Microsoft Brings AI-Powered Copilot to Windows 10, Expanding AI Ecosystem Coverage
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Over the past two years, Windows 11 has introduced significant updates to most built-in applications, including the system tray, Start menu, Settings app, and taskbar, all of which have evolved with each update. However, most of these changes have not been applied to Windows 10, which remains the most widely used version of Windows on the planet. Notable exceptions include the redesigned Outlook app and the ongoing development of Microsoft Edge.
Today, Microsoft announced a major change: the new AI-powered feature in Windows 11, Windows Copilot, will be ported to Windows 10 and made available in the Windows Insider Release Preview channel for Windows 10. This version of Copilot will initially be released as a preview for Windows 10 Home and Pro editions. However, it is not yet available for "managed" versions of Windows 10—including Enterprise and Education editions, as well as Pro edition PCs that are domain-joined or managed by IT departments.
Microsoft wrote in another blog post: "We've received excellent feedback on Copilot in Windows (Preview) and want to extend this value to more people." "For this reason, we're reevaluating our approach to Windows 10 and will make additional investments to ensure everyone can get maximum value from their Windows PC, including Copilot in Windows (Preview)."
Copilot for Windows 10 requires PCs to have at least 4GB RAM and a 720p display to run; all Windows 11 PCs already meet these requirements, which is why Microsoft previously didn't define these minimum specifications. The feature will first roll out to users in North America and "parts of Asia and South America," then "gradually" expand to other countries.
Microsoft's blog post provides limited details on the actual functionality of Windows 10 Copilot. The Windows 11 version can alter various system settings and handle documents stored on your PC; the screenshots shared by Microsoft for the Windows 10 version primarily focus on ChatGPT-powered text generation, similar to Bing Chat.
The November preview update for Windows 10, which includes Copilot, also introduces several minor changes, including a long list of bug fixes. It also includes a "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available" toggle in Windows Update, which, when enabled, will automatically install preview updates instead of requiring manual intervention.
Despite this being Microsoft's largest update for Windows 10 since Windows 11 replaced it in late 2021, it does not alter the broader support timeline for Windows 10. Version 22H2 is the last major update for the operating system, with security updates scheduled to end on October 14, 2025—less than two years from now. Microsoft representatives avoided addressing questions about the continued high usage of Windows 10 and the number of PCs unable to upgrade, only stating that Windows 11 adoption has exceeded Microsoft's internal targets.
尽管部分PC可以通过升级到Windows 11继续获得安全更新，但更严格的系统要求导致大量Windows 10设备无法升级。目前具体受影响设备数量尚不明确，但近几个月Windows 11的采用率有所放缓，Windows 10仍然是使用最广泛的操作系统版本。
随着Windows 10支持结束日期的临近，微软决定将Copilot支持扩展到旧版系统也就不难理解。根据Statcounter在美国PC和全球设备上的数据，Windows 10仍占活跃Windows安装量的三分之二以上。这些用户目前可以通过Microsoft Edge内置的Copilot版本访问部分AI功能，但Edge在美国桌面浏览器市场的份额仅约10%。
将Copilot扩展到Windows 10能让更多原本无法使用该服务的用户获得体验。无论好坏，这始终是微软2023年的策略：尽可能广泛地推广其AI成果，尽快将它们整合到尽可能多的产品中。