After offering Copilot on Microsoft Edge and Microsoft 365 apps, the software giant has announced its AI assistant on Windows. Powered by OpenAI, the AI chat assistant stays on the Taskbar and is just a click away. You no longer need to use ChatGPT or Bing Chat on the web to explore AI capabilities. Here are the top tips for using Microsoft Copilot on Windows.
Microsoft didn’t just add a Copilot shortcut on the Windows taskbar and call it a day. The company has neatly integrated it inside Windows. Since Copilot is in beta at the time of writing in December 2023, you may experience some hiccups. Besides, it requires an active internet connection to find answers from the web. Here’s how to get started with Copilot on Windows.
1. Control Windows System
Microsoft has made sure that Copilot acts as a core part of Windows. Apart from asking questions and other queries, you can use Copilot to perform basic tasks as well. Let’s check a few examples of what you can do with Copilot on Windows 11.
- Open File Explorer.
- Enable Dark Theme.
- Take a screenshot.
- Enable Do Not Disturb.
- Type ‘Open Windows Settings’ to launch the Settings panel.
Whenever you run a prompt to perform any action via Copilot, it asks for a confirmation. You need to select Yes to run the action. Do note, Copilot isn’t smart enough to run a specific action in an app. For example, we asked it to ‘Open a new document in Word’, and Copilot simply launched the Microsoft 365 app.
2. Choose a Conversation Style
Most Windows users won’t perform offline tasks with Copilot. They will mostly use it to ask questions and start a conversation. You have three options to choose a conversation style.
- More Creative: Delivers reasonable answers with a creative touch.
- More Balanced: As the name suggests, it balances answers accurately and creatively.
- More Precise: Tries to give you astute answers to your queries.
3. Summarize an Article
By default, Microsoft Copilot can read your active Microsoft Edge tab. That way, it can provide you with more relevant responses. If you don’t want to read an entire article, you can hit Windows + C keyboard shortcut to launch Copilot and ask it to summarize the post.
4. Identify Pictures
You can upload a picture of Copilot and ask it to identify it. Here’s what you need to do.
Step 1: Press the Windows + C keyboard shortcut to open Copilot.
Step 2: Click the image icon and paste the image or link or upload it from the device. Write down your question and hit the send button.
Copilot identifies your uploaded image and shows a relevant answer. We uploaded an image of Indian sweets, and Copilot described it accurately and showed a recipe.
5. Use Copilot to Generate Text
It’s one of the common use cases for ChatGPT-powered Copilot. You can use several prompts to generate text in no time.
- What’s a funny one-liner I can use for my standup comedy routine?
- Share an inspirational quote on friendship that can freshen up my day.
- Show me a recipe for chocolate cake without eggs.
- Give me a beginner tutorial on how to knit a scarf.
- Show me the tips to stay focused on work.
Do note that some of the answers can be inaccurate. So take Copilot’s answers with a grain of salt and resist trusting it with your homework.
6. Speak Your Prompts
If you don’t want to write prompts, hit the microphone icon and speak out the words. Press the Windows + C keyboard shortcut to launch Copilot and click the microphone icon in the message box.
7. Check Copilot History
You can check your Copilot history using the steps below. Open Copilot and press the history icon at the top. You can press the pencil icon beside a prompt and edit it.
You can delete Copilot history from the same menu.
8. Hide Copilot on Taskbar
You have the option to hide Copilot on your Windows PC. Here’s how.
Step 1: Press the Windows + I keyboard shortcut to open Settings.
Step 2: Select Personalization from the left sidebar and choose Taskbar from the right pane.
Step 3: Disable the Copilot toggle.
If the Windows taskbar isn’t working, check our dedicated guide to fix the issue.
Windows With AI Touch
Microsoft has been quite aggressive with Copilot on Windows. The software giant aims to offer it to Windows 10 users. While Copilot is quite impressive at answering queries, the integration with native Windows and Microsoft 365 apps is limited. We hope to see better integration with other parts of the OS in the upcoming Windows 12.
How do you plan to use Copilot on Windows? Or are you going to disable it from your Windows taskbar right away? Share your preference in the comments below.
Last updated on 28 November, 2023
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
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