Microsoft Copilot Just Got a Massive Upgrade: 5 New Features You Can Try Today

The term "Copilot" is exploding on Google Trends today with over 20,000 searches, and for good reason. Microsoft has just pushed a significant, game-changing update to its AI assistant across Windows 11 and Office.

If you've felt that Copilot was a bit slow, clunky, or "gimmicky" in the past, it's time to take another look. Microsoft has redesigned the experience from the ground up to be warmer, faster, and surprisingly helpful.

We tested the update, and here are the 5 new features rolling out that actually make it worth using on your daily driver.

1. "Screen Awareness" is Finally Here

This is the feature power users have been waiting for. Copilot can now "see" exactly what you are looking at on your active window.

How to use it: If you are reading a long, dense PDF contract or browsing a complex news website, you don't need to copy-paste text anymore. You can simply ask, "Summarize this page," or "What is the main argument in this article?" Copilot reads the visual context instantly and gives you an answer based only on what's on your screen. It feels like magic.

2. Faster "Thinking" Mode

The biggest complaint about the original Copilot was the lag. You would ask a simple question, and the AI would spin for 10 seconds just to say "Hello."

This update seems to shift the lighter queries to a smaller, faster model (likely a distilled version of GPT-4o). Simple questions like "How do I take a screenshot?" or "What time is it in Tokyo?" are now answered almost instantly. The conversation flows much more naturally, feeling less like a search engine and more like a chat app.

3. A "Warmer" UI with Deep Dark Mode

Microsoft has ditched the cold, corporate look for something much friendlier. The new interface uses "cards" and warmer colors to present information.

More importantly for developers and night-owls: Deep Dark Mode. The Copilot window now respects your Windows system theme perfectly. If you're working late at night with Dark Mode on, Copilot won't blind you with a bright white window anymore. It integrates seamlessly into the desktop aesthetic.

4. Deep PC Control (Voice & Text)

Copilot is finally becoming a true "assistant" for your computer settings, not just a chatbot living in a browser. You can now use natural language to control hardware settings.

Instead of digging through five layers of the Settings menu, you can simply type (or say):

"Turn on battery saver mode."
"Connect to my Bluetooth headphones."
"Mute the volume."

Copilot understands the intent and executes the command reliably. For non-technical users, this makes managing a Windows PC significantly easier.

5. Integration with Paint & Photos

The generative AI features are no longer hidden deep inside apps. They are now accessible directly through the Copilot sidebar context.

You can drag an image into Copilot and ask it to "Remove the background" or "Blur the background," and it will utilize the AI tools from the Photos app to do it instantly. In Paint, the "Cocreator" feature is now faster, allowing you to sketch a rough drawing and have Copilot turn it into a polished piece of art in seconds.