Microsoft says you can now test Windows Copilot

Microsoft said Thursday that it has begun shipping its AI-powered Windows Copilot in a test build for Windows, along with a revised Settings menu that uses a card-based dashboard to allow users to make quick adjustments without needing to dive deeper.

Microsoft said it will ship Windows 11 Insider Build 23493 for the Dev Channel today, squeaking under its self-imposed deadline to ship Copilot by the end of June. Microsoft has said before that builds shipped into the Dev Channel may not ever see the light of day, but Copilot is almost certainly an exception.

Microsoft’s latest build is a fairly major one, even excluding Copilot. The Settings revamp continues the work Microsoft has done to streamline how Settings displays information and allows users to control various aspects of their PC. The build also extends Microsoft’s Restore features for setting up new PCs, enhances the volume mixer, and even takes Snap Layouts a bit further by offering suggestions on how app windows should fit together.

Windows Copilot is here

The headline feature, of course, is Windows Copilot, which Microsoft announced at the end of June. Part ChatGPT, part a Windows version of Siri or Google Assistant, Windows Copilot is designed to both answer questions as an AI as well as control your system without the need to dig through settings menus or control options.

However, some of our Windows Copilot predictions have come true, while others haven’t. Microsoft also isn’t adding everything it showed off at Build, including automatic transcription of uploaded files. “Please note that not everything shown at Build is part of this early preview,” Microsoft says.

To access Copilot, you’ll need to access the small button on the taskbar to the right of the search box — and a Microsoft account, too, if you’re not already signed in. That will open up Copilot in a right-hand sidebar, which will slide out and back when not in use.

Here are some suggested queries, via Microsoft:

• “Turn on do not disturb.”
• “Change to dark mode.”
• “Take a screenshot”
• “Summarize this website” (Active tab in Microsoft Edge)
• “Write a story about a dog who lives on the moon.”
• “Make me a picture of a serene koi fishpond with lily pads.”

Microsoft warns that Copilot may generate ads, via Bing. If you hate them, click the small ellipsis menu and let Microsoft know via its feedback tool.

Settings gets a major update

Just as intriguing as Copilot are the changes Microsoft is making to the Settings menu. When you open Settings, you’ll see a new home page that offers a personalized experience, Microsoft says.

The new experience is organized in cards: up to seven of them, currently. You’ll see cards to change your background, summaries of your available OneDrive storage, and more. Here’s a list, according to Microsoft:

• Recommended settings: This card adapts to your specific usage patterns, providing timely and
  relevant settings options.
• Cloud storage: Gives you an overview of your cloud storage use.
• Account recovery: Add additional recovery info so you never get locked out of your account.
• Personalization: One-click access to update your background theme or change your color mode.
• Microsoft 365: Provides a quick glimpse of your subscription status and benefits, along with quick actions.
• Xbox: Manage your subscription.
• Bluetooth Devices: Bluetooth device management.

Suggested Snap Layouts arrive

Snap has been one of the best additions to Windows since its launch of Windows 10. While you can snap a window to pretty much anywhere you want on a screen, Snap Layouts is the complement that intelligently reorganizes the remaining windows to fit the available space. That’s been somewhat of a manual process until now.

With this new build, Microsoft is testing out Windows’ ability to reorganize the remaining windows in such a way that they’ll flow more naturally. This is a test run, so you might not agree. But the suggested Snap Layouts will now show the organization of the windows, and which apps will end up where. Unfortunately, this is a case where not all recipients of the build will see this feature, as Microsoft sometimes does.

A new volume mixer

Microsoft is adding an updated Volume Mixer that allows you to control the volume device settings on a per-app basis — in other words, if you want music from a web app to flow through your headphones, but a Teams conference to play through your desktop speakers, you can do that. Microsoft has also set up a new Windows + CTRL + V shortcut to trigger the new mixer.

Restore apps

In May, Microsoft said that it would make transitioning to a new PC easier by improving the way apps are ported and restored to a new PC. You’ll now see even more apps “restored” on your Taskbar and desktop, though “launching” them will kick off the download process from the web or from the Windows Store.

Other stuff

Microsoft says that it’s increased the number of file types that can be previewed within File Explorer, now including .tar, .rar, and .tgz files, plus more. Narrator also includes support for “Great British” accents, which we assume is just a generic form of the English accent.

What we don’t know, of course, is when Copilot and the rest of these features will end up in stable builds. If Microsoft still holds to its traditional timetable, however, you should expect to see these features in the stable builds of Windows sometime in September and October.

Author: Mark Hachman, Senior Editor