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Not sure what something does in Windows 11? Take a screenshot and Copilot AI will tell you

Microsoft is rolling out a new piece of functionality that gives Copilot the ability to help users with finding their way around Windows 11.

Not sure what something does in Windows 11? Take a screenshot and Copilot AI will tell you
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Microsoft is bringing a new feature to its Copilot AI in Windows 11 that could prove a handy addition in terms of help for the average user.

Copilot is slowly getting more features - very slowly, mind (Image Credit: Microsoft)

Copilot is slowly getting more features - very slowly, mind (Image Credit: Microsoft)

It goes by the name of 'Add a screenshot' and we're told that this is now rolling out to Windows 11 users across the globe - but as ever, it's a phased process, so you may not see this for a while yet.

Windows Latest discovered the capability, which consists of the ability to take a screenshot of Windows 11 and get Copilot to explain the content of that grab (in the same vein as a standard image query).

We were treated to an example of how the feature works when Windows Latest tried it out using a screenshot of the Recycle Bin, which Copilot correctly identified and explained like so:

"This is an image of the Recycle Bin icon on a computer desktop. The Recycle Bin is a feature of the Windows operating system that allows users to store deleted files and folders temporarily before permanently erasing them."

It's not difficult to imagine that the functionality will be expanded beyond simply describing the subject of a screenshot in the future. We're thinking along the lines of: 'Your Recycle Bin currently has 1.5GB of files in it, would you like to empty it?'

After all, while Copilot is very thinly featured right now, the idea is to build out the AI assistant into something considerably more extensive capable of changing multiple Windows settings for the user when given a vague instruction (like 'make me more productive').

Copilot is coming to Windows 10 users, as well, so presumably they'll get the benefit of these kind of features too - though it's not exactly clear how much of the AI's overall functionality will be delivered to those remaining on the older OS.

Darren has written for numerous magazines and websites in the technology world for almost 30 years, including TechRadar, PC Gamer, Eurogamer, Computeractive, and many more. He worked on his first magazine (PC Home) long before Google and most of the rest of the web existed. In his spare time, he can be found gaming, going to the gym, and writing books (his debut novel – ‘I Know What You Did Last Supper’ – was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

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