Microsoft Copilot for Windows

Microsoft Copilot 1.25121.84.0 is the Windows app for Microsoft's AI chatbot, a conversational assistant you can ask questions, give a draft to polish or hand a long text to summarise. The app is free, and the safest way to download Microsoft Copilot for Windows is the Microsoft Store listing or copilot.com.

Overview

Copilot started life inside Bing and Microsoft Edge: Microsoft introduced the chat on February 7, 2023, and it has since grown into a standalone assistant that runs in the browser, in Edge and as a Windows app. Wikidata lists OpenAI alongside Microsoft as a developer, and the service is built on OpenAI technology such as ChatGPT, GPT-4 and the image model DALL·E 3. In everyday use that means you type or paste something and get an answer in plain language: a rewrite of an awkward email, an explanation of a spreadsheet formula, a plan for a trip, a list of ideas for a presentation or a short summary of an article. Because it is a desktop app rather than a browser tab, it sits beside the programs you are working in, which makes copying text back and forth quicker. The models behind Copilot are updated regularly, so features and limits change over time; for a side-by-side look at current AI models, see the AI section of this site.

What you can use it for

• Writing: drafts, rewrites in a different tone, shorter or longer versions of a paragraph.
• Learning: explanations of terms, step-by-step reasoning, quizzes on a topic.
• Everyday planning: checklists, meal plans, trip outlines, gift ideas.
• Images: creating pictures from a text description, a feature that goes back to DALL·E 3.
• Work questions: formulas, short scripts, help with the wording of a report.

How to install Copilot on Windows

1. Open the Microsoft Copilot page in the Microsoft Store and click Get or Install. The app may already be on your PC; search for Copilot in the Start menu first.
2. Launch the app and sign in with a Microsoft account if you want your conversations saved.
3. Pin it to the taskbar if you plan to use it every day.
4. Open the settings and review the options for conversation history and personalisation.

The catalogue lists the package at about 255.36 MB according to catalogue data; the Store will download whatever the current build is for your system.

Is it free and is it safe?

The app is free to download and use; Microsoft offers paid plans with extra features, and their current terms are on copilot.com. Install Copilot only from the Microsoft Store or Microsoft's own site. Ads and download portals regularly push fake "AI assistant" installers that bundle adware or steal logins. Inside the app, treat chats as something that leaves your PC: do not paste passwords, card numbers or other people's personal data, and follow your employer's rules before sharing work documents. Answers can sound certain and still be wrong, so check figures, quotes and anything related to health, money or law.

Pros and cons

• Pro: free, official app from Microsoft.
• Pro: text, images and quick answers in one window.
• Pro: same assistant in Edge, on the web and on Windows.
• Con: needs an internet connection and works best with a Microsoft account.
• Con: answers still need fact-checking.

Alternatives

Other AI apps for Windows in our listings are ChatGPT, OpenAI's desktop app for its chatbot, and Perplexity, an AI search engine that shows the sources behind its answers. Gamma Ai is a narrower tool aimed at building presentations with AI.