Microsoft has announced a new Copilot app for Windows that it's calling "native" to Windows.
However, the new native app still just displays the Copilot website.
It does have a new quick view mode, which just displays the Copilot website in a smaller window frame than normal.
Microsoft is now testing a new update to the Copilot app on Windows 11 that transforms it from an Edge powered web app into a "native" Windows 11 app, according to Microsoft. Unfortunately, no part of the Copilot experience itself is native to Windows, with the app simply showing the Copilot website, like the old Copilot web app did.
Here's how Microsoft describes the new Copilot:
"With this update, the previous Copilot progressive web app (PWA) is replaced with a native version. After installing the Copilot app update, when you run Copilot, you will see it appear in your system tray."
The new native Copilot still loads up copilot.microsoft.com, with the only real difference being that the app is no longer powered by Microsoft Edge's PWA (Progressive Web App) system. It still uses WebView2, the rendering engine that powers Edge, to display the Copilot web interface.
Copilot's new quick view on Windows 11
The new Copilot app is still just a website.(Image credit: Windows Central)
It's an odd choice for Microsoft to highlight this new Copilot app as being native to Windows, when the majority of it isn't. The only part of the new Copilot app that is native to Windows is the miscellaneous menu in the title bar and the about screen, which shows nothing but a link to a text file that lists third-party notices.
There is one new thing about this new version of the Copilot app for Windows, and that's a new "quick view" UI, which can be accessed by pressing the Alt+Spacebar keys. This new quick view interface is just the Copilot website but in a smaller window frame. It also places a Copilot icon in the System Tray for some reason.
Of course, this new Copilot app is in preview, so there's time for Microsoft to transform the actual Copilot interface part into a truly native Windows experience (haha, as if.) Maybe the company does have bigger plans for this new native Copilot app, but at least in this initial preview, there's not much new going on.
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The new Copilot app is rolling out now in preview for Insiders in all channels.