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Microsoft Puts Copilot in Windows 11 Taskbar, Starts Rollout of 'Hey Copilot' Voice Activation

The company says the new capabilities run on supported Windows 11 PCs without specialized AI hardware.

Overview

  • Voice Mode with the wake phrase "Hey Copilot" begins reaching millions of devices this week, with a mic indicator for listening and a "Goodbye" command to stop.
  • Copilot Vision lets the assistant analyze on‑screen content and Office files, with text input support expanding beyond voice and no NPU requirement.
  • AI Actions surface context options in File Explorer to search, summarize or edit items and can hook into third‑party tools, with availability varying by region.
  • Copilot Actions, an experimental on‑device agent that can perform multi‑step tasks on local files, enters testing in Copilot Labs with opt‑in controls and a contained, observable runtime.
  • New Connectors allow user‑authorized access to services such as OneDrive, Outlook, Google Drive, Gmail and Calendar to retrieve information and carry out tasks.