At the start of 2026, Microsoft indicated that it was reevaluating its AI strategy following backlash from users about its approach to integrations in Windows 11, like adding Copilot buttons across its longest-standing apps, including Notepad and Paint.
While it isn't clear what Microsoft's plans look like and how it might streamline Windows 11's overall experience, the company has seemingly been moving in the right direction, shipping multiple Copilot-themed features over the past few weeks, including Copilot Tasks, which my colleague, Jez Corden, labeled as "actually useful" — that's progress!
And as it now seems, Microsoft is developing a dedicated screenshot tool for Copilot. According to the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, entry ID 558105 will: "Give users a fast, built-in way to capture screenshots and include them in Copilot prompts, helping them communicate visual context more easily and receive more accurate, actionable assistance." (via Neowin).
The details shared offer only a rough idea of how the feature might work, but they highlight Microsoft’s push to essentially streamline workflows if you choose to use Copilot. While it's expected to ship to desktops first, Neowin speculates that its availability will eventually be spread across all Copilot integrations in the Microsoft 365 suite, which certainly seems realistic.
More recently, Microsoft began testing a new Copilot feature that lets users open links within the app's side pane. It’s a handy addition for bolstering productivity and enhancing the user's browsing experience, but it also potentially doubles as a way to nudge more users toward Edge. Elsewhere, Outlook gained its own Copilot upgrade, which automatically reschedules meetings when conflicts arise.
🗨️ Is Copilot getting a miniature Windows Recall?
In 2024, Microsoft unveiled a wave of next-gen AI features in Windows 11, including Windows Recall, Live captions, Windows studio effects, and more, as part of its big push for Copilot+ PCs.
Windows Recall was perhaps the most intriguing of the bunch — not only because it captures everything you do on your PC through snapshots to let you (securely) search them later. Rather, privacy and security concerns still surrounded the feature, making it quite controversial.
However, Microsoft addressed the AI-powered feature's pain points by making it an opt-in experience (disabled by default), improving its security with encryption and Windows Hello authentication, and integrating a filter system that blocks sensitive information like passwords and credit card details from being captured in snapshots.
It's hard to discount any apprehension that may arise with Copilot's new screenshot tool, even though you'll presumably have to tell it to capture images. Nevertheless, if the history of Recall is anything to go by, then Microsoft must have learned its lesson and will likely apply the same privacy safety principles.
I’m half conflicted. Microsoft has argued that ChatGPT isn’t better than Copilot — you’re just not using it as intended, blaming weak results on poor prompt engineering. If screenshots become part of the mix, that leaves a lot up to the AI's interpretation, or at least serves as a visual aids that strengthen prompts and improve Copilot’s output. Only time will tell when I can try it for myself.
What do you think about Copilot's new screenshot tool? Let me know in the comments!
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