Microsoft is redesigning the Windows 11 Search experience so users can control settings, find files, and interact with Copilot directly from the taskbar.
The update is planned for this fall and will let users perform thousands of actions by typing short commands into the Search interface.
Search Can Control Windows Settings
During Microsoft’s fall Surface event, Windows and Devices chief Pavan Davuluri demonstrated the new Search experience, turning settings such as dark mode and Do Not Disturb on and off.
The redesigned interface can also show controls directly inside Search. For example, typing “increase mic volume” can bring up a volume slider above the prompt.
Microsoft says the new experience is faster and more contextual, making it easier to find apps, files, and settings.
Users with a phone connected to Windows will also be able to send text messages from the taskbar without picking up their phone.
Copilot Moving Directly Into Search
The updated Search interface will also let users communicate with the new Copilot app without opening Copilot separately.
Microsoft said the goal is to let users describe what they want and allow Windows, with their permission, to take the appropriate action.
The move comes less than a year after Microsoft said it would remove unnecessary Copilot integrations from Windows 11.
More On-Device AI Processing
Microsoft also announced Hybrid Intelligence, a new set of software orchestration tools designed to run AI models locally on Windows PCs.
When enabled, the updated Copilot app can access local files and take actions across apps and system settings.
Microsoft says Copilot will continue using cloud-based AI for more demanding tasks, but local models can handle prompts when privacy or cost is a concern.
Local AI Agents Get Secure Containers
Hybrid Intelligence also improves Copilot’s coding features.
Microsoft says developers will be able to create native Windows applications more easily through Copilot, with support for Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC).
MXC is designed to keep local AI agents inside a secure sandbox while they perform tasks.
Autopilot Can Work With Local Files
Microsoft is also expanding Autopilot, its personal AI agent.
Autopilot can now use files stored on the PC to inform its responses and perform tasks without sending the data to the cloud.
During the demonstration, Autopilot helped an employee prepare tax documents by finding the relevant files, renaming them, placing them into a ZIP archive, and drafting an email to send to an accountant.
The process used a local AI model, so the files did not need to leave the computer.
Microsoft says Copilot features powered by Hybrid Intelligence will roll out to Windows PCs over the coming months.
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