Copilot Not Working

How to Review and Summarize PDF Files Using Copilot Pro

Elise Williams Sep 25, 2026 873 views

Question details

The user needs a method to review and summarize PDF files using Microsoft Copilot Pro, as the tool does not reliably process the PDF format directly.

Product: Microsoft Copilot Pro
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Attempting to use the Copilot Pro AI assistant to generate document summaries and extract key insights from a PDF file.
Observed behavior: Copilot Pro fails to accurately analyze or summarize the PDF directly due to structural and format limitations inherent to PDF files.

Before you start

Ensure your Microsoft 365 Copilot Pro subscription is active and verify that your PDF file is not password-protected, as encrypted files cannot be processed or converted.

Solution 1Recommended

Convert the PDF to Word for Copilot Analysis

By converting the PDF into an editable Word document, Copilot Pro can bypass PDF structure limitations and accurately summarize the text.

Microsoft 365 Copilot Pro is optimized for native Office formats like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Because PDF structures vary wildly, converting the file into an editable Word document ensures the text is fully accessible to the AI for summarization.

Open Microsoft Word

Launch Microsoft Word on your computer, click on 'File' in the top-left corner, and select 'Open'.

Select and Convert PDF

Browse for your PDF file and select it. Word will display a warning prompt asking to convert the PDF to an editable Word document. Click 'OK' to proceed with the conversion.

Launch Copilot

Once the document is successfully converted and opened in Word, click the 'Copilot' icon located on the Home tab of the ribbon to open the AI pane.

Summarize the Document

In the Copilot chat pane, type a prompt such as 'Summarize this document' or click the suggested summarization prompt to generate your review.

Formatting Changes: Converting complex PDFs to Word may slightly alter the original layout or styling, but the core text will remain intact for accurate AI analysis.

Solution 2

Extract PDF Data Manually to Excel or OneNote

If you only need to summarize specific data or tables, manually copy the relevant content from the PDF into Excel or OneNote.

Built-in AI PDF Tools

Summarize PDF Files Directly with WPS AI

Avoid the hassle of converting files. WPS Office includes a built-in AI assistant that can directly read, analyze, and summarize PDF documents natively without altering their original format.

1. Open PDF in WPS Office: Launch WPS Office on your device and open your PDF file directly.
2. Activate WPS AI: Click the 'WPS AI' icon located in the top toolbar or right-side panel to open the AI assistant.
3. Generate a Summary: Select 'Insight' or simply ask the AI to 'Summarize this PDF' to instantly generate a comprehensive document overview.
4. Chat with the PDF: Ask specific questions in the AI chat box to quickly locate details, clarify concepts, or extract exact data from the document.

Directly summarize and chat with PDF files using built-in WPS AI.No need to convert PDFs to Word documents, preserving your original formatting.Highly compatible with Microsoft Office formats like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.Lightweight, user-friendly, and offers powerful native PDF editing tools.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Copilot Pro struggle with direct PDF summaries?

PDFs are designed as static, print-ready files. Their complex internal structure makes it difficult for text-based AI models like Copilot Pro to read them accurately without first converting them into dynamic, editable text formats like Word.

Will I lose my original PDF formatting when converting to Word?

Occasionally. While the text transfers accurately, complex layouts involving layered images, distinct columns, or custom fonts may shift or look different during the PDF to Word conversion process.

Can Copilot Pro summarize a scanned PDF document?

No, Copilot Pro cannot read image-based or scanned PDFs directly. You must first use an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool to extract the image text into a Word document before using Copilot to summarize it.

Microsoft Copilot Issues