- Soon, you may have Copilot launching automatically on your Windows 11 computer.
- This behavior may only be available for devices with a 27-inch display.
- Microsoft is also building an option in the Settings to disable it.
Microsoft is testing a new feature in Windows 11 where the Copilot AI interface opens automatically on devices with wider screens. The new behavior is already available for testing on some computers enrolled in the Windows Insider Program Dev Channel.
According to Microsoft, this new behavior is specifically for devices with a minimum diagonal screen size of 27 inches and a pixel width of 1920 pixels, and it’s limited to primary display in multi-monitor setups. The company also says it’s only experimenting, which doesn’t mean it’ll become a permanent feature.
Furthermore, it appears that Microsoft is already expecting criticism from some users, and for that reason, the company is also building a setting to turn off launching Copilot automatically on Settings > Personalization > Copilot in Windows with the “Open Copilot when Windows starts” toggle switch.
Although the company is only toying with this new idea, it follows the behavior pattern of applying mechanisms to try and lure users into using specific features. We have already seen a similar strategy when the company decided to make Microsoft Edge launch automatically to open links from the Search and Widgets experiences, even after changing the default browser settings.
The news of this experiment came out shortly after the company revealed a new dedicated Copilot key on keyboards for new devices to promote its chatbot AI even further. However, despite previous rumors, in a statement to Dr. Windows, Microsoft has confirmed that it won’t force manufacturers to build the dedicated key on their laptops.
Additionally, the company has said that manufacturers will be able to place the Copilot key anywhere on the keyboard. The recommendation is to put it on the right side, next to the Ctrl key.
Ultimately, this means that the Copilot key won’t be one of the requirements to pass the Windows hardware certification process.
Alongside the new startup behavior for Copilot, Microsoft is also experimenting with an action menu feature that will include different options depending on whether you text or an image copied to the clipboard.
Also, on the same “Copilot in Windows” page, the company is testing a new setting that could provide the option to connect and manage third-party plugins with the chatbot AI.
While it’s unclear when (or if) these features will arrive at the stable version of the operating system, the company is expected to roll out a lot of AI-related features in 2024, with a major refresh for the operating system coming during the second half of the year, which Microsoft may or may not call “Windows 12.”
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].