Despite the criticism and controversy, Microsoft Copilot can be a useful AI tool and assistant—especially as Microsoft reduces unnecessary features that just get in the way. Copilot can edit images without installing a dedicated app, create cheat sheets to help you learn faster, and identify what’s on your screen if you need some extra assistance. If you haven’t removed Copilot from your PC altogether, here are 10 of the best hacks you should know to make the most of the AI service.
Use these shortcuts to launch Copilot faster
You can speed up Copilot’s launch by using a keyboard shortcut. The Win-C shortcut launches Copilot and puts the cursor in the chat window, which means you can use the shortcut and immediately start typing your query. You can also launch it with Alt-Space or say “Hey Copilot” to use the app. To configure these two options, open the Copilot app on your PC, and click your name in the bottom-left corner. Head over to Settings > Preferences, and you’ll spot the option to enable “Hey Copilot,” and Alt-Space over there.
Stop sharing your data with Copilot to protect your privacy
Credit: Pranay Parab
By default, Copilot, like many chatbots, uses your conversations as training materials. That’s good for Microsoft, since it can use your data to improve your models, but bad for you, since your personal conversations are influencing how future models behave. Luckily, Microsoft lets you disable AI training using your data. You can opt out by heading to Copilot Settings > Privacy, and turning off Training on voice conversations and Training on conversation activity.
Use “connectors” to make Copilot your Gmail assistant
Microsoft’s “connectors” let you connect Copilot to non-Microsoft programs. In effect, you can tap into Copilot’s abilities in other apps you might use regularly. For example, you can link your Google accounts to Copilot, and allow the AI service to access your Google Calendar events, emails in Gmail, and files in Google Drive. You can rely on the AI assistant to give you a summary of your day, including meetings, unread emails, and important details from projects you’re working on. To enable this, go to Copilot Settings > Connectors, and connect all Google services available here.
Share your screen with Copilot to find more information about an image or video
Copilot Vision can look at any open window on your PC, identify objects, or help you find the location of a landmark from an image or video on your screen. You can use this feature by opening the Copilot app and clicking the spectacles icon near the chat box. Once you grant it access to your screen, you can choose which windows you want the AI service to look at, and it’ll summarize what you’re looking at. You can keep asking questions about the things on your screen, and the AI service will do its best to help you identify what you need. While useful in its own right, I could see this service as a good substitute for a screen reader, particularly for websites or apps that don’t have good accessibility support.
Save time by asking Copilot to edit images for you
Like some other AI programs, Copilot supports generative AI image editing. You can attach any image and ask the AI service to remove backgrounds, change the brightness, boost the contrast, or adjust the saturation. I used these features to remove the background from an image, and replace it with the Windows XP default wallpaper. It’s also pretty good at applying multiple edits via a single prompt.
Create cheat sheets to help you learn faster
Credit: Pranay Parab
You can ask Copilot to create a “cheat sheet” on practically any subject. I asked it to create one for Age of Empires 2 hotkeys and cheat codes, and another for Google Docs keyboard shortcuts. In both cases, Copilot was able to create neat tables that were easy to copy and memorize. It can also make downloadable PDFs of those cheat sheets if you like, so you can take your cheat sheets with you after your Copilot session ends.
What do you think so far?
Show Copilot a “good” sample for ideal results
Copilot performs best when you show it what a good sample looks like. You can show it a webpage, resume, image, or file, and ask it to replicate a similar format. For instance, you can ask it to look at someone’s LinkedIn profile and provide actionable tips for you to improve your resume for a specific role in the same company. This reduces the number of adjustments needed before you get your desired output from the AI.
Follow this prompt template to get perfect responses from Copilot
You’re far more likely to get the responses you need from Copilot if you ask it in the right way. The best tip here comes from Microsoft itself, which specifies an ideal prompt format for optimal results. You need to define a persona, an objective, an audience, the parameters, and add context. For example, you can try something like, “You are a literary critic looking at this short story I wrote for an audience of science fiction fans. Tell me if the writing is concise, and the story is gripping enough to read through the end. Point out all instances of jargon that may be hard to follow.”
Use “Experiments” to try out Copilot features in development
You can find experimental AI features in the labs section of Copilot’s app, which is great for staying on the bleeding edge of Microsoft’s AI developments. These preview features may change significantly as you’re using them, and Microsoft may even remove them from the app altogether. But that’s what makes them fun for people who like to keep trying new things. Right now, Copilot has an audio creation tool, and a feature that lets you turn images into 3D models in one click. In the Copilot app, select the “Experiments” button in the left pane to see what’s available.
Import or export chat history to be AI agnostic
Just as Claude lets you import your ChatGPT data for free, Copilot allows you to import your history from other AI services. You can access this feature by going to Copilot Settings > Memory > Add or import memory. Here, Copilot has a helpful prompt, which you can paste in Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or any other AI service you’ve been using. Once you get an output in those services, you can bring it back to the same settings page in Copilot, and paste the response. You’re also free to paste the same prompt in Copilot, and use it to export memory into other AI services that support a similar import feature. However, there’s one more way for you to export all your Copilot data. You can visit Microsoft’s Copilot privacy page, and select Export all activity history, to get it in a .csv file on your computer.
