How to Use Windows Copilot: A Beginner’s Guide
Windows Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant for Windows 11, and learning how to use Windows Copilot can save you time, help you write better, and make your computer easier to control. If you have seen a Copilot icon on your taskbar and wondered what it does, this beginner guide is for you. Windows Copilot can answer questions, summarize long documents and web pages, help you write emails and essays, create images, and even change Windows settings for you, all from a simple chat window. You do not need to be a technical expert to use it, and you do not need to pay for it to get started, because a basic version of Copilot is included with Windows 11 and a Microsoft account.
In this guide, you will learn what Windows Copilot is, how to open it, how to ask it good questions, how to use it for writing and summarizing, how to use it to change Windows settings, and how to use it safely and privately. You will also learn about Copilot features in Microsoft Edge, in Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and Excel, and on Copilot Plus PCs, which have extra AI features built into the hardware. By the end, you should feel confident using Windows Copilot every day. For other useful Windows utilities, visit the InsuraBytes free tools hub, and use the device info tool to check your Windows version and system details.
What Is Windows Copilot?
Windows Copilot is an AI assistant that is built into Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge, and that is powered by large language models from Microsoft and OpenAI. It works like a chat assistant: you type a question or a request in plain language, and Copilot replies with an answer, a summary, a draft, or an action. For example, you can ask Copilot to summarize a long web page, to write a polite email to your boss, to explain a difficult topic in simple words, to create a list of ideas for a birthday party, or to turn on Dark Mode on your computer. Copilot can also search the web for current information, so it can answer questions about news, weather, and other topics that change often.
Copilot is different from a traditional search engine, because it does not just show you a list of links. It reads the information, summarizes it, and gives you a direct answer, with links to sources you can check. It is also different from a voice assistant such as Cortana, because it can understand more complex requests, remember the context of your conversation, and help you with creative and productive tasks, not just simple commands. Copilot is available as a sidebar in Windows 11, as a button in Microsoft Edge, and as a separate app on some computers, and it is also built into Microsoft 365 apps for subscribers who have Copilot for Microsoft 365.
How to Open Windows Copilot
Opening Windows Copilot is easy. On most Windows 11 computers, you will see a Copilot icon on the right side of your taskbar, or in the system tray. Click the icon to open the Copilot sidebar, which will appear on the right side of your screen. You can also press the Windows key and C on your keyboard, on some versions of Windows 11, or you can open Microsoft Edge and click the Copilot icon in the top right corner of the browser. If you do not see the Copilot icon, check that Windows is updated, by going to Settings, then Windows Update, then Check for updates, and sign in with a Microsoft account, because Copilot requires a Microsoft account to work.
Once Copilot is open, you will see a chat window with a text box at the bottom, where you can type your question, and a few suggested prompts to get you started. You can also click the microphone icon to speak your question instead of typing it, if your computer has a microphone. The Copilot window can be resized, moved, and closed like any other window, and you can keep it open while you work in other programs, so you can ask Copilot for help without leaving your work. If you have a Copilot Plus PC, you may also have a dedicated Copilot key on your keyboard, which opens Copilot with one press.
How to Ask Copilot Good Questions
Asking Copilot a good question is the key to getting a useful answer. Be specific, give context, and tell Copilot what you want it to do. For example, instead of asking Write an email, try Write a polite email to my manager asking for two days off next week, because my family is visiting. The second prompt gives Copilot the tone, the recipient, the request, and the reason, so it can write a much better email. You can also tell Copilot how long you want the answer to be, such as in 100 words, or in bullet points, or in simple language for a beginner.
You can also ask follow-up questions, because Copilot remembers the context of your conversation. For example, if Copilot writes a summary of a long article, you can ask Can you make it shorter? or Can you explain the second point in more detail? Copilot will understand that you are talking about the same article, and it will adjust its answer. If Copilot gives you an answer that is wrong or incomplete, tell it what is wrong, and ask it to try again, or ask it to show its sources. Copilot is not perfect, and it can make mistakes, so always check important facts, especially for work, school, or health.
Using Copilot for Writing and Summarizing
One of the most useful ways to use Windows Copilot is for writing and summarizing. Copilot can help you write emails, letters, essays, social media posts, and reports, by drafting text for you, suggesting improvements, and checking grammar and tone. To use it for writing, open Copilot, describe what you want to write, and include the key points you want to cover. For example, Write a thank you email to a customer who bought our product, mentioning our new warranty and inviting them to leave a review. Copilot will draft the email, and you can edit it, ask Copilot to make it shorter, more formal, or more friendly, and then copy it into your email app.
Copilot is also excellent for summarizing long documents and web pages. If you have a long article, a PDF, or a web page, you can ask Copilot to summarize it in a few bullet points, or to explain it in simple words. In Microsoft Edge, you can open a web page, click the Copilot icon, and ask Summarize this page, and Copilot will read the page and give you a summary, without you having to copy and paste the text. This is useful for research, for studying, and for catching up on news quickly. Remember to check the original source if you need exact quotes or details, because a summary is not a replacement for reading the full document.
Using Copilot to Change Windows Settings
Windows Copilot can also help you change Windows settings, by understanding what you want to do in plain language, and by opening the right settings page for you, or by changing the setting directly. For example, you can ask Copilot to turn on Dark Mode, turn on Do Not Disturb, turn on Bluetooth, change my wallpaper, or show me how to change my screen brightness. Copilot will either change the setting for you, with your permission, or it will open the Settings page where you can change it yourself. This is useful for beginners, because you do not need to remember where a setting is buried in the Settings app.
To use Copilot for settings, type a simple request, such as Turn on Night Light, or How do I connect to Wi-Fi? Copilot will explain the steps, and it may show you a button to open the relevant setting. Be careful with settings that affect security or privacy, such as turning off your firewall or changing your password, and do not ask Copilot to change a setting you do not understand. Copilot is a helpful assistant, but you are still in control of your computer, and you should review any change it makes, especially if it affects your security.
Copilot in Microsoft Edge and Microsoft 365
Copilot is also built into Microsoft Edge, where it can help you browse the web more effectively. In Edge, Copilot can summarize a web page, answer questions about the page you are reading, compare products you are shopping for, and help you write a post or an email based on the page. To use Copilot in Edge, click the Copilot icon in the top right corner, and ask a question about the page, such as What is this article about? or Compare the prices on this page. Copilot will read the page and give you an answer, with links to the sources it used.
In Microsoft 365 apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook, Copilot can help you write documents, analyze data, create presentations, and manage your email, although some of these features require a Microsoft 365 subscription and Copilot for Microsoft 365. For example, in Word, Copilot can draft a document from a prompt, summarize a long document, or rewrite a paragraph in a different tone. In Excel, Copilot can analyze data, create charts, and explain formulas. In Outlook, Copilot can summarize a long email thread, draft a reply, and help you prioritize your inbox. If you use Microsoft 365 for work or school, Copilot can save you a lot of time, but it is important to review its work, because it can make mistakes.
Copilot Plus PCs and Extra AI Features
Copilot Plus PCs are a new type of Windows 11 computer with a powerful neural processing unit, or NPU, that can run AI features on the device itself, without sending your data to the cloud. These computers have extra AI features, such as Recall, which can help you find something you saw on your computer earlier, Live Captions, which can translate live audio into captions in real time, and Cocreator in Paint, which can help you create images from a sketch and a text prompt. Copilot Plus PCs also have a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard, and they can run Copilot features faster and more privately than a standard PC.
You do not need a Copilot Plus PC to use Windows Copilot, and most Copilot features work on any Windows 11 computer with an internet connection. A Copilot Plus PC is worth considering if you buy a new computer in 2026 and you want the latest AI features, a long battery life, and a fast, efficient computer. If you already have a Windows 11 computer, you can use Copilot today, without buying new hardware, and you will still get most of the benefits, including writing, summarizing, and settings help.
Privacy and Safety When Using Copilot
Privacy and safety are important when you use any AI assistant, including Windows Copilot. Copilot can see the text you type, the web pages you ask it about, and the files you ask it to summarize, and it may send some of that information to Microsoft servers to generate an answer. Microsoft says it protects your data and does not use it to train its models without your permission, but you should still be careful about what you share with Copilot. Do not type your full password, your bank account number, your Social Security number, or other sensitive personal information into Copilot, and do not ask Copilot to summarize a document that contains private information, unless you are comfortable with that information being processed by Microsoft.
You can review and manage your Copilot privacy settings in your Microsoft account, and you can delete your Copilot chat history if you want to. You should also be careful about trusting Copilot answers without checking them, because Copilot can make mistakes, give outdated information, or invent a fact that sounds plausible but is not true. This is called a hallucination, and it is a known limitation of AI assistants. Always check important facts, especially for work, school, health, or money, by looking at a trusted source. Copilot is a helpful assistant, not a replacement for your judgment.
Conclusion
Windows Copilot is a powerful and easy-to-use AI assistant for Windows 11, and learning how to use Windows Copilot can help you write better, learn faster, and control your computer more easily. Start by opening Copilot from your taskbar or from Edge, ask it a specific question, and try it for writing, summarizing, and changing settings. Then explore Copilot in Edge and in Microsoft 365, and learn how to use it safely and privately, by checking its answers and protecting your personal information.
Do not be afraid to experiment with Copilot, because the best way to learn is to try it with real tasks, such as writing an email, summarizing an article, or planning your day. For more free tools to help you get the most from your Windows PC, visit the InsuraBytes tools hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Windows Copilot free? Yes, a basic version of Windows Copilot is free with Windows 11 and a Microsoft account. Some advanced features, such as Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps, require a Microsoft 365 subscription and Copilot for Microsoft 365, and some Copilot Plus PC features require a Copilot Plus PC.
Do I need the internet to use Windows Copilot? Yes, most Copilot features require an internet connection, because Copilot uses cloud-based AI models to generate answers. Some Copilot Plus PC features can run on the device itself, without the internet, but most Copilot features need to be online.
Is Windows Copilot safe to use? Windows Copilot is generally safe to use, if you do not share sensitive personal information with it, and if you check its answers before you act on them. Review your privacy settings in your Microsoft account, delete your chat history if you want to, and be careful about trusting AI answers without checking a trusted source.
Photo credits: Top and in-body photos are royalty-free photos from Pexels. The in-body photo shows a generic AI chat interface, not a screenshot of Microsoft Copilot.
