New Features for Copilot in Windows 11 and 10

Microsoft has started rolling out a long-awaited feature in Copilot for Windows 11 and 10, enabling the AI assistant to search for files stored locally or synced through OneDrive. Previously, this capability was only available to Windows Insider participants, but now it is accessible to all Copilot users, as reported by Windows Latest.

The "File Search" feature in Copilot utilizes Windows Search indexing, allowing users to find documents by name, type, or date. It supports various formats including Microsoft Office (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX), PDF, text files, and others. However, specific developer extensions like .dart are currently not searchable.

By default, Copilot only has access to the "Documents" and "Downloads" folders, but the search area can be adjusted in Windows permissions settings. To enable this feature, users need to turn it on in the Copilot settings. Microsoft has deliberately not enabled it by default for privacy reasons.

The company states that the feature will be gradually rolled out over the coming weeks and does not require a Copilot Pro subscription. Microsoft believes that searching for local files is a natural extension of the Copilot integration into the desktop environment, which will help users quickly locate and interact with documents without leaving the chat interface.