with "Hey Copilot" on Windows 11 into an AI-Powered Machine: The Future of Interaction and Efficiency

Today, we are witnessing an exciting leap forward with a new wave of updates designed to turn every Windows 11 personal computer into an AI-powered machine, placing Copilot at the core of this experience. Our goal is to make the most powerful AI accessible to everyone by deeply embedding it into the daily Windows experiences people use.

When considering what defines an AI-powered PC, it must be capable of achieving three fundamental things:

• ✨ First, it must allow you to interact with it naturally, using either text or voice, and it must understand you.
• ✨ Second, it must be able to see what you see and offer you guided support.
• ✨ Third, it must be able to take actions on your behalf, with your permission, and always grounded in the security and reliability of Windows 11.

We believe this shift toward conversational input will be as transformative as the mouse and keyboard were in unlocking new capabilities for the broadest range of users on personal computers.

Until now, the power of AI has often been constrained by your skill in writing commands (prompting). The more context and detail you provide, the richer the response you receive. However, typing can be tedious and time-consuming, especially if it requires multiple attempts to get the right outcome. With 68% of consumers reporting they use AI to support their decisions, voice inherently simplifies this process.

The magic unlock provided by the "Copilot Voice" and "Copilot Vision" features is the ease of interaction. With the new wake word, "Hey Copilot," accomplishing tasks becomes as simple as asking. With your consent, Copilot Vision can analyze what’s on your screen to help you learn new applications, get recommendations for a project, or guide you on how to perform something. Since its initial launch, early Copilot Vision users have inspired us with their creative use cases, from troubleshooting settings to getting step-by-step guidance, and even learning complex editing tools.

This power is available to every Windows 11 device where Copilot is available. Let's dive into what's new.

Just Ask, with "Hey Copilot" on Windows 11

People already talk to their PCs every day for dictation, note-taking, transcription, and searching, and with important accessibility features like Voice Access and voice typing. Now, your PC can understand you. We observe that when people use voice, they interact with Copilot twice as often as when they use text. This ease of use leads to deeper engagement within Copilot.

The new wake and farewell phrases make usage easier, and they are generally available now for Windows 11 PCs. This optional feature gives people a new way to easily start a conversation with Copilot Voice, anytime the feature is enabled.

To get started, enable "Hey Copilot" in your Copilot app settings, then ask a question starting with "Hey Copilot...". You will see Copilot's microphone appear on your screen, accompanied by a chime indicating Copilot is listening.

To end the conversation, you can say "Goodbye," click the 'X', or Copilot will automatically end the conversation after a few seconds of no interaction. You will hear a chime confirming the conversation has ended.

Copilot Vision on Windows Now Available Worldwide

We are also making Copilot Vision available in all markets where Copilot is available. This includes:

• ✨ Full Desktop and App Sharing: When sharing your desktop or apps, Copilot can help analyze the content, offer insights, answer your questions, and guide you verbally through the process. Get tips to enhance your creative project, assistance in refining your resume, or guidance while navigating a new game.
• ✨ Highlights: With Highlights, you can ask Copilot "Show me how" for a specific task, and it will show you right within the app where to click and what to do. Generally, Copilot can be by your side offering tips while you play a game, review your photos and tell you how to improve the lighting to make it perfect, or review your travel itinerary to tell you if your packing is sufficient based on your destination.
• ✨ Full App Context in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint: When sharing Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, Vision can see beyond what is visible on your screen. For example, if you ask Copilot to help review a PowerPoint presentation, it can analyze the entire presentation without needing to scroll through every slide.
• ✨ Text-to-Text Outside of Conversation: Coming soon for Windows Insider participants, we are also enabling the ability to converse with Copilot Vision using text, with Copilot responding textually within the chat window itself. Previously, you could only use Vision verbally, with Copilot guiding you through it out loud. So, whether you forgot your headphones or prefer interacting via text, Vision will soon be able to support you via whichever scenario best suits you.

Bringing Deeper, Richer Experiences to Windows 11, Coming Soon to Windows Insiders and Copilot Labs

The energy and enthusiasm from the Windows Insider community have helped shape the future of Windows for over a decade. Now, alongside Copilot Labs, we are bringing more experimental and interactive AI features to Windows Insiders.

To ensure we deliver an experience our customers truly love, we will begin previewing the following experiences in the Windows Insider Program where your feedback will guide us as we refine and develop these experiences.

Integrating Copilot into Your Workflow with a Reimagined Taskbar Experience

With the new "Ask Copilot" feature on the taskbar, Copilot becomes a natural part of how you use your PC, ready to assist, guide, and collaborate the moment you need it.

Our vision is simple yet bold: to make the taskbar a dynamic hub that helps you accomplish more with less effort, transforming everyday interactions into moments of productivity and delight. This opt-in experience provides one-click access to Copilot Vision and Voice, enabling more natural interaction within your workflow. By leveraging voice, text, and guided support via Copilot Vision, you can engage Copilot on your terms, in the way that works best for you.

In addition to lightning-fast search results with a refreshed design, the new streamlined search experience makes finding apps, files, and settings faster and easier, with results appearing and updating instantly as you type. This experience leverages existing Windows APIs to return your apps, files, and settings, just like the Windows Search experience, and does not give Copilot access to your content.

Previewing Copilot Actions for Local Files in Copilot Labs

In May, we announced Copilot Actions on the Web – allowing Copilot to take real actions on your behalf, like booking a table at your favorite restaurant or ordering groceries.

Coming soon to Copilot Labs for Windows Insiders, we are previewing an experimental capability for Copilot Actions to expand beyond the browser to take direct actions on local files in Windows.

Whether you need a hand sorting through your last vacation photos or need to extract information from a PDF, Copilot Actions can do the heavy lifting for you based on the context of what’s on your PC.

As a general-purpose agent—simply describe the task you want to complete in your own words, and the agent will attempt to complete it by interacting with desktop and web applications.

As this happens, you can choose to focus on other tasks. At any time, you can take over the task or check the progress of the action, including reviewing the actions that have been taken.

We will begin with a limited set of use cases as we refine model performance and learn. You might see the agent make mistakes or encounter challenges with complex interfaces, which is why real-world testing of this experience is crucial to help us apply the lessons to make this experience more capable and seamless.

Bringing More Functionality to Copilot on Windows, with Copilot Connectors, Easy Document Creation, and Windows Settings Integration

Copilot Connectors, now available to Windows Insiders, allow you to connect your favorite services like OneDrive files, Outlook contacts and emails, and calendar events, plus Google services including Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Contacts, directly to the Copilot app on Windows.

Once you choose to connect a service, Copilot can find and understand your personal content using your own words, making it easier to find and recall details across the personal content connected to you across multiple platforms. For example, you can ask:

• ✨ "Find the details of the dentist appointment" to instantly bring up calendar entries.
• ✨ "What is Mary’s email address?" to retrieve contact information without needing to search your inbox.
• ✨ "Find my worksheet from Economics 101" so Copilot can search across OneDrive and present the most relevant document in seconds.

You can now also ask Copilot to export your text output to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, making it easier to immediately start on projects. For example, if you ask Copilot for help with schoolwork, you can export the results directly to a formatted document, spreadsheet, or presentation of your choice.

Finally, we are also adding integration for Copilot on Windows with Windows Settings. Simply ask Copilot a question about your Windows PC’s settings in your own words, and it will provide a direct link to the relevant Windows Settings page. So you can now give prompts like: "Make my screen easier to read" or "Help me focus by reducing distractions," and Copilot will guide you to the relevant Windows Settings page.

Introducing Deeper, More Powerful AI Actions So You Can Stay In Your Flow

We are excited to introduce more ways to get tasks done with greater ease through new AI Actions in Windows.

Manus is a general AI agent that can take on diverse tasks on your PC. Through the new Manus AI Action in File Explorer, you can get help with complex tasks like building a website using documents in your local folder with just one click. Simply select the document, right-click, and choose "Create website with Manus," and Manus will build a website for you in minutes – no uploading, no coding.

Manus is also available as a native app on Windows. You can get the same AI-powered assistance to create a website directly from the chat window without leaving your session. Just type in the Manus app, "Please use the image files on my device and create a great-looking, professional website."

Manus leverages the agentic platform capabilities available on Windows, such as the Model Context Protocol, to fetch the correct document and build a website for you in minutes—no manual uploading of your images, no multiple clicks! You stay in your session or move on to another task while Manus works securely in the background to help you accomplish your task. This experience is in private preview, and we will share additional updates soon. For more on the security of experiences using the Model Context Protocol, see: Securing the Model Context Protocol: Building a Safer Agentic Future on Windows.

We are also introducing another new AI Action in File Explorer for editing with Filmora, allowing you to jump straight into video editing with ease and fluidity.

Finally, for Windows Insiders who own Copilot+ PCs, we are integrating Zoom with "Click to Do."

Soon, you can schedule a Zoom meeting instantly by invoking "Click to Do" and simply hovering over an email address visible on your screen—no switching apps, no copying details, no interruptions. This keeps you in your workflow and allows you to take action right where you are.

Copilot for Gaming (Experimental) and the ROG Xbox Ally, Xbox and Windows Deliver AI-Powered Gaming On-The-Go

Now, let’s talk gaming. Xbox and Windows are collaborating more closely than ever to launch new ways to play.

Gamers can now experience Xbox and Windows with Copilot in a brand-new way with the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X, the two handheld gaming PCs developed in partnership with ASUS.

In addition to being able to quickly access games from Xbox, Game Pass, and installed games from other leading PC stores, all in one place—you can talk to Copilot.

With the press of a button, you can access your personal gaming companion—the Gaming Copilot. Long press the Library button to start a conversation with Gaming Copilot for recommendations, assistance, and more, without ever leaving your game.

Securing AI on Windows 11

Security is the foundation of everything we do in Windows, aligning with Microsoft's Secure Future Initiative. Windows 11 is the most secure operating system we have ever built—by design and by default—with multiple layers of defense enabled to protect you from the moment you power on your PC.

Security is not just a box to check; it is an ongoing commitment. As we introduce powerful new agentic experiences on Windows, we are committed to evolving our preventative controls to protect your privacy and security.

Here are three security commitments we are making as we add Copilot Actions—another step in the agentic journey on Windows:

• ✨ You are always in control of what Copilot Actions can do. Copilot Actions are turned off by default, and you can pause, take over, or disable them at any time.
• ✨ You will have visibility into what Copilot Actions are doing. You can monitor its progress and stay informed at every step. If a sensitive or critical decision is involved, it might ask for your approval of the specific action, keeping you in the driver’s seat.
• ✨ We introduce it responsibly. In addition to extensive internal testing, a critical aspect of developing secure experiences is rolling them out responsibly, starting with previews and gathering feedback to refine our security and privacy controls.

For more information, see Securing AI Agents on Windows.

Windows is committed to being the best and most secure platform for agentic experiences. We look forward to sharing more about security for agents on Windows, including enterprise controls, at Microsoft Ignite next month.

There Has Never Been a Better Time to Upgrade to a Windows 11 PC

As support for Windows 10 PCs comes to an end, millions are upgrading to new, faster, and more secure Windows PCs designed for the future. Upgrading ensures you stay protected and ready to take full advantage of the latest innovations in Windows 11. And now, these upgrades come with something even more powerful: AI ready to assist, right out of the box.

We want everyone moving to the new system to experience what it means to own a PC that is not just a tool, but a true partner, and these experiences are available on any Windows 11 PC.

If you are looking for a new PC, there is a fantastic lineup of Windows 11 PCs available today, offering options and value at different price points from Surface and our ecosystem partners. For the fastest and most secure experiences, look for a Copilot+ PC which comes with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) capable of more powerful AI experiences.

• ✨ Acer Aspire 14 AI PC: Designed for simplicity, this is the perfect device for those who need performance and portability combined. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processor and equipped with integrated Intel® Arc™ graphics, it delivers multi-day battery life in an incredibly sleek and modern design. Starting at $699.99 MSRP.

• ✨ ASUS Vivobook 16: A stylish and high-performance laptop designed for daily productivity and creativity. Featuring a 16-inch display, this Copilot+ PC model with an AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processor offers powerful performance, longer battery life, and ample storage for everything you need. Starting at $799.99 MSRP.
• ✨ Dell 14 Plus Laptop: A sleek, lightweight laptop powered by the AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processor. This Copilot+ PC is designed to run AI workloads locally while handling daily tasks with ease, making it the perfect multi-tasking PC on the go. Starting at $799.99 MSRP.
• ✨ HP Omnibook X Flip 16-inch 2-in-1 Laptop: This is the AI-enhanced evolution of the HP Envy, featuring a premium design built to adapt to your lifestyle. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processor, this lightweight Copilot+ PC delivers enhanced performance and unique AI experiences for freelancers, creators, and students. Starting at $1,199.99 MSRP.
• ✨ Lenovo Yoga 7 2-in-1 Copilot+ PC: Featuring a 360-degree convertible design, a responsive touchscreen, and the Yoga Pen makes taking notes, sketching ideas, or relaxing in your favorite mode easy. Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300 Series processors and the Lenovo AI Core chip, it delivers adaptive performance on a 16-inch IPS display. Starting at $749.99 MSRP.
• ✨ Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge 16: Available with the Snapdragon X Elite chip, it combines power and portability with up to 22 hours of video playback, super-fast charging, and a 16-inch 3K Dynamic AMOLED 2x display. Navigate effortlessly with intuitive touchscreen multi-gestures—perfect for work or play. Starting at $1,499.99 MSRP.
• ✨ Surface Copilot+ PCs: Powered by Snapdragon X chips, these offer robust performance, long battery life, and helpful AI features in a sleek design, giving you more options. The Surface Laptop, 13-inch starts at $799.99 MSRP and offers the longest battery life of any Surface device, with up to 23 hours of video playback and up to 16 hours of active web browsing. The Surface Pro, 12-inch starts at $799.99 MSRP and is the thinnest and lightest Copilot+ PC yet, featuring a flexible design and a built-in, adjustable kickstand.

You can explore the latest Windows 11 and Copilot+ PCs at our global retail partners, including Amazon, Best Buy, Boulanger, Costco, Currys, Elkjøp, Fnac, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, JD.com, MediaMarkt and SATURN, Officeworks, Sharaf DG and Walmart.

For business customers, distributors such as Bechtle, CDW, ComputaCenter, SCC, and others stand ready to support your upgrade path with scalable solutions.

Start using the latest Copilot features on Windows 11 via the update from the Microsoft Store.

For more on the latest features and enhancements to Windows, including upcoming optimizations for Copilot+ PC experiences, tools, security, and more, learn more here.

We can’t wait to see what you will create, discover, and accomplish with Windows and Copilot by your side.

What is the core feature offered by "Hey Copilot"?

The core feature is the ease of interaction via voice. Using the wake word "Hey Copilot" allows you to instantly initiate a conversation with the assistant without needing to type, significantly increasing the rate at which users engage with Copilot.

How does the "Copilot Vision" feature practically help users?

Copilot Vision assists users by analyzing what is displayed on the screen with their consent. It can provide step-by-step guided support within applications, offer tips on creative projects, or help navigate complex software interfaces.

What is new regarding the integration of personal services with Copilot via Connectors?

Windows Insiders can now connect their favorite services like OneDrive files, Outlook contacts and emails, and calendar events, plus Google services (Google Drive, Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Contacts) directly to the Copilot app. This allows it to understand your personal content and retrieve details across multiple platforms using your own words.

What is the significance of "Copilot Actions" for local files?

Copilot Actions for local files is an experimental capability that allows the AI agent to take direct actions on your locally stored files, such as sorting photos or extracting information from PDFs, without requiring detailed manual user intervention.

How does Microsoft ensure the security of the new agentic experiences on Windows 11?

Microsoft ensures security by keeping Copilot Actions off by default, providing the user full visibility into the actions the agent is taking, with the ability to pause, take over, or disable them at any time, in addition to rolling out features responsibly through previews to gather security feedback.

⚓🕳️✨ In conclusion, this evolution marks a significant transition toward making computing more natural and efficient, where the PC shifts from being a tool we operate to an intelligent partner capable of voice and visual interaction and executing complex tasks securely and reliably, placing Windows 11 at the forefront of the Agentic AI era of computing.