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[li]Microsoft is testing AI-powered search for Windows 11 on Copilot+ PCs.[/li][li]The new feature lets users find local files using casual language.[/li][li]Microsoft is also testing AI-powered âClick to Doâ rewriting tools.[/li][/ul]
Microsoft is testing an AI-powered search feature for Windows 11 that promises to end the days of organizing and naming your files well to find them later. Currently only available to testers with Copilot+ PCs, this new search tool uses semantic indexing to locate files with a conversational twist.
So, instead of wracking your brain for precise filenames, you can now type casual queries like, âWhereâs that presentation I made last week?â With any luck, the AI will find it.
The feature works across Settings, File Explorer, and the taskbar, covering standard file formats for images, documents, and spreadsheets. Since it relies on built-in AI models, there is no need for an internet connection. That said, the search will only work in locations youâve chosen to index. You can index everything by switching to the new âenhancedâ mode, but that might require more trust in Microsoft than is comfortable.
Still, for those who feel their digital lives are scattered across desktops, downloads, and who-knows-where, the feature is definitely going to be helpful, even if itâs limited to the computer for now. That means you canât search your cloud-stored OneDrive files yet, though Microsoft says that capability is on the way. Still, if youâre not on a Copilot Plus machine, youâre out of luck for now.
[HEADING=1]Copilot+[/HEADING]
The feature is a logical extension of Microsoftâs AI agenda, which aims to weave AI tools across the companyâs products. On Copilot+ PCs, those tools include other features undergoing testing, like Click to Do, which lets users perform AI-powered tasks with a simple keyboard-and-mouse shortcut. You just highlight a chunk of text, hold the Windows key, and click to access a menu of options, including âRewriteâ and the grammar-correcting âRefine.â
Microsoftâs AI ambitions are clearly all about making life easier for people, provided youâve invested in the proper hardware. Shifting from rigid commands to a more human approach has obvious appeal. The days of typing exact filenames or endless keywords could be numbered. And itâs a relatively small step from helping find your PowerPoint deck to helping you write it.
Whether this is the killer app that gets people to buy a Copilot+ PC as Microsoft wants is still debatable. But if it can save you from renaming files with âfinal_final_v2â for the millionth time, it might just be worth it.
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