Copilot will help for free in Windows, but it comes with a major drawback

Microsoft released the KB5032288 build to the Release Preview Channel, and while the build comes in with important improvements on Windows 11, such as previewing changes that comply with the EEA policies, it also comes with several new tweaks for Copilot for Windows.

Yes, Copilot is not yet available in the EEA, but outside of it, the Windows community will be able to use it in Windows 11, using a local account, for information. This makes the AI tool quite useful, as it can get tasks done for users.

However, the feature does come with a back draw, as Windows will only allow 10 attempts to ask Copilot for help, before requesting users to sign in with a verified account. These accounts can be personal Microsoft accounts or Azure AD accounts.

For those Windows users living in the EEA, this method won’t be available, but Microsoft is surely working to release EEA-compliant changes to Windows, and the package will debut some of them. The Redmond-based tech giant might release Copilot in the European zone, however, it will take some time.

But even with those who have access to Copilot, 10 free attempts are not much considering the AI tool is now a native Windows app. Using Copilot is free, but Microsoft will ask users to log in with their accounts, once they pass the 10 free attempts.

Why can’t we use Copilot without an account?

Bing Chat (which is now Copilot) on Microsoft Edge seemingly allows users to have access to it without necessarily signing up to Edge. So why wouldn’t Microsoft keep the same pattern on Windows 11?

While there is no additional cost to use Copilot in Windows 11, the Redmond-based tech giant wants to see if Copilot turns out to be a success or not, and for that, the company would need metrics.

So, Microsoft might ask Windows users for their feedback and suggestions on improving Copilot along the way. It’s worth mentioning that this week, Microsoft announced Copilot will be released on Windows 10, as well, even though the operating system will reach its end-of-support in less than 2 years.

The reason? Well, Windows 10 is still far more popular than Windows 10, which just recently gathered 400 million users worldwide. So, Windows 10 is a better place to see if Copilot would be adopted or not.

KB5032288: All the details

Here are all the new features, changes, and improvements coming with the KB5032288 Windows 11 update.

• On Windows 11, version 23H2 – this update previews changes in Windows to comply with the Digital Markets Act in the European Economic Area.
• New! You can use Copilot in Windows across multiple displays. Press the Copilot in Windows taskbar button on the taskbar of the display where you want Copilot in Windows to appear. To show Copilot in Windows on the last display that it was on, press WIN + C. If you use a keyboard, press WIN +T to put the keyboard focus on the taskbar. Then go to the Copilot in Windows button to open it on any display. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.
• New! You can use Copilot in Windows with ALT +TAB. When you press ALT +TAB, the thumbnail preview for Copilot in Windows appears among other thumbnail previews of open windows. You can switch between them using the Tab keystroke. This is available to a small audience initially and deploys more broadly in the months that follow.
• New! In the coming weeks, you might see Windows Spotlight set as the default background. This might occur when your background is set to an inbox Windows image.
• New! You can ask Copilot in Windows for help ten times when you sign in to Windows using a local account. After that, you must sign in using a verified account. These include a Microsoft account (MSA) and Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Note that the name for Azure AD will change to Microsoft Entra ID.
• This update affects the shortcut (context) menu. Its performance is better when you open it on the desktop and in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects .RAR files. They display as if they are empty in File Explorer.
• This update addresses an issue that affects apps that you download from Microsoft store. They stop responding and will not update.
• This update affects the Netherlands time zone. It adds the recent man-made landmass outside of Rotterdam to the shape files.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Trusted Sites Zone logon policy. You cannot manage it using mobile device management (MDM).
• This update addresses an issue that affects IE mode. A webpage stops working as expected when there is an open modal dialog.
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs if you press the left arrow key when an empty text box has the focus and caret (cursor) browsing is on.
• This update addresses app cursor issues. The cursor changes from a hand to a cursor when it should not, or the cursor disappears. These issues occur when apps use the WebView2Standalone XAML control..
• This update addresses an issue that causes IE mode to stop responding. This occurs when you have multiple IE mode tabs open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects remote direct memory access (RDMA) performance counters. They did not return networking data on VMs in the right way.
• This update addresses an issue that affects 32-bit GDI based applications. They stop responding. This occurs when they run on 64-bit Windows OSs that use more than 2GB of memory.

• This update affects Dynamic Lighting. It reduces the amount of power it uses on your device.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect the cursor when you write in Japanese. The cursor might move to an unexpected place.
• This update addresses an issue that might affect Microsoft OneNote. When you use a pen right-click to open it, that might fail.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the cursor. Its movement lags in some screen capture scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) decoder. It does not work well on some websites that set the wrong input sampling rate.
• This update addresses an issue that affects hardware that uses the PresentAt feature. Power use grows when you play a video in full screen.
• This update affects feature management. You can now prefetch velocity configs for more than one OS version. Doing that will not harm other versions. After you upgrade and your machine restarts, only the correct velocity config for the current OS version is applied.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Systems Settings application. It stops responding after you turn off Device Encryption.
• This update affects Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE). It enables Conditional Access (CA) scenarios.
• This update addresses an issue that stops you from reconnecting to an existing cloud session. Instead, you get a new one.
• This update improves how fast Copilot in Windows opens from the taskbar.
• This update addresses a leak in volatile notifications. This might stop you from signing in to your machine.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer. When you press Shift + F10, the shortcut (context) menu does not open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects File Explorer windows. When you do not expect them, they appear in the foreground.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Widgets notification badge. It is in the wrong position on the taskbar.
• This update addresses an issue that affects the Copilot in Windows icon on the taskbar. It does not show as active when Copilot in Windows is open.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows LAPS. Its PasswordExpirationProtectionEnabled policy fails to turn on the setting.
• This update addresses an issue that affects Windows Sandbox. If the locale of your machine is not US English, File Explorer stops responding.

What do you think about login into your Microsoft account to use Copilot? Let us know your opinion.