You have written a long article in Microsoft Word and want to add pull quotes to break up text and highlight key points. Pull quotes are short, visually separated excerpts that draw reader attention. Manually scanning thousands of words to find quotable lines is slow and error-prone. Copilot can analyze your document and suggest pull quotes in seconds. This article explains how to use Copilot in Word to generate pull quotes, what prerequisites you need, and how to avoid common mistakes.
Key Takeaways: Generate Pull Quotes with Copilot in Word
- Copilot pane in Word > Draft with Copilot > Summarize: Prompts Copilot to scan the document and return key phrases suitable for pull quotes.
- Copilot pane > Ask me anything > “Suggest three pull quotes from this article”: Direct command that returns specific quote candidates with context.
- Review and edit suggestions: Always verify Copilot suggestions against the original text to ensure accuracy and correct attribution.
How Copilot Generates Pull Quotes and What You Need
Copilot in Word uses the Microsoft Graph and the current document content to generate text suggestions. When you ask for pull quotes, Copilot reads the entire active document and identifies sentences or phrases that are short, impactful, and representative of the article’s main arguments. It does not pull quotes from external sources. The feature works only with a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license and a Word document that is saved to OneDrive or SharePoint. The document must contain at least 500 words of running text. Copilot cannot generate pull quotes from scanned PDFs or images. You must have the Copilot pane open in Word. To open it, click the Copilot icon on the Home tab in the ribbon.
Prerequisites
Before you start, confirm the following:
– You have a Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscription. Copilot Pro does not include Word integration.
– Your Word document is saved to OneDrive or SharePoint. Local files do not support Copilot.
– The document language is set to a supported language. English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, and Chinese are currently supported.
– Your article contains at least 500 words. Shorter documents may produce fewer or less relevant suggestions.
Steps to Generate Pull Quotes Using Copilot in Word
Follow these steps to produce pull quotes from your long article. The process uses the Copilot pane and a natural language prompt.
- Open the Copilot pane
In Word, click the Copilot icon on the Home tab of the ribbon. The Copilot pane opens on the right side of the window. If the icon is grayed out, confirm your document is saved to OneDrive or SharePoint and that you are signed in with your work or school account. - Place the cursor where you want the pull quote
Scroll to the section of the article where you intend to insert the pull quote. Click to place the insertion point at that location. Copilot inserts the suggested text at the cursor position. - Type your prompt in the Copilot text box
In the Copilot pane, type the following prompt exactly: Suggest three pull quotes from this article. Press Enter. Copilot reads the document and returns three suggestions in the pane. Each suggestion appears as a short sentence or phrase with a brief explanation of why it was chosen. - Review the suggestions
Read each suggestion in the Copilot pane. Check that the quote appears verbatim in your article. Copilot sometimes paraphrases or combines sentences. If a suggestion is not an exact match, do not use it. Click the arrow next to a suggestion to see the source paragraph. - Insert the pull quote
Click the Insert button below the suggestion you want to use. Word inserts the text at the cursor location. The text is plain and unformatted. You must apply pull quote formatting manually using Word styles or a text box. - Format the pull quote
Select the inserted text. On the Home tab, apply a larger font size, a different color, or a border. For a professional look, use the Text Box feature on the Insert tab. Place the text box beside the article column. Do not use the “Pull Quote” style that may appear in the Styles gallery if it was not designed for your document template.
Alternative Prompt for More Targeted Quotes
If the first prompt returns generic suggestions, use a more specific prompt. Type: Find three short sentences in this article that best summarize the main argument. This prompt produces quotes that capture the article’s thesis rather than random notable phrases. You can also specify a section. For example: Suggest two pull quotes from the section about data privacy. Copilot uses the document structure to identify the section.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Copilot returns no suggestions or an error
If Copilot responds with “I couldn’t find suitable content” or an error, check the document length. Articles under 500 words may not trigger the pull quote feature. Add more content or merge with another document. Also confirm the document is saved to OneDrive or SharePoint and that you have an active internet connection.
Pull quotes are too long or paraphrased
Copilot sometimes returns a full paragraph instead of a short quote. This happens when the document uses long, complex sentences. Edit the suggestion before inserting it. Shorten the text to one or two sentences. If Copilot paraphrases, do not use the suggestion. Paraphrased quotes misrepresent the original author’s words. Always verify the exact wording in the document.
Pull quotes lack context or attribution
Copilot does not automatically add attribution such as “According to the report” or the author’s name. After inserting the quote, add a source line below it in a smaller font. For example: — Annual Security Report, 2025. This prevents reader confusion about who said the quoted text.
Formatting breaks after inserting a pull quote
Word sometimes shifts the surrounding text when you insert a pull quote as plain text. To avoid this, insert the quote into a text box or a single-cell table. On the Insert tab, click Text Box and choose Simple Text Box. Paste the quote inside the text box. Then drag the text box to the desired position. This keeps the main article text unchanged.
Copilot Pull Quotes vs Manual Selection: Key Differences
| Item | Copilot Pull Quotes | Manual Selection |
|---|---|---|
| Time required | 30 seconds to generate and review | 5 to 15 minutes to scan and select |
| Accuracy of exact wording | May paraphrase or combine sentences | Exact text from the document |
| Context awareness | Understands document structure and themes | Requires human judgment |
| Number of suggestions | Up to 3 per prompt | Unlimited |
| Formatting | Plain text only | Any formatting applied immediately |
Copilot saves time and provides thematic suggestions that a manual scan might miss. Manual selection gives you full control over exact wording and formatting. For best results, use Copilot to generate initial candidates, then manually verify and edit each quote before inserting it.
You can now use Copilot in Word to generate pull quotes for long articles in under a minute. Always verify the suggestions against the original text and add attribution where needed. For future articles, try the prompt “Find three statistics in this article that would make good pull quotes” to highlight data points instead of narrative sentences. This approach works best with articles that contain at least 500 words and are saved to OneDrive or SharePoint.