Copilot on Windows App Adds Semantic File Search and New Homepage for Insiders

Microsoft has started testing semantic search and a new homepage on its Copilot app on Windows. On Copilot+ PCs, semantic file search will let Insiders find documents and images using natural language prompts.

This new feature is similar to the new AI-powered Windows Search experience that Microsoft enabled on Copilot+ PCs earlier this year. However, the Copilot on Windows app does have a permission system allowing users to choose what the chatbot can access or read.

The new Copilot app update that’s rolling out to all Insiders today also introduces a new homepage that will put recent apps, files, and conversations front and center. The app will show recent files used by apps like Word or Photos and other files appearing in the “Recent” Windows folder.

“These are local files stored on your computer, and Copilot doesn’t scan your entire system or upload anything automatically,” the Windows Insider team emphasized. “If you choose to attach a file and send it to Copilot, that action gives Copilot permission to process it — nothing is shared unless you explicitly do so.

This new homepage and semantic search experience in the Copilot app will be rolling out gradually to Insiders across all channels. In other Insider-related news, Microsoft also dropped the Windows 11 Canary build 27928 today, and the new bits move more time and language settings from the legacy Control Panel to the new Settings app.