- A new search ability is rolled out to the Copilot app
- It gives Windows 11 and 10 users an AI-driven search that offers natural language requests
- Copilot can also look into files and find relevant info you need, which hides you the leg work
Windows 11 gets a new ability for copilot to help you find files on your PC and quickly download info from these files if you want.
Windows latest reports that the extended search forces relieved by AI, previously in testing (a few months ago) with Windows 11, are now rolling out to all users (including them on Windows 10 as well).
The people of Windows latest have already got the new functionality for the Copilot app and tested it out, which is generally impressed with the feature.
It allows the user to shoot up a local search on the PC – although there are restrictions on the covered locations (I will return to it) – within the Copilot app by simply writing a natural language request. For example, “Find my resume for the job application I made last year.”
Obviously, it’s great to have the ability to search just by asking a question like this instead of trying to use Windows search yourself and (try to) find out the best query – after all, who can remember exact file names, especially with older files?
Analysis: A commendable useful feature … with some warnings
Windows latest notes that this copilot search is fast as it is a local search – which also includes all synchronized files in OneDrive – and exploits the Windows search itself. In other words, there is no waiting time for the Copilot app to send data to the cloud or wait for a response from Microsoft’s servers – everything happens on the device and that’s why it’s pretty nipy.
The mourned search is also better than a basic Windows 11 search – though it is still how the query is ultimately solved – as you can use natural language as mentioned. In fact, this is a kind of provisional alternative to the smart AI -SuperCharged Search in Windows 11, which is offered with Copilot+ PCS – and I’m glad to see it because most of us don’t have one of these devices (I certainly don’t).
On top of this, the COPILOT app search also allows the surface information from files you hunt without even opening them. So if you are looking for a document file full of recipes and you want a specific recipe for a curry, you can say you can ask for exactly that – and AI will extract it from the document there and then.
This copilot-driven search also allows you to avoid some of the errors with the default Windows 11 search functionality (though it still utilizes the latter to get results).
Okay, so it all sounds good in general – but not everything is sweet smelling roses. There is a remarkable thorn, as the framework of the search is limited to commonly used files (meaning obscure file formats may not appear). By default, the locations covered by this AI search, by default, are limited to your important personal folders (such as documents and downloads). However, you can extend this range and give copilot access to additional folders if you wish.
However, the Thornier question that is still too many will be privacy. It is important to note that by default this search ability is off, which is good and honestly necessary, given that there are plenty of people out there, there is a lot against copilot ‘nose around their files’.
It is also worth noting that not only is there a tilted to turn on the local file search ability for copilot, but also a separate shoot to allow AI to read your files. The latter is obviously necessary for Copilot to be surface material within a file (like the aforementioned Curry recipe), so if you want to perform that trick, of course, leave the copilot ‘nose around’ in your stuff.
If you do not want AI to have that kind of access, you can still use the feature, but leave this other slider alone and it does not look at your files (but you only get the basic search in the Copilot app).
There will still be plenty of doubters about this kind of function, mind, but as long as it is off by default, it will not be a problem – you can take it or leave it. If this functionality sounds useful to you, you can move on and activate it – with the roles that are now apparently underway, it will hopefully show up on all Windows 11 and 10 pieces before too long.
