Microsoft Begins Testing ‘Hey, Copilot’ Voice Activation on Windows 11 PCs

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Microsoft is releasing an update for Copilot on Windows 11 that introduces the “Hey, Copilot!” wake word. This lets you start interacting with Copilot hands-free by simply saying the phrase. Once activated, a Copilot microphone will appear on your screen, allowing you to ask questions and get immediate answers. After retiring Cortana and its “Hey, Cortana” command, Windows 11 is now rolling out this fresh voice command for its AI assistant.

To end the conversation, you can either click the “X” button or wait a few seconds Copilot will automatically close if there’s no further interaction. You can also ask questions in a natural flow by saying something like, “Hey Copilot, how’s the weather this weekend?”

The latest Copilot update (version 1.25051.10.0 or newer) is now rolling out to Windows 11 Insiders on all channels. You can install it through the Microsoft Store. Keep in mind, the “Hey, Copilot!” wake word isn’t enabled by default you’ll need to go into Copilot’s Settings and turn on the toggle under Voice mode. Currently, the feature only supports English.

Microsoft explains that when the “Hey, Copilot!” feature is enabled, an on-device wake word detector listens locally for the command. Only after the wake word is detected does the system send your voice input to the cloud for processing. Also, note that your PC must be unlocked for the voice command to work.

Recently, Copilot gained a “Press to Talk” feature, letting users activate it by holding “Alt + Space” for two seconds. In addition, Microsoft rolled out a new AI agent for Windows Settings and revealed a wave of upcoming AI-powered tools for Windows 11. Moving forward, many of these features will arrive on Windows 11, but you’ll need a Copilot+ PC to access most of them.

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