How to Try Microsoft’s Circle to Copilot Feature
Last month, Google introduced Search Circle , an AI-powered feature that lets you circle objects on your screen to perform a search. It’s an intuitive way to start searching for anything that catches your eye on your phone, be it a line of text, a unique building, or a pair of sneakers.
The idea is so intuitive that Microsoft is “borrowing” it for its platforms. Earlier this month, a Windows report found that Microsoft is testing a circle feature for search in Microsoft Edge called Circle to Copilot. The company is now working to integrate this feature into screenshots in a feature appropriately named Screenshot to Copilot .
X (formerly Twitter) user Leopeva64 was the first to discover a screenshot version of this feature . If this feature is enabled, you can initiate a screenshot and then draw a circle with the right mouse button. When you circle correctly, you will see “Co-Pilot Screenshot” on the screen. Release the right mouse button and Edge will share its selection with Copilot. From here, you can share any additional context or questions with Copilot before hitting the submit button.
How to try Circle to Copilot
Microsoft is currently testing Circle for Copilot and then Screenshot for Copilot. Because this feature is in development, you won’t see it when you open Edge on your computer.
However, you can try Circle to Copilot in advance. The feature is available as part of Edge Canary, a version of the browser in which Microsoft tests new features before sharing them with the general public. To get started, go to the official Microsoft Edge Insider Channel page and download Edge Canary on your computer. (Edge Canary is also available on macOS, but this feature does not appear to be implemented yet.)
Once downloaded and installed, open Edge Canary, then go to Settings > Appearance . In the latest version of Canary, you should find a new Circle to Copilot section here where you can enable both “Enable Circle to Copilot” on the web page and “Enable Circle to Copilot on the screen “. (In previous versions, these options were under Mouse Gesture > Customize Mouse Gesture .) You can also customize Co-Pilot Circle using the Customize Co-Pilot Circle option and be able to set a keyboard shortcut for this feature.
Leopeva64 says that Circle to Copilot on a web page allows you to search within the browser, and the Enable Circle to Copilot on screen option allows you to search on any element on the screen, even outside of Edge. However, they caution that it hasn’t worked very well so far.
If you don’t see the “Search Circle” at all, you may need to adjust the application properties as shown in the Windows report . All you need to do is right-click the Edge Canary shortcut on your desktop, select Properties , then paste the following into the Target field: –enable-features=msEdgeCircleToSearchDefaultEnabled,msEdgeCircleToSearchSupported