How to Enable Copilot in Windows 11

To enable Copilot in Windows 11, click Start, type Copilot, and open the Copilot app. If it isn’t there, install Microsoft Copilot free from the Microsoft Store, open it, and sign in with your Microsoft account. After that, press the Copilot key or Windows key + C to open it anytime.

These steps are for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2, and they follow Microsoft’s Getting started with Copilot on Windows page. Copilot is now a regular app, so you don’t need the Windows Insider Program, a Registry change, or a special Windows update to get it. This guide covers the free consumer Copilot app. Copilot inside Word, Excel, and other Microsoft 365 apps is set up separately.

Check Whether Copilot Is Already Installed

Microsoft says the Copilot app comes installed by default on new Windows 11 PCs, usually pinned to the taskbar or Start menu, so check before you download anything.

1. Click Start and type Copilot.
2. If Copilot appears under Best match, click it to open the app. Skip ahead to the sign-in section.
3. If nothing called Copilot appears, install it from the Store using the steps below.

A missing taskbar icon doesn’t mean the app is gone. It may only be unpinned.

Install Copilot From the Microsoft Store

1. Click Start, type Microsoft Store, and open it.
2. Type Copilot in the search box at the top and press Enter.
3. Click Microsoft Copilot in the results. Check that the publisher listed under the name is Microsoft Corporation, since several unrelated apps use similar names.

4. Click Get (or Install). The app is free. Wait for the download to finish.
5. Click Open. The Copilot welcome screen appears. You can pick a suggestion or click Skip.

You can also go straight to the Microsoft Copilot listing on apps.microsoft.com in a browser and click Get or View in Store. If the Store itself won’t open, here’s how to get the Microsoft Store on Windows 11.

Sign In and Ask Your First Question

1. In the Copilot app, click Sign in and choose your personal Microsoft account. A work or school account also works if your organization allows it.
2. Click in the message box at the bottom, type a question such as “Plan three easy vegetarian dinners for two,” and press Enter.
3. Read the reply. You can add a follow-up in the same conversation, like “Make it cheaper,” and Copilot keeps the context.

You can use Copilot without signing in, but a personal account adds saved chat history, image creation, longer conversations, and voice chats.

Ways to Open Copilot

Once the app is installed, you can open it several ways:

• Copilot key: many newer laptops and keyboards have a dedicated Copilot key next to the right Alt key. Press it to open the app.
• Windows key + C: works on any keyboard.
• Taskbar: while Copilot is open, right-click its taskbar icon and click Pin to taskbar so it’s always one click away.
• Start menu: right-click Copilot in Start search and click Pin to Start.
• Pen button: on supported pens, go to Start > Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Pen & Windows Ink, expand Choose what your shortcut button does, and pick Same as Copilot key.

In the Copilot app, open Account > Settings and look under Copilot Keyboard Shortcuts to choose whether the key and shortcut open the full app window or a smaller quick view.

Change what the Copilot key does

To make the Copilot key open Search, Microsoft 365 Copilot, or another app instead, go to Start > Settings > Personalization > Text input and use Customize Copilot key on keyboard. On some PCs the same option is under Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard. If you can’t find it, type Copilot key in the Settings search box. The choices you see depend on your account and installed apps.

The Ask Copilot taskbar switch

Some Windows 11 PCs now show an Ask Copilot switch in Start > Settings > Personalization > Taskbar. Turning it on adds an Ask Copilot box to the taskbar for typing or speaking a question. It’s off by default and isn’t on every PC yet. If you don’t see it, nothing is wrong, and the Copilot app works the same without it.

Turn On Copilot Voice

Copilot Voice lets you talk to Copilot out loud and hear its answers.

1. Open Copilot and sign in with your personal Microsoft account.
2. Click the microphone (voice) button next to the message box.
3. If Windows asks for microphone access, click Yes or Allow.
4. Speak your question after the greeting. Click the X to end the voice session.

If Copilot can’t hear you, check that the right microphone is selected and its volume is up in Start > Settings > System > Sound.

Use the “Hey, Copilot” wake word

For hands-free use, open Copilot, go to Account > Settings, and turn on Listen for ‘Hey, Copilot’ to start a conversation. According to Microsoft’s wake word page, it works only while your PC is unlocked, online, and the Copilot app is running, even minimized. The wake word itself is English only. Say “Goodbye” or click the X to end the conversation. The wake word is detected on your PC, and audio is sent to the cloud only after Copilot hears it.

Other Copilot Features Worth Turning On

• Copilot Vision: lets Copilot see an app or browser window you choose and answer questions about it or walk you through a task.
• Screenshots: click + in the message box, choose Take a Screenshot, select an area, and ask about it.
• File Search and File Read: Copilot can find and answer questions about files on your PC, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF, and text files. Turn these on or off in Account > Settings.
• Settings help: ask something like “turn on dark mode,” and Copilot points you to the right page in Windows Settings.

Older Guides Describe Steps That No Longer Work

Many articles still tell you to turn on a Copilot switch in Taskbar settings, change a ShowCopilotButton value in the Registry, or run a tool called ViveTool. Those steps were for the 2023 Copilot sidebar preview. They don’t install or turn on the current Copilot app, and editing the Registry can cause problems. Install the app from the Store instead.

If You Can’t Install or Open Copilot

• Copilot isn’t in the Store search results. Copilot isn’t offered in every country or region. Make sure Start > Settings > Time & language > Language & region shows your correct Country or region.
• The Store download fails. Press Windows key + R, type wsreset.exe, and click OK to reset the Store cache, then try again. Microsoft’s guide for when you can’t find or install an app from the Microsoft Store lists more fixes.
• The app opens to a blank window or won’t load. Close it, check your internet connection, then click Start > Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates and install anything waiting. In the Store, click Library > Get updates to update Copilot. Restart the PC if it still won’t load.
• Windows key + C does nothing. Make sure the app is installed and fully up to date, and check the Customize Copilot key on keyboard setting described above.
• It’s a work or school PC. Microsoft gives IT departments ways to block the Copilot app, and your organization may offer Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat instead. Ask your IT department.
• It’s a child account. Family safety settings can block apps from the Store. A parent can allow the app from the family account.

Frequently Asked Questions