Copilot is now deeply integrated into Windows 11’s taskbar, as we all expected, and it’s rolling out now. If you hover over apps on the Windows 11 taskbar, you can now share your app’s window with Copilot and start asking questions, such as how to reply to an email if you are in Outlook. As silly as that might sound, this is the whole point of Copilot Vision.
I spotted the “Share with Copilot” feature on my Intel Lunar Lake Copilot+ PC, but it’s rolling out to everyone, and does not require one of those “AI” PCs. This means, if you have one of those regular non-AI PCs, including AMD or Intel, you are still going to see “Share with Copilot” on your taskbar, and that makes sense (more on that later).
How does “Share with Copilot” on the taskbar work?
In our tests, Windows Latest observed that “Share with Copilot” shows up when I hover over open apps on the taskbar. And it literally shows up for any app window, including Cloudflare WARP, which is a VPN-like service. I also spotted the toggle for Netflix, which has DRM-protected content, but it does not work correctly for obvious reasons.
When you share any app window, Copilot uses cloud-based AI to analyze the content of the app and provide insights. For example, I opened an Outlook email in the background and shared the window with Copilot. Copilot started reading my email, which was already open, but it could not open other emails, move around, or click anywhere.
Copilot can only see what you can see, and it can guide you. For example, I asked Copilot how I could respond to the email, and it told me to look for a “send” button, which does not even exist (Copilot hallucinated at this stage). But I asked Copilot to show me “how” and “where” I click.
Copilot activated its own “cursor”, which showed up on the screen, and then it highlighted where I needed to click. Thankfully, Copilot correctly analyzed my screen and told me to use the ‘reply’ button, not ‘send,’ which does not exist on the screen, but was recommended last time.
Next, I asked Copilot how to delete the email, and it again highlighted the correct option.
Microsoft calls it “guided assistance,” and one support document confirms that Copilot Vision is supposed to help you, but it won’t work for DRM-protected or sensitive content.
How is Microsoft adding “Share with Copilot” to all app windows on the taskbar?
Windows Latest found that Microsoft is using a Windows API that lets a communication app plug into Windows 11’s Shell (like the taskbar or share UI) so Windows can show Start sharing / Stop sharing commands and pass the app the exact WindowId the user picked.
This API is supposed to be used by apps like Teams, but Microsoft is going out of the way and using it for Copilot. It’s not an open API that developers can use.
This API is marked as a Limited Access Feature, which usually means Microsoft has to approve you and give you an unlock token before you can use it in a real product.
If OpenAI wants to replicate the same behaviour, it needs to reach out to Microsoft, and wait for the approval.
That’s why we see only Copilot using it, as Microsoft can grant itself (or selected partners) access, and Copilot can then register during a session as a “sharing command source.
