Microsoft Announces New Features for Copilot+ PCs and Windows 11

Microsoft has announced several new features that will soon be coming to Copilot+ PCs. Over the next month, these new Copilot+ PC experiences will begin rolling out to users enrolled in the Windows Insider program.

First off, Microsoft will introduce support for an AI agent in Settings on Copilot+ PCs. This new feature will allow users to find and directly change settings or troubleshoot their PCs with natural language commands. This agent will leverage on-device AI to understand users’ intent as well as automate and execute tasks.

“With this update to Settings, you will be able to simply describe what you need help with like, “how to control my PC by voice” or “my mouse pointer is too small” and the agent will recommend the right steps you can take to address the issue. With your permission and at your initiation, it can even complete the actions to change your settings on your behalf,” explained Navjot Virk, CVP of Windows Experiences.

Microsoft plans to roll out this new feature to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD- and Intel-powered devices coming soon. Keep in mind that this feature will initially support English language inputs on Copilot+ PCs.

New Click to Do actions and improved Windows Search

The Click to Do feature allows users to take quick actions on any text and images on their screens, such as rewriting text, launching editing apps, performing web searches, and more. Microsoft plans to enhance the Click to Do feature with more actions on Copilot+PCs. For instance, users will be able to use Click to Do to create a bulleted list from selected text, draft content in Word, schedule a meeting, or start a chat in Microsoft Teams.

Currently, several new Click to Do actions (such as Ask Copilot, Practice in Reading Coach, and Read with Immersive Reader) are available to Windows Insiders using Copilot+ PCs. Additional features, including schedule a meeting with Teams, send a message with Teams, ask M365 Copilot, convert to table with Excel, and draft with Copilot in Word, will become available in the next few weeks.

Later this month, Microsoft will introduce a new Windows Search experience that will allow users to find Windows settings and quickly install apps from the Microsoft Store. The Photos app is also getting the new search experience to help users quickly find specific pictures stored on their PCs.

Updates for Photos, Paint & Snipping Tool

Microsoft has also announced several new capabilities for Photos, Paint, and Snipping Tool. The new Perfect Screenshot tool automatically selects the most important part of the screen when users take a screenshot. Microsoft is also adding two new capture tools to the Snipping Tool on Copilot+ PCs. With the text extractor feature, users can extract and copy text directly from images and screenshots. The color picker tool lets users capture exact color values from any section on the screen.

The new Photos relight feature adds dynamic lighting controls to images on Copilot+ PCs. Moreover, Object Select in Paint uses AI to automatically detect and isolate elements on the canvas, which makes it easier to edit, move, or enhance specific parts of an image. The sticker generator also enables customers to use natural language commands for creating custom digital stickers.

Microsoft has also made several enhancements to the underlying diffusion-based model, which is used in image creator and restyle image in Photos, as well as Cocreator and generative fill in Paint. The company has also rolled out some new accessibility features to improve speech and screen-reading capabilities on Copilot+ PCs. The Narrator tool now offers rich image descriptions that provide detailed context for visuals such as charts, photos, and UI elements. This feature is currently only available for Snapdragon X-powered Copilot+ PCs.

A redesigned Start menu and other new features coming to Windows 11

Last but not least, Microsoft highlighted new AI capabilities coming to Windows 11. The company is revamping the Start menu with a new phone companion integration that will allow users to quickly access recent contacts, messages, calls, battery level, and more on synced Android and iOS devices. Moreover, AI actions in File Explorer let users right-click files to quickly perform tasks like summarizing or editing using tools in apps (such as Paint, Photos, and Microsoft 365 Copilot).

Microsoft is also updating the Notepad app with new features that make it easier to generate, organize, and format content in Windows 11. The Copilot Vision feature will soon become generally available for customers based in the U.S. This AI-powered feature lets users share any browser or app window with Copilot, which then analyzes the on-screen content to provide helpful insights, summaries, and suggestions. Microsoft has also started testing a new feature that will allow users to invoke Copilot with the “Hey, Copilot!” command.

The AI Hub in the Microsoft Store is getting several upgrades, including personalized recommendations in the refreshed home section. The Copilot AI assistant is now integrated into the Microsoft Store to help users discover apps more easily, and new badges will highlight apps designed specifically for Copilot+ PCs.

In related news, Microsoft has announced new Surface Copilot+ PCs powered by new Snapdragon X Plus processors. The new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro will start shipping in select markets on May 20, and you can find more details in our separate post.