Window 11 Copilot: 10 Best tips and tricks

UPDATED 12/8/2023: On Windows 11 23H2 and starting with the update (KB5031455) for version 22H2, Microsoft made available the first preview of the Copilot feature, and in this guide, you will learn the best tips and tricks to get the most out of the chatbot.

Copilot (formerly “Windows Copilot”) is the new digital assistant experience that replaces Cortana and unleashes new functionalities, including the ability to interact with the chatbot using natural language to get complete answers to virtually any question and even change system settings. However, Copilot is only helpful if you know how to leverage its capabilities since the flyout panel only offers a search box with minimal help.

This guide will outline the best tips and tricks you can use with Copilot on Windows 11.

Copilot’s best tips and tricks to get started

Although Copilot is easy to use, in this guide, you will learn different tips and tricks to make the best out of the experience, from quickly invoking the chatbot with a simple keyboard shortcut to asking questions with voice, performing different actions, changing settings, restart the AI chatbot, to disable the feature on Windows 11 completely.

1. Remove the button from the Taskbar and use shortcut

On Windows 11, the “Windows key + C” keyboard shortcut opens the Copilot, allowing you to interact quickly with the chatbot, meaning that the Taskbar button isn’t necessary.

To remove the Copilot button from the Taskbar, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on Personalization.

3. Click the Taskbar tab.

4. Turn off the Copilot toggle switch to remote the button from the Taskbar.

   

Once you complete the steps, the Copilot button will no longer be available in the Taskbar, but you can still use the keyboard shortcut to access the feature.

2. Voice search with Copilot

In addition to using text, you can use your voice to ask questions or perform different actions.

To ask questions with your voice on Copilot, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Click the Microphone icon on the top-right.

   

3. Use your voice to compose a prompt.

After you complete the steps, the chatbot will process your voice to determine the query without sending any information to the Microsoft server for better privacy, and then you will get an answer. Also, since the prompt was made using your voice, Copilot will answer the question using text but also using voice (which sounds very similar to an actual human).

3. Change system settings on Windows 11

Since Copilot is basically Bing Chat with a deeper integration on Windows 11, it’s possible to perform additional tasks, such as changing system settings. Although you cannot ask the chatbot to edit the Registry or change the policies in the Group Policy Editor, you can perform basic tasks.

To change system settings on Windows 11 with Copilot, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Compose a prompt to change settings and press Enter. For example, “turn on Bluetooth,” or “enable dark mode.”

   

3. Click the Yes button (if applicable).

You can also ask to enable, disable, or modify other settings, and if the AI can’t perform the action, it’ll open the Settings app on the page that includes the settings you want to update.

4. Launch apps with Copilot

Copilot also works as an app launcher, making the trip to the Start menu unnecessary, and you can use text or voice.

To launch apps with Copilot, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Compose the query and press Enter: For example, “launch Word,” “open Microsoft Edge,” “start Onenote,” etc.

   

3. Click the Yes button (if applicable).

Once you complete the steps, the app will open automatically. You may have to confirm the prompt by clicking the “Yes” button.

5. Take screenshots with Copilot

On Windows 11, Copilot doesn’t perform a task automatically. Instead, it uses the available system tools, which are more useful for users who are not very familiar with the features available in the operating system.

To take a screenshot on Windows 11  with Copilot, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Compose the query and press Enter. For example, “take a screenshot.”

   

You can ask Copilot to take a screenshot, but it won’t take the screenshot for you. Instead, it’ll bring up the Snipping Tool app and the instructions to take the screenshot on Windows 11.

If you use your voice, the digital assistant will even use its voice to explain the steps, which can be more useful than reading the instructions.

6. Change to “more precise” style to use the latest GPT version

When using Copilot on Windows 11, you can change the conversation style to switch tones of the answers. However, you probably didn’t know that changing the conversation style also changes the version of the language model it uses to generate the answer. For instance, if you choose the “balanced” option, the chatbot may use an older version of ChatGPT to answer the question, and if you use the “precise” option, the chatbot may use the most up-to-date version of ChatGPT. This happens automatically, and there’s no way to confirm the version you’re using at that time, but the “precise” option is likely to use the most recent version.

To change the conversation style of Copilot on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Choose the conversation type. For instance, the default conversation style for the chatbot is “Balanced,” which allows the chatbot to respond more neutrally, meaning it will try not to take sides on a specific topic. However, you can change the tone to “Creative,” which will generate more playful and original responses, or “Precise,” to generate the most accurate response with more facts.

   

3. Compose the query and press Enter.

After you complete the steps, the chatbot will choose the version of ChatGPT that makes more sense to answer the query.

7. Generate AI images with text description

On Windows 11, the Copilot feature uses the DALL-E AI language model to generate images based on a text description. This is the same feature you can use on Bing Chat and on Microsoft Paint with the Cocreator feature.

To create images using AI with Copilot on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Compose a description of the image you want to create and press Enter.

3. Click the image to open the result on the web browser.

   

4. Click the Download button.

   

Once you complete the steps, the image will download to your computer as a 1024 x 1024-pixel “.jpg” file with a watermark indicating this is an AI-generated illustration.

When using this feature, the more specific you are with the description will help the AI service to produce a more accurate image. Image creation takes a little more time than regular answers. Once the service processed the query, you will receive four variants of the image.

8. Summarize website content without opening Bing Chat on Edge

One of the best tips when using Copilot is the ability to summarize website content, which can come in handy in many situations. For example, content summarization can help you consume more content quickly and better understand the topic by ignoring the clutter. You can use the summarization as a starting point for schoolwork. The ability to summarize online content can help you gather the information you need to complete a task at work.

To summarize the contents of a web page with Copilot, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot (Windows key + C) button on the Taskbar.

2. Open the web content with Microsoft Edge. Quick note: At the time of this writing, Copilot summarization only works with Microsoft Edge.

3. Compose the query to summarize the content and press Enter. For example, “create a summary of this web page.”

   

After you complete the steps, Copilot will check the currently active tab on Microsoft Edge and create a summary of the page without the need to open the Bing Chat side panel on the browser.

9. Restart Copilot to fix common problems

Although you can use the “New topic” button to reset the chat, sometimes, you may encounter problems and errors using Copilot. If this is the case, the trick is to restart the chatbot on Windows 11 to resolve common issues (similarly to restarting an unresponsive application).

To restart Copilot on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Click the Copilot button.

2. Click the menu (three-dots) button on the top-right corner and choose the “Refresh” option to restart the experience. Quick note: Microsoft has added a new “Refresh” button next to the menu, giving you quicker access to the feature.

   

   Quick note: Microsoft has added a new “Refresh” button next to the menu, giving you quicker access to the feature.

Once you complete the steps, the processes and services that are part of the Copilot will restart to start fresh and resolve any issues.

10. Disable Copilot on Windows 11

Although you cannot uninstall Copilot, if you don’t find the feature useful, you can disable it completely on Windows 11. You can do this from the Group Policy Editor or the Registry.

To disable Copilot on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.

3. Open the following path:

   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot

4. Double-click the “Turn off Windows Copilot” policy.

   

5. Select the Enabled option.

   

6. Click the Apply button.

7. Click the OK button.

8. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the Copilot button will no longer appear in the Taskbar, and users won’t even be able to open the chatbot with the “Windows key + C” keyboard shortcut. This action will remove the “Copilot” setting from the Taskbar settings page.

If you want to re-enable the feature, use the same instructions, but in step 4, choose the “Not Configured” option.

If you have a device running Windows 11 Home, you won’t have access to the Group Policy Editor, but you can complete this task from the Registry with these instructions.

Another tip for Copilot is to remember that you can interact with the chatbot using natural language, meaning you don’t have to remember keywords or specific questions to get answers. You only need to describe your intent as much as possible, and the AI will understand.

Update October 23, 2023: These instructions have been updated to include a reference to the new “Refresh” button.

Update December 8, 2023: This guide has been revised to ensure accuracy.