Sharing your screen with AI is much simpler than having to explain a task in a text prompt. If you’re struggling to figure out a Windows app, Copilot might be able to help.

Copilot Can Now Guide You Through Windows Programs

The new feature is called Highlights and can guide you to complete a specific task within a shared browser or app window using visual cues. All you have to do is share the browser tab or app window using Copilot Vision and ask it to show you how to proceed.

Microsoft mentioned some examples in its announcement. These include sharing the Settings app window and asking Copilot to show how the Night light feature can be enabled, sharing your productivity app and asking Copilot to show you how to add a footer, and sharing a video editing app and asking how to add text.

In theory, the feature should work out of the box on any app that you share with Copilot. This can significantly cut down on the learning curve associated with more powerful Windows programs, often used by professionals like Adobe’s Premiere Pro or Photoshop. No more cumbersome YouTube tutorials required.

While Highlights only works with one app or browser tab at a time, Copilot Vision now supports sharing up to two applications. Copilot can then analyze the data shared from the two apps and answer any questions you might have. For example, you can share an app having a packing list you prepared and a browser tab with an online list to ask Copilot if there’s anything you missed.

Another useful application for me would be in coding. Alt-Tabbing between online documentation and your code editor can be frustrating. But if Copilot can compare my code to a documentation example or online guide and find any bugs, it’ll make life a lot easier indeed.

When Can You Start Using Highlights?

You need Copilot app version 1.25044.92.0 to access these features. The update is slowly rolling out across all Insider Channels via the Microsoft Store, so it can take a while before you get access to the features, even if you’re enrolled in the Windows Insiders program.

The features are currently only available to Windows Insiders in the US, but the expanded rollout should make them available globally. The best way to ensure early access would be to enroll in the Windows Insiders program if you haven’t already, and check the Microsoft Store for any updates to the Copilot app.

That said, keep in mind that these are beta features at the moment, meaning they might not always work as intended. Some bugs and issues are to be expected when using them, but you should be able to navigate through core Windows apps without much trouble.

Microsoft has also announced AI agents that can help you find and change Windows settings using natural language. With AI features dropping left, right, and center to both Microsoft apps and Windows as a whole, Microsoft seems to have finally figured out how to make Copilot useful on Windows.