10 Ways to Use Copilot in Windows 11

Copilot in Windows 11 (formerly Bing Chat) is now a taskbar AI assistant. It can help with everyday tasks on your PC and in the Edge browser. This article shows you some tips and tricks for using Copilot in Windows 11.

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Use the Keyboard Shortcut to Launch Copilot

Microsoft Copilot Sidebar overlay on Windows 11

The quickest way to launch Copilot is by using the keyboard shortcut. Press Win + C to open a sidebar overlay on the right side of your screen.

Toggle the Show as overlay button on the sidebar to keep it side by side. The Show side by side mode doesn't overlap your active window, allowing you to work more freely.

To hide the overlay sidebar, press the Win + C shortcut again.

Note

Copilot works better when you are signed into Windows with a Microsoft account.

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Command Copilot With Your Voice

Using the voice input to chat with Copilot

There's no method to activate the Copilot sidebar with your voice yet (unlike other voice assistants), but you can speak to Copilot, as it's a natural language AI.

Select the microphone icon and start a conversation even as you continue working on any other app alongside the chatbot sidebar. Copilot will respond in both text and a natural human voice.

Note

Microsoft says it doesn't store voice inputs; instead, it relies on the online speech service to convert voice to text in the background.

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Don't Ignore the Follow Up Questions

Related questions below Copilot's main answer

Copilot will suggest a few related questions below the first answer. These can be breadcrumbs for deeper dives into a topic. Also, Copilot supports its answer with links that you can follow to check the accuracy of its answers.

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Change Settings in Windows 11

Open Windows settings or applications with Copilot commands

You can manage some Windows 11 settings from Copilot. The number of commands is limited, though Microsoft will likely expand on them and let you create different routines. Pair Windows settings prompts with voice, and you have more accessibility options.

For instance, you can tell Copilot to launch an application like Microsoft Word. or open File Explorer. Copilot will ask you to confirm the action with a dialog box.

Tip

If you know your way around Windows, it's faster to do these tasks directly. But for others, it can be slightly useful. For instance, if you tell Copilot about a specific Windows problem, it can open a troubleshooter screen for you.

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Choose a Conversation Style

The right conversation style can change how Copilot perceives your prompt and the answer it gives. Choose from the three: More Creative, More Balanced, and More Precise. The chatbot defaults to "More Balanced" for all queries. Pick from the other two to force Copilot to choose other algorithms.

The chatbot's response will differ for each style, but you can choose any on the fly to see which answer best fits your needs.

For instance, try the More Creative style when you ask Copilot to draw a picture or write a song. Don't stop there; play around with the other two styles, too.

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Use Microsoft Edge for the Best Copilot Experience

Copilot is part of Edge. So, if you spend a lot of time in a browser, consider using the integrated AI chatbot.

Select the Open in Microsoft Edge icon on the sidebar to open a running prompt in Copilot in Edge from Windows. Alternatively, select the Copilot icon in Edge or the Bing search engine.

Microsoft Edge offers more distinct features like the four Copilot GPTs, the Copilot Notebook, Insights, and the Compose tab. For instance,

Use the Copilot Notebook for more complex queries and tasks, such as a detailed email or a project proposal. Type and edit your prompts on the left till you get a polished result on the right pane. The Notebook supports text inputs up to 18,000 characters.
Compose is a custom AI text generator that includes built-in format, tone, and length options to help you draft emails, blog posts, and other content in a style of your choice.
Insights isn't AI-powered, but it can show you trending searches as a starting point for research.

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Activate the Plugins for Extra Services

Select Plugins at the top-right. You can choose up to three at a time, like Instacart for grocery shopping or Kayak for travel information (Search is enabled by default). Ask your questions, and Copilot will use them to find what you need.

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Summarize an Online Article

Summarize articles and documents with Copilot

When you just want the key points from a long article, ask Copilot to summarize it for you. After you get the gist, you can also ask questions about the content.

Open the article in Edge and start a new chat in the Copilot sidebar.
Select Summarize the page in Microsoft Edge. Optionally, choose a conversation style.
The option to read content from an active Edge tab is enabled by default in the Settings. You can choose to toggle this off for privacy from Settings > Allow Copilot to read context clues from Microsoft Edge.

Note

Summarization is supported for public websites, PDFs, Outlook Web App, and intranet sites on SharePoint.

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Use Copilot for Analyzing Images and Screenshots

Copilot in Edge and Windows can analyze uploaded images and screenshots. Both the Windows sidebar and Edge use the in-built screenshot tool. After selecting a part of the screen and confirming, it appears in the Copilot chat box for you to ask follow-up questions about it.

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Use GPTs for Specific Tasks

With the right prompt, the Copilot chat is powerful. But it also offers four GPTs (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) in Microsoft Edge which are custom tools for specific tasks.

You can save time with Designer, Vacation planner, Cooking assistant, and Fitness trainer, as they are made for prompts related to these tasks.

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