What you need to know
- Copilot is now rolling out to an increased number of devices running Windows 11 and Windows 10.
- Copilot started shipping to some users in 2023, but it is rolling out gradually.
- Windows 11 version 23H2 has Copilot enabled by default, while Windows 11 version 22H2 has the tool disabled by default.
Microsoft Copilot is still in preview, but it is making its way to more devices. This week, Microsoft announced the rollout of Copilot to a higher number of Windows 11 and Windows 10 PCs. While Copilot has been available for some users since last year, it has rolled out gradually and is also limited to certain regions. This week's announcement outlines the next phase of Copilot becoming available to more people.
The tech giant announced the news through the Windows message center.
Copilot is enabled by default in Windows 11 version 23H2 and disabled by default in Windows 11 version 22H2. Of course, you can enable or disable Copilot on any supported PC.
PCs running Windows 10 version 22H2 will receive Copilot later this month, as long as those systems aren't managed by an organization.
Microsoft Copilot started rolling out to Windows 10 in November 2023. That rollout now continues, and the AI tool is expected to "reach most of its targeted Windows 11 and 10 devices by the end of May," according to Microsoft.
Additionally, the company added the option to access up to 10 Copilot requests before signing in with a Microsoft account or Microsoft Entra ID. That change allows people to try Copilot before having to set up their account, which lowers the entry barrier to testing the tool.
Who uses Copilot?
While Microsoft seems eager to get Copilot in front of everyone, it's unclear how many people actually use the AI tool. When Microsoft started testing the option to summon Copilot by hovering over its icon, we ran a poll about how often people use Copilot. 54% of participants said they never use Copilot on Windows 11 and 19% said they use Copilot occasionally but less frequently than daily. Only 14% of those who voted said they use Copilot daily.
Of course, our poll is a small sample size when compared to the hundreds of millions of Windows users spread across Windows 11 and Windows 10. Even if our poll results scaled up to the entire Windows userbase, that would still mean millions of people use Copilot.
We may not know the exact number of people who use Copilot, but our Senior Editor Zac Bowden interviewed two people who use the tool daily. That piece shows that professionals ranging from software writers to video and sound editors can use Copilot to enhance their workflows.
