It’s official: those on Windows 10 can start using Windows Copilot. The AI functionality was previously exclusive to Windows 11, but is now also available to Insider Preview members on the older operating system.
The end-of-life date of the OS remains unchanged: support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025. This even though a decade ago it was lauded as the “last Windows version ever.” However, there are still 1.4 billion users on W10, as leaked Microsoft data revealed this October.
For these Windows 10 users, Windows Copilot is similar in its interface to the browser variant in Edge, formerly known as Bing Chat (now simply Copilot). The tool can assist in text creation for all sorts of purposes, such as a sales pitch, and the AI assistant can guide users to Windows features and applications. According to Microsoft, Windows 10 functionality will eventually completely match that in Windows 11. However, opening applications with a single request by text or voice, for example, is not yet possible.
Tip: Windows 11 adoption disappoints, but that’s only natural
Copilots everywhere
Thus, it seems that Microsoft does not want to deploy Copilot as a key selling point for Windows 11 adoption. It seems too late for that anyhow, given the general expectation that Windows 12 will be released in 2024. Regardless, Microsoft is firmly on the path of AI assistance, recently expanding its Copilot product offerings significantly.
In a blog post, Microsoft’s Alan Meeus does make another appeal to companies to switch to the latest operating system anyway. He reiterates that it is the “most secure” version of Windows ever. It just so happens that the Trusted Platform Module 2.0, which enables security methods such as Windows Hello and BitLocker, is absent from many older PCs. As a result, an office computer that’s about six years old won’t be able to make the upgrade, requiring new hardware to be purchased to make the switch to Windows 11.
Also read: New Microsoft Copilot offerings specialize for numerous professions
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