Copilot could soon be built into File Explorer on Windows 11

• Microsoft is testing a native Copilot chat interface inside File Explorer on Windows 11.
• The feature would allow AI interactions with files and folders without leaving the file manager.
• This integration raises new questions around privacy and control.

Microsoft is testing a deeper Copilot integration for File Explorer on Windows 11, and this time, it’s not another shortcut that launches a separate app. Instead, the company appears to be embedding Copilot directly inside File Explorer, likely as a docked side pane similar to the “Details or “Preview” panes.

References uncovered in recent Windows 11 preview builds suggest that File Explorer will gain a native “Chat with Copilot” feature, allowing users to interact with files and folders without leaving the file manager.

Microsoft watchers @PhantomOfEarth and @a_donglee (via Windows Central and Windows Latest) discovered hidden references pointing to a new Copilot UI inside File Explorer. These findings appear on Windows 11 build 26220.7523, where an unlabeled button is present near the existing “Details” pane button.

Technically, Copilot is already present in File Explorer, but the current implementation is superficial.

Currently, users can right-click a file and select “Ask Copilot,” which sends the file to the Copilot app and displays responses outside File Explorer. The file manager itself remains passive, acting only as a launcher.

This new integration changes that model. If Copilot is truly embedded inside File Explorer, it opens the door to capabilities that are not possible today, including asking questions about file contents without opening them, summarizing documents or folders on demand, and manipulating files and folders.

In other words, File Explorer would no longer be just a navigation tool. It would become an AI-assisted interface for understanding and managing local data.

This would be the first time Copilot operates directly within the file system rather than as a detached assistant.

And this is also where the concerns begin. An AI assistant embedded in File Explorer raises immediate questions: 

• Are files processed locally or sent to the cloud?
• Does Copilot analyze content automatically or only on request?
• Is access limited to indexed content?
• How does this behave on enterprise or managed devices?

Microsoft has not yet provided answers, but these details will matter. File Explorer is one of the most sensitive areas of the operating system, and users will expect clear controls and opt-out options.

Thus far, the references have appeared in Windows 11 preview builds, and there is no indication that this feature is limited to Copilot+ PCs, suggesting it could eventually roll out to standard non-AI PCs.

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As with many Copilot features, Microsoft could still delay, redesign, or quietly cancel the integration if feedback turns negative.

File Explorer gaining an AI chat interface feels like another feature users did not explicitly ask for, but it also aligns with Microsoft’s broader strategy of turning Windows into an AI-first shell.

Currently, this looks less like a gimmick and more like a fundamental shift in how Microsoft wants users to interact with files. Whether that shift is welcome will depend entirely on transparency, performance, and user control.

What are your thoughts on Microsoft building Copilot inside of File Explorer? Let me know in the comments below.