Microsoft Copilot can now analyze your Windows PC settings and diagnose hardware issues

Microsoft Copilot PC Insights brings conversational hardware diagnostics to Windows

Microsoft Copilot is gaining a new capability that allows the AI assistant to analyze PC settings and answer questions about your PC's hardware directly. The Windows AI feature, called Copilot PC Insights, is currently rolling out as an experimental feature to users in the United States through the Copilot on Windows app 1

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. According to Microsoft's support documentation, the AI-powered feature enables customers to "conversationally ask Copilot questions about their Windows PC and receive clear responses based on their device's state without having to dig through system settings" 3

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Users can ask natural language prompts such as "How is my battery health?" "What's my BIOS version?" "What's my current CPU usage?" or "Do I have enough storage for a large game or app?" 1

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. The feature responds to inquiries about graphics cards, storage, antivirus status, and connected peripherals like printers 2

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. To deliver these answers, the Copilot on Windows app connects to Windows APIs to analyze system data and PC hardware and performance details 3

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Privacy controls and user permission requirements

Microsoft has implemented strict privacy safeguards for this functionality. Before accessing system resources, Copilot requests user permission each time it needs to check system information or files 2

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. Users can grant permission for a single request, always allow similar requests, or deny access for the current session 1

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. A session continues until the app closes or the computer restarts. Microsoft promises that Copilot won't store personal files or use them to train AI models, and permissions can be revoked anytime through privacy settings 1

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. The feature remains strictly opt-in, and granting access doesn't allow Copilot to read actual file contents—only metadata like file sizes for storage calculations 3

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Limitations in troubleshooting and what might be slowing down your PC

While PC Insights can help users understand your device and identify potential issues, it cannot fix problems or make system changes independently 1

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. The feature is purely informational at launch and won't automatically run specific troubleshooting steps 1

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. Microsoft acknowledges that Copilot "may not always provide complete or accurate information," especially during this testing phase . Once the AI identifies a problem area, users must resolve it themselves.

RAM usage concerns and resource consumption

A significant irony accompanies this release: the Copilot app itself consumes substantial system memory. Testing revealed RAM usage of 791.7MB at idle, potentially reaching up to 1GB in total . This bloat stems from Microsoft's recent architectural change, transforming Copilot into a standalone spin-off of the Edge browser 3

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. For users on RAM-limited machines investigating what might be slowing down their PC, the diagnostic tool itself may be a primary culprit 4

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. Critics note the contrast with Windows 11's lightweight Task Manager, which provides authoritative information without significant resource consumption 3

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. However, Microsoft designed this feature for less technically-informed PC owners who may find conversational queries more accessible than navigating system settings 3

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. The company indicates it will improve the experience over time and may add new capabilities in the future 2

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