Microsoft tests compact, native version of Windows Copilot app

Microsoft continues to test out new ways of showcasing Copilot within Windows. The latest? A compact view that can be opened with the Alt+Space shortcut.

Microsoft is touting the new Copilot app as a “native” app, not just the Progressive Web App (PWA) that Microsoft had transformed Copilot into earlier this year. But there’s no indication that Copilot will run locally on your PC, and Windows Central discovered that the app still just calls Microsoft’s Copilot website.

So what’s new? Not much. The new Copilot opens as a more compact view, and can be opened using the Alt+Space shortcut. (As Microsoft notes, however, other apps may use the Alt+Space shortcut, too, so Microsoft will simply assign the shortcut to whatever app launched first and is running in the background when the shortcut was used.) You can then expand Copilot to a larger size using another button.

It’s a very minor change, although making Copilot a native application may pave the way for future innovation. Let’s hope so.

Microsoft is pushing out the new version of Copilot to Windows Insiders right now.