With the end of Windows 10 in sight, Microsoft is making sweeping AI-focused changes to its portfolio of apps, including adding Copilot enhancements to Microsoft 365 (with a price hike). Now, it's bringing improvements to Windows Search.
As announced in the Windows Insider post, Microsoft is working on an improved Windows Search feature to make finding documents, photos and settings across Windows 11 easier. However, it is currently only available to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel with Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.
This is due to the 40 TOPS (Trillions of Operations Per Second) NPUs on these PCs, such as a Snapdragon X Elite-equipped Dell XPS 13. Microsoft states this helps "search improvements work even when you’re not connected to the internet."
With the upgraded Windows Search tool still in preview, the feature will gradually roll out to Windows Insiders in the coming weeks. The company notes that support for AMD and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs will be coming soon.
How does the improved Windows Search work?
To improve Windows Search, Microsoft is introducing semantic indexing along with traditional indexing. This means you won't need to type in specific name for a file, photo, setting or anything else to find it; Windows Search will bring up results related to what you're trying to find.
For example, you can type in "Change my theme" instead of the exact "Themes and related settings" to change themes in Settings, or "Eco-friendly clothing" to bring up a saved image that relates to the search query.
As Microsoft notes, this upgraded tool will work in the search box on the Taskbar, in File Explorer and in Settings — making it easier to find what you need to use or do.
"Today, searching for files on your Copilot+ PC with improved Windows Search will only work for files saved locally in indexed locations on your PC, " Microsoft states. "You can go to Settings > Privacy & security > Searching Windows to adjust which locations are indexed on your PC or turn on “Enhanced” to index your entire PC."
To add, the feature works for the following file formats: .txt, .pdf, .docx, .doc, .rtf, .pptx, .ppt, .xls, .xlsx for documents and .jpg/.jpeg, .png, .gif, .bmp, .ico for images.
Even better, Microsoft will bring this AI-based feature to OneDrive and other cloud storage providers in the future, making it easier to search for documents and photos.
Along with its new AI search tool, Microsoft is testing more quality-of-life improvements coming to Windows 11, such as adding a PC's battery percentage to the Taskbar (via Windows Central). Microsoft appears to be pushing more upgrades to Windows 11 as Windows 10 approaches its end in October later this year. In fact, according to analyst website Statcounter, over 62% of devices still use Windows 10, while only 34% have upgraded to Windows 11.
While we wait to see how the new Windows Search performs, check out how you can use other Copilot+ features on Windows 11 PCs.
More from Tom's Guide
- Microsoft 365 apps are officially dying on Windows 10 — here's what we know
- Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 soon — 5 ways to make sure your PC is secure
- Windows 11 Home vs Windows 11 Pro: What's the difference?
