Microsoft Redesigns Copilot Notebooks With New Three-Column Layout & More

Microsoft has started rolling out a redesigned Copilot Notebooks experience across the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and OneNote. The update introduces a revamped interface, which Microsoft says makes long-running projects easier to track, organize, and understand.

Redesigned Copilot Notebooks focus on workflow clarity

One of the standout visible changes is a new three-column layout. As noted by the company, References, Copilot Pages, and Copilot chat now sit side by side in a single workspace. You can review documents, ask Copilot questions, and capture notes at the same time without losing context.

Microsoft says this structure should reduce the back-and-forth that typically happens between chat windows and productivity apps. In practice, it appears designed to keep users in a single continuous workflow, which could be useful for research projects, reporting tasks, or long-term planning.

The redesigned interface also introduces an Overview page that summarizes the entire notebook. It usually displays key themes, insights, and topics from all reference materials inside the workspace. That summary can refresh as your files get updated.

Speaking of references, Copilot Notebooks now support a wider range of materials. You can add Word documents, PowerPoint decks, Excel files, PDFs, OneNote pages, and even Copilot Pages. Copilot then analyzes those sources together to generate insights, summaries, or drafts.

All that said, the redesign hints at something bigger. Microsoft seems to be pushing Copilot beyond simple chat into what looks like a persistent AI workspace. Alongside redesigning Copilot Notebooks, Microsoft has also announced Copilot Health, which allows users to analyze wearable and medical data. Moreover, let’s not forget that SharePoint will reportedly also get a Copilot Chat pane to edit pages with AI prompts. Microsoft expects the feature to enter preview in May, with a mass rollout expected sometime in August this year.