Microsoft Expands Copilot Integration in Windows 11 with New File Explorer Features and Universal Writing Assistant

Windows 11 is about to get a lot more confusing

* File Explorer adds a second Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot entry in Home, creating redundancy and confusion. * Windows now runs two Copilot apps with identical icons, causing users to pick the wrong assistant. * A systemwide AI writing assistant offers real-time rewrites and tones but only on Copilot+ PCs. Windows is all-in on Copilot, Microsoft's AI assistant. And for some stuff, it's pretty good. For other things, though, it's just unnecessary fluff that in some cases turns out to be more confusing than useful. This is exactly what's happening to the File Explorer, which is getting a... second Copilot icon? Some Copilot+ PC users might come across the fact that they now have two Copilot icons instead of one. Microsoft is testing a new feature labeled "Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot" located specifically within the "Home" tab. When a user hovers over a file in the "Recommended" or "Recent" sections, the new option will appear. Clicking "Ask M365 Copilot" sends the selected file to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. I get the intent, but it still makes things very complicated. For context, Microsoft technically has two separate instances of Copilot right within Windows. You have regular Copilot, which is your typical AI chat assistant, and then you have Microsoft 365 Copilot, which is also an AI assistant but works internally within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, and syncs with apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. The existence of both apps is a frequent source of confusion for Windows users, since they both share an icon and are easy to mistake with each other. You might end up wanting to ask Copilot for a new recipe and have the wrong Copilot trying to find recipes in your Word files. File Explorer already features an "Ask Copilot" option in the standard right-click context menu. The existing right-click option is designed for general conversational queries regarding a file. In contrast, the new Home tab integration is specifically prompted to handle Office files, theoretically offering better context-aware summaries and data extraction. They are distinct features, but the identical icon might, and probably will, throw people off. Microsoft is also developing a universal AI-powered writing assistant designed to function across the entire operating system. The feature works by detecting interaction with text fields -- such as drafting a post on LinkedIn, writing an email in a third-party app, or typing in a system dialog. When active, a "Writing Assistance" pop-up appears which will proofread what you're typing in real time. Beyond simple grammar and spell-checking, the tool includes generative rewriting capabilities. You can instruct the AI to rewrite your text to match specific tones, including "Concise," "Friendly," or "Professional." These features will only be available on Copilot+ PCs, so if you have a regular Windows 11 computer, you're out of luck. Or very in luck.

Microsoft is making 'Ask Copilot' more prominent in Windows File Explorer

The company is also testing a new AI-powered writing assistant for web text fields. For a while now, it's been possible to right-click on a file in Windows File Explorer and select the Ask Copilot option, which launches the Copilot app with the file in question as part of the prompt. But it seems this isn't enough for Microsoft. According to Windows Latest, a new feature called "Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot" is currently being planned for a future release. Ask Microsoft 365 Copilot will appear in the Home tab of File Explorer as a new option when you hover over individual files. This option will apparently be better optimized for Office files, offering better results overall. All users will be able to access this feature regardless of chip type (Intel, AMD, Snapdragon). On top of that, Copilot+ PCs will also gain a new AI feature called "Universal Writing Assistant" that appears as a pop-up when interacting with text fields on web pages. The assistant will be able to proofread, correct errors, and even rewrite entire chunks of text. The new features are currently being tested, so expect them to be launched after the end of the year.