Copilot+ PCs are in a strange spot right now. The best Copilot+ PCs are easy to recommend due to their hardware, design, and performance, but the Copilot+ PC platform has not taken off. In other words, many people purchase and enjoy devices that happen to be Copilot+ PCs rather than specifically shopping for a computer that’s a Copilot+ PC. That could change, however, with the rollout of a new feature that’s exclusive to Copilot+ PCs.
A recent Dev Channel Insider build of Windows 11 includes support for the new-and-improved Windows Search. That feature uses AI to make it easier to find files. Through the improved Windows Search, you can search using natural language and your PC will find the file for you. The use of AI, which can run locally on Copilot+ PCs, makes it so you don’t have to remember file names.
Up to this point, Copilot+ PCs have lacked a killer feature that’s exclusive to the platform. Windows has some built-in capabilities that take advantage of NPUs and that are exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, but few consider them must-have features. For example, Windows Studio Effects are nice, but I don’t see someone purchasing a PC just to get them. While controversial, Windows Recall could turn some heads and drive sales, but the feature has been delayed several times.
Additionally, the Copilot+ PC branding is confusing to many, and that’s not helped by the fact that Microsoft is attaching the Copilot name to everything these days. AI PCs and Copilot+ PCs are not the same thing, which means people have to do more research before buying a computer with the goal of using AI. The fact that all Copilot+ PCs ran Windows 11 on Arm for several months also creates confusion.
I covered the complexity of the Copilot+ PC launch late last year and shared some predictions for 2025. If Microsoft can ship some exclusive Copilot+ PC features this year, the tech giant may be able to get people to think about the platform rather than buying a Copilot+ PC by accident. An improved Windows Search could be the first must-have feature for Copilot+ PCs.
Microsoft outlines the new Copilot+ PC experiences in a recent blog post:
New Copilot+ PC experiences
Improved Windows Search
We are making finding your documents, photos, and settings across Windows 11 easier on Copilot+ PCs by introducing semantic indexing along with traditional indexing. Whether it’s searching in File Explorer, in the Windows search box on your taskbar, or in Settings – just type what’s on your mind to find it on your Copilot+ PC. You no longer need to remember file names, exact words in file content, or settings names. For example, you can use your own words to find images by typing “bridge at sunset”, documents by describing what they are about like “Europe trip budget”, or settings like “change my theme”. Thanks to the power of the 40+ TOPS NPU onboard Copilot+ PCs, these search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet.
Today, searching for files on your Copilot+ PC with improved Windows Search will only work for files saved locally in indexed locations on your PC. You can go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows to adjust which locations are indexed on your PC or turn on “Enhanced” to index your entire PC. In a future flight, we will support searching for documents and photos stored in cloud storage providers such as OneDrive.
Searching for settings like “change my theme” will work within the Settings app for now. In a future flight, you will be able to do this within the Windows search box on the taskbar.
These improved Windows Search experiences will gradually roll out to Windows Insiders on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon. These experiences are supported in select languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish) and document formats. Supported file formats include .txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx for documents and .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico for images.
New text action for Click to Do (Preview)
You’ll see a new text action for Click to Do available on Copilot+ PCs called Refine. To try this out, press Win + Click directly on a block of text or press Win + Q and then navigate to the text you’d like to proofread and refine. When you open the menu, the new action will be under Rewrite > Refine.
