Windows Copilot currently has little to offer, but this could change soon. Microsoft is adding a new feature that lets you capture the screen and ask the AI to explain it. This new feature, called “Add a screenshot,” is rolling out to the general public, but it may not show up for everyone.
The new “add a screenshot” button in the Copilot panel lets you capture the screen and directly upload it to the Copilot or Bing panel. When the screenshot is uploaded to Copilot on Windows 11, you can ask Bing Chat to discuss it. You can ask anything related to the screenshot.
This is similar to the existing image upload feature in copilot.microsoft.com or Bing.com’s chat, but the integration is more optimised for screenshots. In the below example, we asked Copilot to explain a screenshot of Recycle Bin, and it quickly offered a short description:
This is an image of the Recycle Bin icon on a computer desktop. The Recycle Bin is a feature of the Windows operating system that allows users to store deleted files and folders temporarily before permanently erasing them.
Since Microsoft Edge powers Copilot, its screenshot feature also allows you to draw over the screenshot or add specific instructions that Copilot can see.
If you can access ChatGPT-4 Turbo, which is rolling out to select people, you can even ask Windows Copilot to explain emotions, including those depicted in abstract pictures. This is available to select users only, picked up randomly, but Microsoft plans to expand the rollout in the coming weeks.
Copilot is the next big thing for Windows 11
Microsoft emphasises Copilot as a central feature across its products, including Office and Windows.
Later in 2024, Microsoft will add a dedicated Copilot button to Windows hardware as part of its efforts to “simplify people’s computing experience”.
Microsoft wants Copilot everywhere. This shouldn’t be a secret to anyone, and we have also highlighted it in our previous reports. In a blog post, Microsoft recently confirmed its plans to add a Copilot key to the Windows keyboard. On older hardware, you can access Copilot with Win+C keyboard shortcut.
Microsoft is marketing the change as the most significant upgrade to the Windows keyboard in nearly three decades and is comparing it with the introduction of the Windows Start key.
“Copilot will be the entry point into the world of AI on the PC,” Microsoft said, and it confirmed that new-generation hardware will ship with the Copilot key.