Microsoft continues to roll out new AI features, and the latest is the introduction of Copilot Actions inside the Copilot app on Windows for users in the Insider program.
This tool acts as a general-purpose assistant capable of handling tasks directly on your local files through a controlled space called Agent Workspace—a sort of parallel desktop that follows its own security rules and stays separate from your normal session.
Copilot Actions arrives in Windows 11
The idea behind Copilot Actions is straightforward: you describe what you want in plain language, and the system carries out the necessary steps. It can work with both desktop and web apps. Microsoft highlights a few everyday examples:
- Organising photos from your latest trip
- Cleaning up and arranging your Downloads folder
- Converting files from one format to another
- Pulling key information from a long PDF and placing it into a document or spreadsheet
To try it, open the Copilot app on Windows and pick “Take Action” in the composer. You can also attach files or folders using the “+” button. Copilot then spins up its own isolated workspace, performs the task, and lets you watch each step it takes.
This shift hints at Microsoft’s broader ambition: to let Copilot handle more routine computer work, allowing users to save time. Whether it becomes a must-use feature will depend on how people respond after trying it.
Another step toward Microsoft’s “agent OS”
Copilot Actions isn’t a one-off idea—it’s part of Microsoft’s larger push toward the concept of Windows as an agent-driven operating system. Microsoft has been teasing this direction for weeks: a future in which several AI agents coordinate tasks from start to finish, from setting up a device to automating entire workflows. There’s still some scepticism about how far this will truly go, but the pieces are falling into place one by one.
Windows 11 already includes several elements that tie into this vision:
- Copilot Vision, which can interpret what’s happening on your screen while respecting privacy
- The dedicated Copilot app, offering a floating panel that’s always within reach
- Semantic search, which finds files based on meaning rather than file names
- The ability for Copilot in Windows to create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, plus optional links to Gmail and Outlook
Copilot Actions builds on these foundations by taking direct action on your files, almost like a second user operating inside a secure container.
Privacy, limits, and availability
Microsoft emphasizes that Copilot Actions is still an experimental feature from Copilot Labs, and it may stumble when dealing with complex interfaces. For this reason, the company advises users to monitor the agent’s actions and intervene whenever necessary.
The heart of the system is Agent Workspace—an isolated environment with documented security practices, audit logs, and a full record of actions. Your data doesn’t vanish into an unknown process; everything is traceable by you or an administrator.
