Microsoft Is Turning Windows Into An ‘agentic Os,’ Starting With The Taskbar

Microsoft is trying to toggle shape Windows into a “canvas for AI,” pinch caller AI agents integrated into nan Windows 11 taskbar. These caller taskbar capabilities are designed to make AI agents consciousness for illustration an adjunct successful Windows that tin spell disconnected and power your PC and do tasks for you astatine nan click of a button. It’s portion of a broader overhaul of Windows to move nan operating strategy into an “agentic OS.”

“This is each astir america wanting to make judge that each personification tin get nan superpowers of AI,” says Navjot Virk, firm vice president of Windows experiences, successful an question and reply pinch The Verge.

Microsoft is integrating a assortment of AI agents straight into nan Windows 11 taskbar, including its ain Microsoft 365 Copilot and third-party options. “This integration isn’t conscionable astir adding agents; it’s astir making them portion of nan OS experience,” says Windows main Pavan Davuluri.

Agents will beryllium capable to do things for illustration investigation information successful nan inheritance while you activity connected thing else, aliases entree files and folders connected your PC to automate a boring and time-consuming admin task you person to do astatine work. Once you inquire an AI supplier to spell do immoderate tasks for you, nan supplier will displacement into nan taskbar and tally successful nan background. “You tin hover connected nan taskbar icon astatine immoderate clip to spot what nan supplier is doing,” explains Virk.

The AI supplier integration is portion of nan caller Ask Copilot characteristic successful nan taskbar, which combines nan existing section record hunt pinch Copilot capabilities. “Not only do you get lightning-fast hunt for files and settings, you tin now commencement a speech pinch Microsoft 365 Copilot and besides motorboat AI agents straight from nan taskbar,” explains Virk.

Microsoft has moreover added caller taskbar capabilities to these agents truthful you tin glimpse astatine them to spot nan position of immoderate they’re moving connected successful nan background. A floating model will besides look to interact pinch agents aliases Microsoft 365 Copilot, alternatively of a afloat app.

If an supplier needs attraction aliases completes a task, it will notify you and update its authorities connected nan taskbar. There are badges connected nan AI supplier taskbar icons that show you visually that an supplier is progressing pinch a task: a yellowish exclamation constituent erstwhile it needs help, aliases a greenish tick for erstwhile it has completed something.

If you don’t want AI agents connected nan taskbar, you don’t person to alteration this feature. “These experiences are designed to beryllium opt-in, we want customers to person afloat power complete erstwhile and really they prosecute pinch Copilot and these agents,” says Virk.

Developers will yet deliberation up a batch of usage cases for these agents, and Microsoft is doing a batch of nan platform-level activity to make them possible. AI supplier capabilities are being embedded into halfway parts of Windows thanks to Model Context Protocol (MCP). “Essentially what they do is springiness america a standardized model that allows these agents to observe devices and observe different agents done a unafraid managed on-device registry,” says Davuluri. “It besides gives us, nan Windows team, nan expertise to supply devices successful an agentic model for these agents to spell and consume.”

AI agents will besides person their ain workspace, abstracted to your Windows 11 desktop. “It’s a contained policy-controlled auditable execution environment,” says Davuluri. “It gives america a spot wherever nan agents tin run pinch package successful an analogous manner to what group do.” Agent workspace is for illustration a sandbox for AI agents, wherever each supplier operates utilizing its ain Windows account. This is each in nan sanction of security, and astir apt because AI models aren’t ever meticulous truthful you’ll want that activity abstracted to your main Windows session.

While agents successful nan taskbar is simply a large caller AI summation to Windows 11, it’s not nan only measurement Microsoft is reimagining nan operating strategy into what it calls an “agentic OS.” Microsoft is besides bringing Copilot into File Explorer arsenic portion of this work. “What we want to do is make it moreover much convenient to get highly contextual and deeper Copilot thief successful Windows surfaces that you already usage a lot, for illustration nan File Explorer,” says Virk.

Copilot integration successful File Explorer lets Windows 11 users summarize a archive successful 1 click, reply questions astir files, aliases draught emails based connected nan contented of a document.

Click to Do is besides being improved connected Copilot Plus PCs, allowing you to person immoderate array you spot connected nan web aliases anyplace other connected your PC into an Excel document. You tin past freely manipulate nan information and adhd caller columns. While Click To Do uses section AI models connected a Copilot Plus PC, erstwhile that information is successful Excel you tin modify it utilizing cloud-powered AI models done Copilot and Agent Mode.

This hybrid operation of section AI (Copilot Plus PC) and cloud-powered AI (Copilot) seems to beryllium wherever Microsoft is heading pinch its Windows AI features. A caller penning assistance characteristic is entering preview that lets you rewrite and constitute successful immoderate matter container successful Windows 11, and it moreover has offline support connected Copilot Plus PCs.

Outlook is besides getting AI-generated summaries, and Word is getting automatic alt-text for images successful Office documents. Microsoft is besides moving connected a caller “fluid dictation” characteristic for Windows that turns reside into matter pinch correct grammar and punctuation.

This hybrid operation of AI is moreover much evident successful Microsoft’s Windows 365 service. These unreality PCs — that tin beryllium accessed done Windows 11, a web browser, aliases mobile apps — see Copilot Plus features and besides person entree to nan main cloud-powered Copilot features.

If you’re not willing successful nan AI additions to Windows, Microsoft besides has immoderate IT-focused additions astatine its Ignite convention this week. Hardware-accelerated BitLocker is connected nan measurement adjacent year, and will require next-generation Windows devices that are built connected unannounced chips. “Hardware acceleration of BitLock requires nan capacity successful nan silicon platform,” says Davuluri. “As and erstwhile those capabilities are available, nan OS will beryllium capable to unlock them for users.”

Sysmon functionality is besides being integrated into Windows successful early 2026. It will make information events disposable successful nan arena log and make it easier for information teams to negociate Windows systems. Microsoft is besides launching Windows Hello’s ocular refresh and caller passkey head integration, which useful pinch Microsoft Password Manager successful Edge, 1Password, and Bitwarden.