?”, you type “/summarize”, press Enter, and you're done. They also work similarly in various applications integrated with Copilot, so you learn them once and can use them everywhere.

Creative and general productivity functions in Copilot web

Beyond Copilot's hidden "quick" commands, the web version of Copilot (the one you use in Edge, Chrome, or the standalone app) is a Swiss Army knife: It can be used both to resolve specific doubts and to create extensive content or interact with web pages..

To begin with, it behaves like a conversational search engine. You can ask general knowledge questions Ask a question like “Who was the first European to reach America?” and you’ll get a reasoned answer, usually with links or references for further information. In these types of queries, a balanced approach is generally the best bet.

If the explanation seems too difficult, there's a very convenient trick: Ask him to explain it to you at a specific level or style.For example, phrases like "Explain it to me as if I were five years old" make me rewrite my answer using childlike language and simpler examples.

Similarly, You can force a scientific, colloquial, technical, or even humorous toneThis allows you to adapt the responses to the target audience of a text (clients, students, social media…) without rewriting everything by hand.

The funniest part comes when you ask for creative explanations. Copilot can respond by imitating accents, styles of famous people, or structures like verses and rhymes.It is perfectly valid to ask "Explain it to me in the form of a rap" or "Describe it in a four-stanza poem with consonant rhyme," and they will usually comply.

It is also capable of generate short step-by-step tutorialsIf you ask it something like "How to change the RAM in a computer", it will return an ordered list of steps with explanations, warnings and often links to pages where you can verify the information.

Another classic function is that of Integrated translator for both single words and long textsYou can ask something as simple as “Translate the word 'telephone' into English” or something more complex like “Translate the following text into French” followed by several paragraphs. It's especially useful for emails, documents, and technical texts.

Thanks to its internet connection, you can also ask him to tell you what appears on the homepage of a specific websiteA command like “Tell me the homepage of xataka.com” will list the top articles, although the accuracy depends on how each page is constructed.

Related to this, a key function is that of Summarize long online articles when you don't have time to read them in fullSimply type “Summarize this:” and paste the URL of the text afterward. The same can be done to translate entire web pages with prompts like “Translate this article into English: URL”.

On a creative level, Copilot is a good assistant for writing emails, video scripts, essays, poems, or even song lyricsIf you give it context (who it's aimed at, desired tone, approximate length) you'll get a first draft that makes a lot of sense, which you can then adjust.

In addition to generating texts from scratch, Copilot can change the tone of something you've already writtenmaking it more formal, more approachable, or more technical. And if you copy a text and ask it to "improve the style of this text to make it clearer," it will return a revised version and, often, an explanation of the changes.

Creating images, logos, and visual resources with Copilot

One of Copilot's key advantages over other conversational AIs is that It uses DALL-E 3 in an integrated way to generate images from text. at no additional cost in many environments, which opens up a fairly wide range of possibilities for illustrating projects.

One of the simplest tricks is to start your message with the word “Draw” followed by a detailed description of what you wantYou can specify the style (realistic, comic, pixel art), the composition (close-up, wide shot), the colors, or anything that absolutely must appear in the scene.

With the same system you can go further and request the creation of logos, icons, stickers or other graphic resources For personal projects or design mockups. If you type something like “Draw a logo for a task app called TaskFlow with a minimalist style and blue and white colors,” Copilot will generate several proposals.

The clearer the requirements, the better the results. It is important that you specify the exact text that should appear in the logoOtherwise, the model usually invents words or uses fonts with generic texts that do not correspond to your brand.

Copilot as an assistant to study, work and organize your life

Beyond answering generic questions, Copilot has Very useful for studying, preparing for exams, or acquiring new skillsA very typical use is to ask it to generate a trial exam on a specific subject or level.

For example, you can type "Generate a high school math exam with 10 questions" and it will return a test with several questions. It's not always perfect, and sometimes it prefers to link to external resources.However, by refining the request (course level, type of questions, format) good simulations are usually obtained.

If you're learning something new, like playing an instrument or improving at a sport, It can suggest steps and practice routines for youA prompt like “How to play guitar like Ritchie Blackmore” leads to an explanation of techniques, scales, exercises and study recommendations.

On a more physical level, you can ask it to act as basic personal trainerWith messages like “Tell me exercises to strengthen my legs,” you’ll get a list of activities (squats, lunges, etc.) with instructions. It’s always best to consult a professional, but this serves as a good starting point.

It also helps you a lot in the kitchen. Copilot can design complete menus or individual recipes based on restrictions (allergies, intolerances) or on the ingredients you already have at home. A classic example is "Organize a dinner for 2 people who don't eat nuts or shellfish with a 3-course menu."

In matters of health, it is essential to be prudent: It should never replace the judgment of a doctor.Even so, you can offer general explanations about symptoms and diseases (“What are the symptoms of flu A”, for example), always taking them as indicative information.

You can also lend a hand in your free time. If you don't know what to watch or what to play, you can ask. Recommendations for TV series, movies, or video games based on what you already likeSomething like "Tell me series similar to Severance" will make it suggest several titles with a brief description of each one.

And if you're organizing a trip, it's a great ally: You can use Copilot to plan vacations, make lists of must-haves, and resolve practical questions.A typical prompt would be "I'm planning a trip to Lisbon, tell me must-see places," from which it will suggest neighborhoods, monuments, viewpoints, gastronomy, etc.

It can even manage small social dynamics, such as organize a secret Santa raffleIf you give it a list of participants and a couple of restrictions (“Loki can’t touch Maria, Ines can’t touch Javier”), Copilot will generate a cast respecting the conditions.

Keyboard shortcuts and hidden commands in Copilot (VS Code and JetBrains)

When we talk about programming, the picture changes quite a bit: GitHub Copilot works as a code copilot within your IDEAnd here, keyboard shortcuts make the difference between working smoothly and struggling with the tool.

The first step, obviously, is to install the extension. In Visual Studio Code, Open the extensions view with Ctrl+Shift+X (Cmd+Shift+X on Mac)Search for “GitHub Copilot”, install the official GitHub extension, and sign in with your account. If you have an active subscription or trial, the Copilot icon should appear in the status bar.

Once activated, the main interaction is through online suggestions. To accept a full suggestion, simply press TabIf you're not convinced, you can dismiss it with Escape and continue writing normally to generate other suggestions.

In Visual Studio Code, moreover, You have specific combinations to accept only the next word or the next lineFor example, accepting the next line is usually linked to Ctrl+Enter (or Cmd+Enter on Mac), which allows you to proceed in a more granular way when you don't want to accept the entire suggestion.

To force Copilot to show you ideas even if they don't appear automatically, You can launch manual generation with shortcuts like Alt+. or Ctrl+Enter, depending on the configurationAnd if you see that it offers you several alternatives, you navigate between them with Alt+] and Alt+[ (Option+] and Option+[ on macOS).

In JetBrains IDEs such as IntelliJ or PyCharm, the behavior is similar: You accept suggestions with Tab, move to the next suggestion with Alt+] and return to the previous one with Alt+[Escape dismisses the current suggestion and lets you continue with the code.

In addition to shortcuts, the VS Code command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P) It's another key component. From there you can execute commands like “Copilot: Enable” to activate it, “Copilot: Disable” to turn it off, “Copilot: Open Settings” to adjust preferences, or “Copilot: Show Next Suggestion” to navigate through the options without using the mouse.

A good piece of advice is that Adapt these shortcuts to your own keyboard layout If they conflict with other extensions or with your muscle memory, the keybindings are fully configurable and it's worth investing a few minutes to set them up to your liking.

To get the most out of it, it's advisable to internalize a few good practices: Don't blindly accept the first suggestion.Review the code, compile it, run tests, and verify that it meets your security standards. Copilot saves typing, but the ultimate responsibility for the code always remains yours.

Advanced chat commands and context in GitHub Copilot Chat

GitHub Copilot doesn't stop at autocomplete: It also offers a chat mode integrated into the editor itself., with special commands and very powerful context variables for working with large codebases.

In Visual Studio Code, for example, You can open the chat view with Ctrl+Alt+I on Windows/Linux or Ctrl+Cmd+I on macOSIf you want to start an online chat directly on the editor or terminal, use Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac), which allows you to ask for explanations or changes without leaving the current window.

Within the chat there are slash commands that make typical tasks easier. /clear clears the conversation and starts a new session/delete deletes a previous thread, /help shows you help, and /new is used to start a new project or context.

The most interesting ones for a developer's day-to-day work are /explain, /fix, and /tests. /explain gives you an explanation of the selected code or the current block.This is perfect for understanding complex functions or legacy code. `/fix` attempts to fix bugs or improve a snippet you've marked, and `/tests` Generates unit tests for the selected code.

The other great trick of Copilot Chat is the context variables preceded by “#”By writing #block, #file, #function, #class, #selection, etc., you are telling it exactly which part of the code it should consider to give you an answer.

For example, #file includes the entire file, #project gives you an overview of the workspace, and #selection limits the context to the text you have highlighted. This makes the answers much more accurate and prevents the AI ​​from being "distracted" by other parts of the code..

You can also drag and drop files or folders into the chat panel to add extra context, and Use mentions with "@" to refer to specific files, issues, or pull requestsAll of this helps Copilot better understand the environment you're working in.

Finally, it's worth keeping in mind some prompt style tips: Be specific in what you ask for, break large tasks down into small steps, and write clear comments in the code.The better you describe your intention and the cleaner the project, the better Copilot will perform.

Copilot for Excel, Power Query, and data analysis

In the field of spreadsheets, Copilot has become a real lifesaver. Integrated with Excel, it helps you automate repetitive tasks and perform more advanced analyses without being a formula expert..

One of the most powerful combinations is Copilot with Power Query. Power Query is used to transform and clean large volumes of dataAnd writing queries by hand can be a pain. With Copilot, you can describe what you want (“filter rows where column X is greater than 100 and group by Y”) and it generates the necessary logic for you.

It also helps you with pivot tables. Copilot can suggest the best ways to organize, summarize, and segment your data Depending on the objective: if you want to see sales by region, average per quarter, top 10 customers, etc., simply describe the report you need.

Regarding safety, Copilot can guide you How to password-protect a spreadsheet, how to restrict access to certain users, or how to lock critical cells so that no one edits them accidentally. These actions have existed for years, but now it's enough to request them in natural language.

Additionally, it can help you audit changes made to an Excel fileshowing you what modifications have been made, when and by whom, facilitating version control when multiple people edit the same document.

Another very interesting use is the automation of periodic reportsYou can configure processes so that, based on certain data, monthly, quarterly, or annual reports are generated, and Copilot formats them consistently.

It is even possible automate the sending of those reports by email to a list of recipients, saving you the routine task of exporting, attaching, and composing the same message each time.

If you're learning Excel, Copilot includes Interactive tutorials that adapt to your experience levelYou can ask it to explain a specific function, suggest exercises, or guide you step by step as you create a report from scratch.

It should be remembered that Microsoft updates Copilot frequentlyNew features and performance improvements are released periodically, so it's worth checking out the latest updates to take full advantage of their potential in Excel and the rest of the suite.

Taken as a whole, Copilot has become an ecosystem of assistants that goes far beyond the typical chat AI: learn its shortcuts, hidden commands, and little productivity "traps". It allows you to write code faster, better understand your data, automate reports, create creative content, and better organize your work and digital life without the tool getting in your way.