Create Audio Overviews for Word and PDF Files and Teams Transcripts

Message center notifications MC1061100 (updated 2 July 2025) and MC1060872 (updated 3 July 2025) both focus on audio overviews generated from documents (Word and PDFs) and Teams meetings (transcripts) stored in OneDrive for Business and Copilot Notebooks. This is yet another example of Microsoft applying AI to Microsoft 365 information. The question is whether having an audio review of a file is of real value or a demonstration of technology that might be used once and then forgotten.

This feature requires a Microsoft 365 Copilot license.

Generating an Audio Overview

The implementation is simple. The Copilot menu for a supported file type in the OneDrive for Business browser interface includes the Create an audio overview option (Figure 1).

Selecting the option causes Copilot to process the file. Logically, it seems like Copilot summarizes the file into a format similar to a Teams transcript and uploads the output to the Azure Audio Stack for transformation into an audio stream (users can save the summary as an .MP3 file in the Recordings folder of their OneDrive for Business account). For now, only English language audio overviews are available, and only files in English can be processed. Copilot politely refused to process documents that contained non-English text, even when the majority of the text was in English. On the other hand, Copilot had no problem processing files containing computer code, such as the PowerShell examples.

Given that Copilot can generate document summaries in different languages and the support for many languages in the Azure Audio Stack, it seems likely that support for other languages will come soon. I also expect to see UX provided to allow users to select other settings, such as the voices used for output (see below).

MC1060872 says that the OneDrive mobile app can generate audio overviews. I haven’t seen the mobile option appear yet.

Audio Overview Styles

The default style summarizes the key points in a document. If you prefer, you can switch the overview to a podcast style using the option in the […] menu. Essentially, the summary is a report of a document read by a single person. The podcast style usually generates a shorter audio stream that’s delivered by two “hosts” (a male voice and a female voice, both with neutral American accents). Figure 2 shows an overview being played with the transcript visible together with the option to switch style.

The audio overview option advises that generation could take a few minutes. I discovered that this is accurate and that overviews for even very large files were available in a couple of minutes. For example, I asked Copilot to generate an audio overview of the Word document for the latest Office 365 for IT Pros eBook. This is a large and complex file (28 MB, 1,250 pages, 22 chapters, and many figures and tables), so I thought it would be a good test. The audio overview was available in less than two minutes. You can download and listen to the summary and podcast versions using the links below to get an idea about the quality and type of output generated for an audio overview.

The DLP Block for Microsoft 365 Copilot

Interestingly, the DLP policy for Microsoft 365 Copilot blocks Copilot from generating audio overviews. I shouldn’t be surprised at this because the idea behind the policy is to stop Copilot from processing confidential files assigned specific sensitivity labels. As noted above, Copilot generates an audio overview using a transcript summary produced from a file. To create the summary, Copilot must be able to extract the file content but is blocked by the DLP policy.

When asked to create an audio overview from a protected file that comes within the scope of the DLP policy, Copilot chews on the problem for a few minutes before concluding that it can’t do anything and errors out (Figure 3). OneDrive must be refreshed before further files can be processed.

Although it’s good that the DLP policy for Microsoft 365 Copilot does its job, the poor user experience in the OneDrive for Business browser interface is evidence that the folks who created the audio overview option never considered that a policy might block Copilot access to a file. It would be much better if the UX displayed an immediate error message to say that Copilot cannot process a file instead of making the user wait for a few minutes before Copilot times out.

Are Audio Overviews Valuable?

I might not be the right target market for audio overviews. I suspect that this feature is directed towards people who can’t use regular Copilot document summaries. In this context, I think audio overviews will be very useful. Another scenario where the feature might shine is the ability to save audio overviews of files to OneDrive for listening to during commutes or other journeys. Like all the AI-driven features, the value comes down to the individual. I’m not sure I will ever use a Copilot-generated audio overview again, but I know how to create one if I need it.

Insight like this doesn’t come easily. You’ve got to know the technology and understand how to look behind the scenes. Benefit from the knowledge and experience of the Office 365 for IT Pros team by subscribing to the best eBook covering Office 365 and the wider Microsoft 365 ecosystem.