Announcing: To Do is now rolling out to Outlook for Windows
We’re excited to announce that To Do is rolling out to Outlook for Windows for the Current Channel users (starting with Current Channel version 2207). With this release, you can use the To Do app right from Outlook for Windows to plan your work and commitments effectively and stay focused on the tasks at hand.6 Tips to conquer procrastination
Having a hard time starting or returning to a project? Don’t worry – it’s not a reflection of your ability to manage time or be productive. In fact, recent research shows that procrastination results from how the brain processes and responds to emotion rather than laziness.
How Are You Using To Do for Shopping Lists?
Hello, I am using To Do a whole lot in the last month as a family shopping list. We used to use different tools - Wunderlist, Trello and Google Keep, but with the beginning of the Corona crisis, the four of us (two adults, two teenagers) needed something that we could use in sync, to minimize shopping trips and limit the potential Covid-19 exposure. And since the looming shutdown of Wunderlist, we settled on Microsoft To Do. The main need - to synchronize across all our devices is met with Microsoft To Do, but some shortcomings are there as well: there are no "categories" for todo list items - no apparent way to group (or sort) the items in a way that they are found in the physical world (e.g. vegetables, canned stuff, frozen, etc.) we use a "check before" list, before leaving the house to check on the fill stand of the items that should always be there (salt, oil, soap, etc) and add items to the "main" shopping list as necessary there is a possibility to add "sub-tasks" (like for specific shops), but there is no way to drag out sub-tasks in and out of those lists, and if you complete those sub-tasks they are not sorted down like in the main list, and it can become quite crowded in there fast. So we are using mainly one shared list and add items to it according to our meal plan (that we keep in Trello). I would be interested to know, how others are tracking their shopping lists, there are sure more ways to do it - I already saw someone who would preface every item on the list with a code (F for Frozen for Example), so that the list could be sorted alphabetically, but turned out to be categorized.
Vertical Tabs! Enable control of pin/collapse pane (please!)
Edge's native implementation of vertical tabs when combined with tab groups make it an ideal browser for organized productivity and that's why I continue to use it as my daily driver on all desktop platforms. There is just one major pain point I find with using the vertical tab features: toggling its visibility. Of course, using vertical tabs makes more efficient use of screen real-estate (for landscape-oriented displays), but that does mean less screen space for actual webpage content, a reality which becomes obvious with 2+ vertical-tab-enabled browser windows open side-by-side. Thankfully, Edge includes convenient UI buttons to "Collapse" and "Pin" the vertical tab pane's visibility, but this is currently the only way to toggle this behavior, diminishing productivity of keyboard-centric use. Recently, the Edge team added the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+,(comma) — which switches the UI between vertical and classic tabs at the top. This is great, but it negates the value of having a collapsible vertical tab pane which would still show webpage favicons in the same visual paradigm of a vertical list and feels like a much more natural UI toggle. Some other users in the Edge Insider community have pointed out that such a side-panel collapse/expand key shortcut exists in many other popular programs as well. I've been trying to find some way of automating the collapse/pin behavior of the vertical tab pane, but it doesn't seem feasible without a proper menu option. Please consider adding a key shortcut specifically for this behavior, or instead include an option in the alt-menu dropdown that can be triggered via something like Power Automate. Thanks again to Edge team for all their work
## Advanced Copilot Prompt for High‑Fidelity Teams Meeting Analysis (v1.5)
## Advanced Copilot Prompt for High‑Fidelity Teams Meeting Analysis (v1.5) I’ve been working on a structured Copilot prompt designed to dramatically improve the quality of meeting analysis inside **Microsoft Teams**, especially when the default Intelligent Recap doesn’t capture enough nuance, decisions, or actionable follow‑ups. This prompt produces a detailed, repeatable output that includes: - TL;DR executive summary - Meeting quality assessment - Prioritized action items table - Confirmed vs. tentative decisions - Open questions & risks - Mind‑map style outline - Timeline of key moments - Confidence & source citations - Tech jargon glossary - Planner‑ready task export It’s now at **version 1.5**, and I’m sharing it publicly for anyone who wants deeper meeting insights or more reliable task handoff into Planner. --- ### Why I Built This In many engineering, security, and cross‑functional meetings, clarity is everything. The default recap is helpful, but sometimes too generic. I wanted something that: - Reduces ambiguity - Surfaces decisions clearly - Highlights risks and open questions - Produces actionable, Planner‑ready tasks - Works consistently across different meeting types - Enforces strict inference rules to avoid hallucinations If your team relies heavily on Teams + Copilot, this can significantly improve meeting outcomes. --- ### What’s Included The full prompt includes: - Strict ordering rules - Anti‑hallucination constraints - Fallback rules for missing data - TL;DR section - Speaker‑labeling rules - Timestamp restrictions - Bullet‑length limits - Planner task title constraints - Deduplication rules - Tone consistency - Signal‑to‑noise filtering I’ve included the complete prompt below for anyone who wants to use or adapt it. --- ### How to Use It 1. Open the **Recap** tab of any Teams meeting with transcription enabled. 2. Click **Open Copilot**. 3. Paste the entire prompt into the Copilot compose box. 4. Wait for the structured output (usually 30–120 seconds). 5. Copy the Planner tasks section directly into Planner or Copilot for Planner. --- ### Looking for Feedback If you try this prompt, I’d love to hear: - What worked well - What didn’t - What you’d like added in v1.6 - Any edge cases or meeting types where it struggled I’m planning to maintain this as a community resource, so suggestions are welcome. Thanks to everyone experimenting with Copilot in Teams — the creativity in this community is incredible. --- ### Full Prompt (v1.5) ````markdown ```markdown # ============================================================ # PROMPT NAME: Advanced Teams Meeting Analyst (Copilot Enhancement) # ============================================================ # Version: 1.5 # Author: Scott M # Last Updated: 2026-01-14 # # Goal: # Use Microsoft Copilot in Teams (Recap tab or live meeting) to generate a highly structured, # high-signal meeting analysis that goes far beyond the default Intelligent Recap output. # Produce executive summary with TL;DR, prioritized action items table, confirmed/tentative decisions, # risks/open questions, mind-map outline, timeline, quality assessment, confidence/sources, # tech jargon glossary, and Planner-ready task export—all derived strictly from the transcript, # shared screens, chat, and attachments. # # Why This Is Superior to Default Teams/Copilot Processing: # - Default Recap: Basic chapters, highlights, simple tasks, attendance—often generic and misses nuance. # - This custom prompt: Forces strict inference rules (no hallucinations), adds confidence labeling, # decision status, risks section, mind-map structure, quality flags, source citations, # jargon glossary, and direct Planner integration for seamless task handoff. # Delivers scannable, professional-grade notes + actionable tasks for tech/engineering teams. # # Audience: # Microsoft 365 Copilot users in Teams-heavy environments who want deeper analysis # and direct bridge to Planner for follow-up execution. # # Non-Goals: # - This is NOT a replacement for legal/compliance-grade minutes. # - This is NOT verbatim transcription (use the native transcript for that). # - Relies on Teams transcription quality (enable Intelligent Speakers if available). # # Usage Instructions: # 1. Prerequisites: # - Ensure the meeting had transcription enabled (Meeting options → Record & transcribe → Allow transcription). # - For best speaker attribution: Enable Intelligent Speakers (if your org supports it) or have participants use their names clearly. # - Copilot license required (M365 Copilot or Teams Premium for full Recap features). # # 2. Post-Meeting (Recommended – Recap Tab): # - Go to the Teams meeting chat → Click the Recap tab (appears after meeting ends and processing finishes). # - Click Open Copilot (or the Copilot icon in the top-right of Recap). # - In the Copilot pane compose box, paste this ENTIRE prompt and press Enter/Send. # - Wait 30–120 seconds (longer for 60+ min meetings) for the full structured output. # # 3. During Live Meeting (Quick Catch-Up): # - While the meeting is active → Click the Copilot icon in the meeting controls. # - Paste the prompt (or a shortened version if time-sensitive) and ask for real-time summary/actions so far. # # 4. After Output Appears: # - Review the markdown sections—copy any part (e.g., Action Items table, Planner tasks) directly. # - For Planner handoff: # - Copy the entire "10. Planner Integration" section. # - Open Planner (in Teams app or planner.microsoft.com). # - Option A: Manually create tasks by pasting titles/descriptions. # - Option B: In Planner's Copilot pane (if available): Paste the tasks list and say "Create these tasks in my [plan name] plan". # - Save/export: Copy full output to OneNote, Word, or email for sharing. # # 5. Refinement & Follow-Ups (Highly Recommended): # - In the same Copilot pane, type targeted follow-ups like: # - "Expand the Risks section with mitigation ideas" # - "Draft a professional follow-up email to attendees including the summary and action table" # - "Create these tasks in Planner plan 'Engineering Syncs'" # - "Explain [specific jargon term] in more detail" # - "Prioritize the action items by impact" # - Iterate until satisfied—Copilot remembers context in the session. # # 6. Tips & Troubleshooting: # - If output is incomplete: Re-paste the prompt or say "Regenerate full analysis". # - Short meetings (<15 min): Output may be concise—ask for more detail if needed. # - No Recap tab? Ensure recording/transcription was on; wait 5–10 min post-meeting. # - Sensitive meetings: Redaction is automatic per rules, but double-check output. # # Changelog: # v1.0 - Initial release # v1.1 - Added confidence/sources + follow-up suggestions # v1.2 - Added Tech Jargon Glossary # v1.3 - Added Planner Integration section # v1.4 - Expanded Usage Instructions into detailed, step-by-step guide with prerequisites, live/post options, refinement examples, and troubleshooting # v1.5 - Added strict ordering rules, anti-hallucination constraints, fallback rules for missing data, TL;DR section, speaker-labeling rules, timestamp restrictions, bullet-length limits, Planner title constraints, deduplication rules, tone consistency, and signal-to-noise filtering # # ============================================================ # CRITICAL INSTRUCTIONS (STRICT) # ============================================================ - Do NOT summarize, restate, or comment on this prompt. Produce only the meeting analysis. - Follow the numbered sections in the exact order shown. Do not omit, reorder, merge, or rename sections. - If any section lacks sufficient evidence, include the header and write: **“No reliable data found.”** - Derive ALL content ONLY from the Teams transcript, shared content, chat, and attachments. - NEVER invent details. If unclear, mark as “Unclear” or “TBD.” - Use neutral labels (Speaker A, Speaker B, etc.) if speaker names are not confidently identified. - Assign deterministic speaker labels based on first appearance. - Redact sensitive info as [REDACTED] and flag in Risks. - Include inline citations [Transcript HH:MM, Slide X] where possible. - Keep bullet points ≤ 20 words unless quoting transcript evidence. - Exclude small talk, greetings, jokes, or irrelevant chatter unless they directly impact decisions or tasks. - Only include timestamps if explicitly present in the transcript. Never estimate or invent them. - Deduplicate action items, decisions, and risks before final output. - Maintain a professional, concise, cross-functional technical PM tone. - Planner task titles must be ≤ 10 words and start with a verb. # ============================================================ # OUTPUT FORMAT (USE EXACTLY) # ============================================================ **TL;DR (1–2 sentences)** A concise, high-level summary of why the team met and what was resolved. --- 1. **Meeting Quality Assessment** - Clarity: [Good | Fair | Poor — brief explanation] - Speaker overlap / noise: [Low | Medium | High] - Estimated accuracy: [High | Medium | Low — justification] 2. **Executive Summary** Start with 1–2 sentence overview. Then provide 5–8 bullets covering: - Purpose - Attendees (names or count if unclear) - Key topics - Outcomes - Next steps 3. **Action Items** | Priority | Owner | Task Description | Due Date | Timestamp | Dependencies | Status | Notes | |----------|-------|------------------|----------|-----------|--------------|--------|-------| **Rules:** - Sort by Priority (High → Medium → Low), then Due Date. - Infer owners/dates ONLY if explicitly stated or clearly volunteered. - Default Priority: Medium; Status: Open. - Titles ≤ 10 words, start with a verb. - Deduplicate similar tasks. 4. **Key Decisions** - **DECISION:** [What was decided] - Status: [Confirmed | Tentative | Disputed] - Confidence: [High/Medium/Low — reason] - Rationale: [Why] - Impacted: [Who] - Evidence: [Transcript HH:MM or Slide reference] 5. **Open Questions & Risks** **Open Questions** - [Unresolved or unclear items] **Risks** - [Ambiguity, missing owners, conflicting views, scope creep, technical risks, etc.] 6. **Mind Map Outline (Hierarchical Outline)** - Main Topic 1 - Subtopic A - Action / Decision / Fact - Subtopic B **Rules:** - Max 5 main topics - Max 3 levels deep - ≤ 8 words per node - Prune low-signal branches 7. **Timeline of Key Moments** - HH:MM – [Brief one-line description] - HH:MM – [etc.] *Only include if timestamps exist; otherwise write “No reliable data found.”* 8. **Confidence & Sources Summary** - Overall confidence: XX/100 - Key sources: [Transcript HH:MM, Slide X, Chat message, etc.] 9. **Tech Jargon Glossary** - TERM: Definition (1–2 sentences) *Include only if relevant terms appear.* 10. **Planner Integration: Ready-to-Create Tasks** Numbered list, each formatted as: 1. **Task Title:** [≤10 words, verb-led] - Assigned to: [Owner or TBD] - Due: [Date or TBD] - Priority: [High/Medium/Low] - Description: [Brief details + dependencies/notes] - Labels/Buckets: [Suggested grouping] **Rules:** - Only include items with clear action/owner potential. - Group related tasks under consistent buckets. - Deduplicate tasks. --- **Follow-Up Prompts (suggest 3–5)** - “Create these tasks in Planner plan ‘X’.” - “Expand the Risks section with mitigation strategies.” - “Draft a follow-up email summarizing this meeting.” - “Prioritize action items by impact and urgency.” - “Clarify ambiguous decisions and propose next steps.”SS46: Hey Edge - voice control
Suggestion (SS): 46 Classification: VOICE CONTROL PRIORITY IN MY OPINION: 2-3 on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high) Bing already has some integration of voice control, Firefox too. Now i think it's time for Hey Edge function. Examples of tasks Hey Edge should be able to do: -Hey Edge, move tabs to the right to another window, hide it in macos, save PDF and add all links to bookmark folder IMPORT for all tabs in this new window; once done close the window. - Hey Edge, reload all techcommunity.microsoft - Hey Edge, change to Bing as default - Hey Edge, mute all - Hey Edge, volume 50% - Hey Edge, go to minute 3.45 - Hey Edge, loop mode - Hey Edge, loop from x to y - Hey Edge, set download path to configuration 1 - Hey Edge, search this with %s1 %s2 ... at the same time - Hey Edge, open %s settings - Hey Edge, add this search to %s and use abbreviation <ed - Hey Edge, duplicate 5 tabs from this - Hey Edge, change my profile image now - Hey Edge, launch xxx (an extension) - Hey Edge, quit Edge in 10 minutes - Hey Edge, open random website from folder XXX - Hey Edge, disable all extensions for 5 seconds. - Hey Edge, random open my most visited youtube links - Hey Edge, write new instagram post (by opening a 3. app for posting) - Hey Edge, activate all disabled extensions. - Hey Edge, reopen last closed session - Hey Edge, reopen last 7 tabs - Hey Edge, move tab to first - Hey Edge, color tab to red - Hey Edge, go back to the source (example when you open webpage a then b ... to z, go back to a) - Hey Edge, pipmode - Hey Edge, go to next video - Hey Edge, save to collections (last used) - Hey Edge, close tabs to left - Hey Edge, merge windows - Hey Edge, quit - Hey Edge, open flags - Hey Edge, activate flag xx - Hey Edge, restart - Hey Edge, share this page to xxx - Hey Edge, new mail to xxx - Hey Edge, install xxx - Hey Edge, create new profile for account mailto:a@a.com - Hey Edge, delete this profile - Hey Edge, activate vpn now (once integrated) - Hey Edge, change background new tab pictures from onedrive folder AA to BB - Hey Edge, open all links inside folder XXX - Hey Edge, download all images that i click in the future, stop it once i say stop - Hey Edge, launch beta profile xxx - Hey Edge, show me when i visited this page in the past - Hey Edge, add this page to bookmarks (using recent folder) as shortcut <emis - Hey Edge open 6x incognito pages with url http://www.... - Hey Edge, ban all selected email from outlook - Hey Edge, start new chat support session - Hey Edge, new feedback - Hey Edge, share this file (in onedrive = this mean you copy directly the url) - Hey Edge, save all picture to onedrive - Hey Edge, open word - Hey Edge, find similar websites - Hey Edge, show me my IP - Hey Edge, export this image as png - Hey Edge, save this files to xxx and rename it as yyy - Hey Edge, open Missy Edge profile - Hey Edge, run workspace 4 now - Hey Edge, run highlight mode now (once integrated) - Hey Edge, save next selected texts to collections - Hey Edge, search hello in youtube as playlist - Hey Edge, disable notifications from all future visited pages - Hey Edge, activate flash always - Hey Edge, open all selected urls in edge dev profile 3 (if we use canary for example) - Hey Edge, copy all urls from tabs - Hey Edge, add selected tabs to my vertical favorite tabs (once integrated) - Hey Edge, open with profile 2 .... (once container is integrated) - Hey Edge, download all images from tabs - Hey Edge, create merge all tab groups and move to new window by hiding it in macos - Hey Edge, download all files in this website with torrent (once integrated) - Hey Edge, open in tabs selected links - Hey Edge, export bookmarks every 5 minutes to my mac - Hey Edge, reverse search this image - Hey Edge, show me social accounts of this person (from a video/photo) - Hey Edge, create new outlook alias mailto:b@.... - Hey Edge, change outlook recovery email to .... - Hey Edge, ban all social accounts for 4 hours - Hey Edge, add label xxx to this page (for history panel, once integrated) - Hey Edge export last 7 days of history to my desktop folder xxx - Hey Edge, activate kids mode - Hey Edge, create new rule for this email and use setting 1 (example forward to 3 emails ...) - etc. If we can run such multiple rules without Hey Edge would be cool too, so something in keyboard maestro style. Obviously first we need to support a better way to run such actions and similar actions without Hey Edge, but once this is done, different action can be implemented in Hey Edge too. Then it depends, sometimes is much faster to do manually instead of saying Hey Edge... (and maybe Hey Edge doesn't understand what we say too...., like Bing does) To be more faster instead of saying "Hey Edge, save pdf for all tabs to the right" or similar, we just say "Hey Edge, pdf right". The same for all other examples You can even integrate a smart Hey Edge, where i can combine my manual and Hey Edge actions. Example: i'm reading a pdf. at the same time i say "Hey Edge, pdf right once i say NOW". then i read pdf on tab 2, 3, 4, 5. Once done i say "NOW" and you export all pdf to the right (based on the tabs where i requested this rule). This means in the same time i can close and open new tabs, you do the action only once i say "NOW". Such "NOW" actions can be implemented in so many workflows and would be a great productivity boost.
