Add references to your Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebook

_{Last updated: April 2026}

With Microsoft 365 Copilot Notebooks, you can create and reason with Copilot in a unified space that brings together all your relevant content. As you work with Copilot, receive focused answers tailored to your notebook's content, and you can add more references as your project evolves. References stay current, so as your data changes, the answers from notebook prompts remain accurate and up to date.

How to add references to your notebook

1. In the Microsoft 365 Copilot app under Notebooks, select an existing notebook.

   Note

   New to Copilot Notebooks? Learn how to create your first notebook.

2. Under References in the left pane, select the plus button   next to References.

3. Under Add references, Copilot will suggest a list of references you may want to add. You can also add references in a few different ways. 

   • Search – In the search bar, enter the name of a specific reference, then select it from the list of suggested references.

     ​​​​​​​You can also search for and add SharePoint sites, document libraries, or folders as references. When you select one, Copilot can use supported files stored in that location to answer questions, summarize information, or generate new content based on what you have permission to access.

     Note

     Copilot only uses content from the sites, folders, or files that you add as references and have permission to access. It doesn't use other organizational content unless you add those locations to your notebook.

   • Upload – Select the Upload button  and find the file you want to add.

   • Link – Select the Link button  and enter the URL you want to add. You can add links to documents stored in your organization’s OneDrive or SharePoint as references in a notebook. Links to content outside your organization can’t be added.

   • OneDrive – Select the OneDrive icon, choose an individual file or entire folder from your OneDrive to add as a reference, and then select Add.

   • Drag and drop – Drop your file into the section, Drag your files and other content here.

4. Select Add.

   Note

   While you can add more than 300 references to your notebook, only up to the first 300 will be used for grounding. Supported file types include .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .pdf, .loop, .page, and OneNote pages.

About references in a shared notebook

When you share a notebook, recipients are invited to all linked files within it. This ensures recipients receive grounded answers from Copilot from the very first prompt. This process, however, requires that you have permission to share each linked file. If those permissions are missing, recipients will need to request access to the files individually.

Provide feedback

To share feedback about this experience, select Settings and more in the lower left corner next to your name, then select Feedback.

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