Microsoft beforehand referred to Copilot as “Windows Copilot,” with Copilots for Edge, and so forth. Now it’s all only one Copilot on your Windows PC, and with out the “Windows”.

The distinction is that Copilot seems to be good sufficient that will help you by a number of frequent duties in your PC, with out the necessity to dig by setup menus and management panels. When we tested Windows Copilot in June, it may change to mild or darkish mode, take a screenshot, and little else. Copilot is extra about potential than what it will possibly do proper now. If Microsoft provides sufficient to it make it a real-time, sturdy assist software, than Windows Copilot might be actually one thing.

Mark Hachman / IDG

There’s one hitch: Microsoft launched Windows Copilot as a Dev Channel preview to this point, although that may change quickly.

An up to date Settings house web page

We know that there will probably be an up to date Settings Home display, because it’s already there now in public Release Preview builds.

Mark Hachman / IDG

It won’t be something profound — only a abstract of the assorted sub-pages throughout the Settings menu, all bundled collectively in a pleasant single-page abstract that makes use of the accessible house in your display. But it’s a helpful enchancment anyway.

RGB lighting controls

Some people adore RGB lighting (particularly those that don’t need to sleep in the identical room as their PC). Some individuals despise it. What we haven’t had, to this point, is a unified Windows management panel to handle RGB lighting throughout numerous peripherals, regardless that we’ve asked for it for years. Dynamic Lighting is Windows’ reply to this longstanding drawback.

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What peripherals will help Windows 11’s Dynamic Lighting management? Unfortunately, this nonetheless seems to be a long list of Razer peripherals, however maybe extra will probably be added quickly.

AI-powered suggestions in File Explorer

In March (and then later in May), Microsoft advised us that it was bringing AI-powered really helpful recordsdata to File Explorer. You ought to see these as a brand new “carousel” of photos on the prime of File Explorer — by with a catch! You need to have a ShareLevel account as properly, which Microsoft will faucet to prioritize recordsdata primarily based upon their significance.

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Microsoft has additionally been making modifications to File Explorer to higher showcase which recordsdata reside within the cloud and that are in your PC. Hitting ALT + Shift + P to deliver up the Properties menu of a file now emphasizes with whom it’s been shared. Weirdly, that is the place Windows 11 Pro comes into play.

If you have got a Sharepoint account and Windows 11 Pro, you’ll see this richer file preview. An instance is under.

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Windows Backup and Restore

Migrating to a brand new PC is one thing we’ve all finished, and it will possibly take day trip of your day. Microsoft is introducing a brand new Windows Backup app — push every little thing to the OneDrive cloud! — in addition to a brand new Out of the Box Experience (OOBE) to take that backup and migrate it to a brand new PC through the Windows 11 setup course of.

Users will see pins for his or her desktop app restored on the taskbar and Start Menu, together with desktop apps that weren’t put in from the Microsoft Store, Microsoft says. Click on the pin and the app will obtain and set up. (We wouldn’t count on this for video games you put in, say, through Steam, although.)

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Passkeys

Passkeys are a easy, highly effective software: as an alternative of asking for a password, a passkey can authenticate you to an internet site utilizing biometrics — we’ve already seen this with some cellular apps, which require a fingerprint to log in. Windows is promising this, too.

Well, type of. Microsoft has implied that we must be seeing a Settings web page (Settings>Accounts>Passkeys) just like how Edge shops passwords, the place passkeys are saved as an alternative. Though Microsoft introduced it earlier as a Release Preview launch, I’ve but to see it present up.

A brand new Volume Mixer in Quick Settings

I wrestle with the Volume Mixer frequently, particularly after I swap between headphones, earbuds, an ANC pair of headphones, or simply an previous Hardon Karmon Invoke that’s now only a Bluetooth speaker. Microsoft seems to be bringing higher audio controls to Windows, even doubtlessly on a per-app foundation.

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There’s a brand new shortcut (WIN+CTRL+V) to regulate all of it, too.

In-field inking for Windows Ink

It’s simpler to simply say what this does. Ii you write “cat” within a Windows subject (like a search field), Windows will interpret your inked phrase “cat” as you typing in “cat” into the identical subject. Simple, proper? That’s how you’ll count on inking to work, anyway, but it surely traditionally hasn’t.

Microsoft has signaled that this function is headed to Windows 11 23H2, and for individuals who ink frequently (hiya, Surface Pro 9 users!) that is welcome information.

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Improved Voice Editing and Controls

Voice editing with Windows is kind of fun. But it will possibly all the time get higher. Microsoft is including new voice controls (“Select from [text 1] to [text 2]”, or “bold that”) in addition to revamping the Voice entry house web page to make the record of instructions simpler to know.

Microsoft can be increasing the record of English accents that at the moment are supported, together with the UK, India, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Voice entry (or voice management) is gaining extra of a foothold, too, with Microsoft promising that you simply’ll be capable to log in together with your PIN, through voice, in case your PC is ready up for it.

An improved Paint app

Paint (Paint!) is getting transparency and layers, an actual shock for an app that was as soon as left for useless. When mixed with the lately added background removal tool, these new options now allow you to create rudimentary composite photos in Paint. So far, we’re seeing this in only a Windows Insider preview, however we predict that this up to date Paint must be there on or concerning the time Windows 11 23H2 launches.

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Other tweaks in Windows 11 23H2:

• Taskbar badging: Some individuals (me included, now and again) like when an app pinned to the Taskbar exhibits you what it truly is, as an alternative of an icon. I haven’t seen this in precise Release Preview builds, however Microsoft implies it’s coming.
• Windows Spotlight enhancements: I love Windows Spotlight, which supplies me new, stunning 4K wallpaper photos every day. Microsoft is promising a greater preview expertise at full display, with “multiple opportunities to learn more about each image and a minimized experience.”
• Sharing enhancements: When you right-click and share a file, Microsoft is now leaning tougher on making recordsdata accessible for Nearby Share, Windows’ reply to AirDrop.
• Screen casting: If you do a whole lot of switching between desktops, Microsoft might pop up a display reminding you that Screen casting to different gadgets exists.
• Emoji 15: Microsoft implied Emoji 15 (simply launched on Sept. 15) would arrive in Windows 11 23H2, although it has solely debuted within the Beta Channel.
• Copying 2FA codes from Notifications: If Your Phone is related to your PC and also you obtain a 2FA code through textual content, Windows will acknowledge it and provide to repeat it.
• VPN emblem: If you’re running a VPN, Windows ought to present you a small emblem to establish it.
• Bing enhancements: Bing is a cloud service, and never a part of Windows, however it is going to add text-based picture creation with Dall-E 3.

This story was up to date at 7:43 AM on Sept. 21 with new info.