This week, Microsoft dropped a bit of a tech bombshell: they’re bringing Copilot, previously a Windows 11 exclusive, to the trusty Windows 10. That’s right, the same OS that’s humming away on a whopping billion devices out there.
Not ready to jump ship to Windows 11 but itching to test drive Microsoft’s latest AI sidekick? You’re in luck. Here’s the lowdown on snagging Copilot for your Windows 10 setup pronto. Big thanks to Albacore @thebookisclosed over on X for the scoop. Or, if you’re the play-it-safe type, you can hang tight and let Microsoft roll it out to your system when it’s good and ready. The update needed for this is on the horizon for the Stable Channel, but keep in mind, Copilot’s not in a rush – its rollout is a slow and steady affair.
Fancy getting Copilot up and running on Windows 10? You’ll need to join the Windows Insiders Program, do a bit of registry editing, and use a third-party app for some OS tweaks. But hey, if the thought of bugs or deep system changes gives you the jitters, maybe sit this one out. Remember, Windows 10 is pretty rock-solid, and updates from the Release Preview rarely cause a stir, but it’s always smart to err on the side of caution. And a friendly reminder: back up your crucial data before diving into any tech experiments!
Enabling Copilot on Windows 10 step by step
Ready to unleash Copilot on your Windows 10 system? Follow these steps to get set up:
- Update Windows 10: Make sure you’re running build 19045.3754 or newer. As of this guide, it’s available in the Release Preview Channel but should be accessible to all Windows 10 users soon.
- Update Microsoft Edge: Head to edge://settings/help in your browser and install any updates waiting there.
- Get ViVeTool: Download it from GitHub and extract the files to a folder you can easily access.
- Use Command Prompt: Launch Command Prompt as an Administrator and navigate to the ViVeTool folder. For example, if it’s in C:\Vive, you’d type CD C:\Vive.
- Enable features: In Command Prompt, type vivetool /enable /id:46686174,47530616,44755019 and hit Enter.
- Restart your PC: This ensures the changes take effect.
- Access Windows Registry: Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter to open the Registry Editor.
- Modify Registry: Go to Computer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Copilot\BingChat. Double-click IsUserEligible and change its value from 0 to 1. Remember, you need to be logged into your Microsoft Account for this to stick.
- Restart again: This applies the registry change.
- Enable Copilot in taskbar: Right-click your taskbar and select “Show Copilot (preview) button.” The Copilot icon will pop up next to the notification center, provided your taskbar isn’t on the left or right of your screen.
Microsoft has plans to roll out Copilot to computers that are part of the Release Preview Channel and are operating on Windows 10, version 22H2. There’s a catch, though: this rollout is specifically for the Home and Pro editions of the OS. However, if you’re using a Windows 10 Pro machine that’s under the wing of an organization, you might have to wait a bit longer, as these systems aren’t included in the initial wave of the Copilot distribution.
