Microsoft is introducing several new features and improvements to its Copilot AI companion for Windows 11 users. These updates aim to enhance productivity, creativity, and accessibility.
New Plugins for Copilot
Microsoft is introducing plugins that allow Copilot to integrate with popular apps and services, such as OpenTable, Shopify, Kayak, Instacart, and Klarna. With these plugins, users can perform tasks like making dinner reservations, creating shopping lists, and booking travel arrangements directly through Copilot.
New Skills for Copilot
Copilot is gaining new skills to help users manage their PC settings and access tools and information more efficiently. These skills include:
- Enabling or disabling battery saver mode
- Displaying device, system, and battery information
- Opening storage settings
- Launching accessibility features like live captions, narrator, screen magnifier, voice access, and voice input
- Checking available Wi-Fi networks, IP addresses, and storage space
- Emptying the recycle bin
Creativity App Updates
Microsoft is rolling out two updates to enhance creativity:
- Generative Erase in the Photos app: Users can select and remove unwanted objects or imperfections from their images using this feature.
- Clipchamp silence removal preview: This update allows users to remove gaps and silence from the audio tracks of their videos easily.
Accessibility Improvements
Microsoft is introducing new accessibility features:
- Voice Shortcuts: Users can create custom voice commands to accomplish tasks like pasting text, pressing keyboard keys, opening files or URLs, and more.
- Multi-Display Support: Voice commands can now be used across connected displays, making it easier to navigate between monitors or move files and apps.
Additional Windows 11 Updates
Microsoft is also bringing other improvements to Windows 11, including:
- Enhanced phone integration: Users can access recent photos from their Android devices on their PCs and use their phones as webcams for video conferencing apps.
- Intelligent Snap suggestions: Windows 11 will provide personalized layout suggestions to help users organize open apps more efficiently.
- Improved Widgets: Users can create focused boards and organize Widgets into distinct categories for work or personal use.
- Expanded Windows Ink support: Windows Ink now supports more apps and languages, including Photos, Paint, WhatsApp, and Messenger.
- Expanded file sharing options: Users can share content with more third-party apps like WhatsApp, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.
Enterprise Updates
For enterprise customers, Microsoft is unifying the Windows Update for Business deployment service with Autopatch into a single update management solution called Windows Autopatch. This solution will leverage AI to manage updates for Windows PCs, Microsoft 365 applications, Microsoft Edge, and Teams while reducing productivity impact.
Availability
Many of these new features and updates will start rolling out today through Windows Update and Microsoft Store app updates. Microsoft plans to gradually release these features to eligible Windows 11 devices running versions 22H2 and 23H2 over the coming weeks, with broad availability expected by the April 2024 security update release.
Are you interested in getting a new Windows 11 PC or upgrading your existing one?
We Deliver Nationwide
