Microsoft Starts Testing Windows Copilot With Dev Channel Insiders

Windows Copilot, the new AI-powered assistant for Windows 11 that Microsoft first introduced at its Build developer conference last month is now available for select Insiders. The first Windows Copilot preview is available in now the just-released Windows 11 Insider build 23493 for Dev Channel testers, though Microsoft said it will be a “controlled feature rollout.”

“This first preview focuses on our integrated UI experience, with additional functionality coming down the road in future previews,” the Windows Insider team said today. Windows Copilot will require Microsoft Edge version 115.0.1901.150 or higher (the Stable channel is still on version 114), and the AI assistant supports signing in with a personal Microsoft account or Azure AD account.

Windows Copilot has its own taskbar shortcut, but it can also be launched by pressing Win + C. Once it’s opened, it will appear as a sidebar docked to the right side of the screen.

In this first preview, Insiders can use Windows Copilot to access Microsoft’s Bing chatbot. The Windows Insider team noted that testers may “see inline recommendations we think are relevant through ads in Bing.”

Windows Copilot can also be used to change Windows settings, take a screenshot, or create content (just like the Bing chatbot). Again, this is just a first preview and Microsoft is planning to add more advanced features in the future. “We’ll have more to come including expanding the preview to more Windows Insiders in other channels over time and adding policies to allow IT admins to manage this experience in their organizations,” the Windows Insider team said today.

In addition to this first Windows Copilot preview, today’s build 23493 also brings the following new features:

New Settings homepage: The new homepage features up to seven interactive cards displaying recommended settings, personalization options, Bluetooth devices, and more. This new experience will only roll out to a subset of Insiders.

Restore for more apps: After doing a backup either via the new Windows Backup app or the Windows Backup in Settings, Insiders can test restoring a PC running today’s build and see pins for their desktop app restored on the taskbar and Start Menu.

Native support for more archive formats: As promised at Build 2023, Windows 11 is getting native support for .rar, .tar, .tar.gz, .7z, and other archive file formats.

Enhanced volume mixer into Quick Settings: The new experience lets users quickly control the volume for individual apps, change output devices, and turn spatial audio on and off.

Suggestions in Snap Layouts: When hovering over the Minimize or Maximize button on an app to launch the layout box, Insiders will see recommended layout options for their apps. This experience is only rolling out to a subset of Insiders.

That’s it for the main new features in the Windows 11 Insider build 23493. If you’re on the Beta channel, Microsoft also released the builds 22621.1972 and 22631.1972 today, though the changes are pretty minor.

It’s quite surprising to see Windows Copilot land first in the Dev Channel instead of the Canary channel, though the latter is presumably being used to test under-the-hood changes in preparation for Windows 12. If did say that the Windows Copilot preview will expand to other Insider channels over time, the fact that it’s not available for anyone who wants to test today it is likely going to be frustrating for early enthusiasts.