Microsoft is testing having Copilot AI spring more readily into action on Windows 11 PCs

Windows 11 users might soon see a different behavior for Copilot in the taskbar, with the AI assistant appearing when the cursor is hovered over its icon.

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Copilot will pop up when you hover over its icon (Image Credit: Microsoft)

This change is in testing in the latest Windows 11 preview build in the Beta channel, which is version 22635.3276 (KB5034857), though it's only rolling out, so not everyone will have seen it yet.

Currently in Windows 11, you need to click on the Copilot icon on the right side of the taskbar to get the AI assistant's panel to pop open. However, with the new scheme of things, just moving your mouse over the icon will invoke the panel, with no need to click.

However, if you don't interact with Copilot after the AI's panel opens - because you've moused over the icon idly, by mistake - then it will close soon thereafter.

How much of a delay Microsoft will implement before this auto-close happens, we don't yet know, but presumably this is something that'll be tweaked in testing anyway. Of course, we're assuming that this feature makes the cut and gets through to the release version of Windows 11, which it may not - depending on feedback.

Microsoft says that this change will be rolling out "slowly" over the course of the coming few weeks, so it sounds like it's a capability the company is taking it easy with, and testing the waters before more widely deploying the new behavior.

Copilot is quickly being fleshed out as we've seen with other recent moves in testing. They include the AI being graced with more powers to change Windows 11 settings for users - which is good news, but it's slow going with progress on this front - and there are new plug-ins as well.

The ability to simply drag and drop a file into the Copilot panel, and have the AI summarize it, is also a good step forward from Microsoft.

Elsewhere in build 22635, Microsoft has applied a number of fixes, and that includes smoothing over issues with Nearby Sharing (one of which meant devices don't have their name shown, but instead a '????' which isn't very helpful).

A problem that messed with the reliability of the Task Manager has also been fixed, as well as a glitch that meant the search highlights icon in the search box on the taskbar was wrong (showing an image from a previous day).

There's a known issue Microsoft flagged which is a bug causing File Explorer to crash, and the company says it's working on a fix for that one. So hopefully the next Beta channel build will resolve this problem.

• Read more: Windows 11's Copilot AI might take over your desktop in the future
• Read more: Microsoft urged to extend Windows 10's lifespan or face 'biggest jump in junked computers ever'