Generally, phyllo dough responds best when it's allowed to thaw out over a period of time in the refrigerator. This type of dough is packaged in sheets that can morph into a soggy, sticky mess with microwave thawing. Some phyllo dough manufacturers include microwave thawing instructions on the product's packaging, but if no instructions are present on the packaging try a general -- though not foolproof -- method to thaw the dough quickly.
Remove the phyllo dough from the box but keep it in its plastic packaging.
Place the entire package in the microwave. Set the microwave for 45 seconds on the defrost setting.
Remove the package from the microwave, open it and remove the dough. The sheets should peel away from one another.