The Copilot chatbot AI is now a core component of Windows 10 and Windows 11, but the implementation has changed several times over the past year. It's changing again in Windows 11, and now it's even less useful.

Microsoft has significantly downgraded Windows Copilot, transforming it from a deeply integrated Windows feature to a simple web wrapper. The latest Windows 11 Insider preview replaces the previously pinned Copilot button with a web app that merely opens a modified version of the copilot.windows.com desktop web app in a minimal Microsoft Edge window. The change is also live in the Windows 11 24H2 release currently shipping with Copilot PCs.

While the core functionality of Copilot remains intact and you can still chat with it, Microsoft has removed the minimal integration that was previously available, including the ability to adjust system settings and themes using voice commands. Additionally, Copilot's experimental file transfer feature in Windows 10 has been scrapped.

Even if you aren't a fan of Copilot, it's a bit annoying that the feature's system-level integrations have been removed. It seemed like Microsoft was working towards something like the Cortana assistant in the early days of Windows 10, with the ability to change settings and control applications with simple commands, but that's now gone. The chatbot now works exactly like the Copilot web app on other devices or the Copilot mobile apps.

Microsoft claims this change was made in response to user feedback and will allow for more agile development and optimization. The company highlights new features like window resizing and snapping, which come as part of the app's new nature as a window, as improvements. It's not clear if the system integrations will come back, but chances are the extra features weren't used a lot by most people anyway.

Source: Microsoft via WindowsLatest