Microsoft has begun testing a new update to its Copilot app for Windows that will allow you to share your screen or programs with artificial intelligence. Initially, Copilot Vision was limited to the Microsoft Edge browser, but now it extends to any application on your computer.
Copilot Vision will be able to do things like teach you how to use Adobe Photoshop features or analyze the photos and web pages you’re viewing. I was able to see an early version of Copilot Vision for Windows at Microsoft’s 50th anniversary party last week, where the AI assistant guided me through a game of Minecraft and helped me optimize settings in Microsoft’s Clipchamp video editor.
I wasn’t able to fully test Copilot Vision on Windows through the insider beta because Microsoft has restricted access to it to U.S. testers only. Copilot will be able to highlight parts of the screen to help you navigate through programs, although this feature is not yet enabled in this initial beta. Copilot Vision may sound similar to Microsoft’s Recall feature, which automatically takes pictures if you let it, but it’s actually more like sharing your app screen or entire desktop during a Microsoft Teams call.
Microsoft has also started testing file search in Copilot for Windows, which allows you to ask the AI assistant about the contents of a file on your computer. The file search supports .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .txt, .pdf, .json files, and you can use Copilot to easily find documents you’ve recently worked on.
Both of these Copilot features require only the Copilot for Windows app, not the full version of Copilot Plus. You can also use Copilot Vision on iOS and Android. Microsoft has begun testing these new Copilot features with Windows insiders before rolling them out more broadly to all Windows 11 users in the coming weeks or months.
