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What Copilot Vision does
Vision is a user-started screen-sharing feature. You choose what Copilot can see, then ask questions about the shared content or request help with a task. Microsoft’s June 2025 U.S. announcement described Vision with Highlights as a way to share something on the device and get real-time help. Its October 2025 Windows announcement described sharing either a full desktop or an individual app.
Highlights and examples
With Highlights, you can ask Copilot “show me how” to do something. Microsoft describes visual cues that point to where to click, rather than only a written set of instructions. Its published examples include “Show me how to turn on night light” and “Can you find my resume.” These are Microsoft examples, not collected search-query data.
Microsoft said that when a user shares a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file, Vision can access more context than what is currently visible on screen. That capability was described in the October 16, 2025 announcement, so it should not be assumed for every app or build. Microsoft’s examples also include “Look at my budget file and tell me how much I spent on dining last month.”
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Text interaction and editing previews
Some capabilities were announced as limited Windows Insider previews, not as universal features. On October 28, 2025, Microsoft said Insiders could type to Vision and receive text responses in the same chat window. On December 19, 2025, it described a text-editing preview in which Copilot proposes a revision for the user to review before changes are made. Microsoft said that preview required Copilot Actions, specified Windows and app versions, and excluded the European Economic Area at that rollout stage. Its sample prompts included “rewrite this to be more formal,” “make this clearer,” and “simplify this text.”
How to start or stop sharing
Microsoft’s July 22, 2025 instructions describe this flow in Copilot on Windows:
- Open Copilot.
- Select the glasses icon to start Vision.
- Choose the browser window or app you want to share.
- Ask a question about the shared content or request guidance.
- When finished, select Stop or the X to end sharing.
Microsoft’s later announcement also describes sharing a full desktop. The exact interface and available choices may differ with app updates and rollout status. In either case, the described interaction begins with the user selecting what to share; it is not the periodic background capture described for Recall.
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- Instant Copilot. Unlock new possibilities with the dedicated Copilot key, which gives you instant access to experiences that can enhance your productivity¹.
- Enhance your experience With the new microphone mute key and snipping key
- Full keyboard experience. Features a full mechanical keyset, backlit keys, and a large trackpad for precise navigation and control. Optimal key spacing allows fast, fluid typing.
- Slim and compact Performs like a traditional, full-size keyboard.
- Clicks in place instantly Use in combination with the Surface Pro (11th Edition), Pro 9 and Pro 8* kickstand for a perfect laptop experience anywhere.
Vision and Recall are different features
| Comparison | Copilot Vision | Windows Recall |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Live analysis or guidance on content the user chooses to share, according to Microsoft’s Vision announcements. | A searchable history built from periodic screen snapshots, according to Microsoft’s Recall announcement. |
| What is captured | The user selects an app, window, or desktop for a sharing session. The reviewed Vision statements do not establish a complete data lifecycle. | Periodic snapshots and associated data are described in Microsoft’s September 27, 2024 architecture post. |
| Persistence | Microsoft says sharing can be stopped; the reviewed material does not establish whether or how Vision data is retained or processed after the session. | Designed to save snapshots for later browsing and search; Microsoft says the data is stored locally and describes controls to pause, filter, and delete snapshots. |
| Access controls | Microsoft describes user selection and the ability to stop sharing. The cited material does not specify Vision-specific authentication or encryption architecture. | Microsoft says access is tied to Windows Hello, TPM-protected keys, and a Virtualization-based Security Enclave. |
| Availability and device scope | Microsoft’s October 16, 2025 post said it was available where Copilot was offered on Windows 11 devices where Copilot was available; availability may change by market, app update, and rollout. | Announced for Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft’s planned broad preview was redirected to Windows Insiders before later rollout timing updates. |
In October 2025, the Associated Press reported on criticism from privacy and security experts and quoted Microsoft executive Yusuf Mehdi saying Vision was “not a replacement for Recall.” The distinction matters: Vision is presented as live help for content a user shares, while Recall was designed to preserve a searchable record of past screen activity. The criticism and rollout reversal do not, by themselves, demonstrate that Vision has Recall’s architecture or behavior.
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Microsoft announced Recall as a Copilot+ PC feature that periodically captures what appears on screen to create an explorable visual timeline and searchable history. Following feedback about setup clarity, privacy, and security, Microsoft changed the planned rollout and announced additional safeguards. In a June 7, 2024 update, Windows + Devices executive vice president Pavan Davuluri wrote: “Even before making Recall available to customers, we have heard a clear signal that we can make it easier for people to choose to enable Recall on their Copilot+ PC and improve privacy and security safeguards.”
- Opt-in, off by default: Microsoft said Recall would not be enabled unless a user chose to turn it on.
- Windows Hello access: Microsoft said users would need to enroll in Windows Hello and prove their presence to access Recall’s timeline or search.
- Encryption protections: Microsoft announced just-in-time decryption and encryption of the search index database.
- Staged rollout: On June 13, 2024, Microsoft said the planned broad preview for June 18 would instead begin with Windows Insiders. The post was later updated to move the preview timing to October and then December 2024.
The Associated Press reported in October 2025 that Recall drew criticism from privacy and security experts and took about a year before beginning to roll out. That chronology supports describing a substantial change in Microsoft’s launch plan; it does not establish that a specific exploit occurred.
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What Microsoft says about Recall security—and what that proves
In a September 27, 2024 post about Recall’s security and privacy architecture, Microsoft said snapshots and associated data are encrypted and stored locally. It described access protections tied to Windows Hello, TPM-protected keys, and a Virtualization-based Security Enclave, along with controls to pause, filter, and delete snapshots. Microsoft also said supported InPrivate browsing is not saved.
These are Microsoft’s statements about Recall. They are not an independent security audit, and they are not a Vision-specific privacy statement. The cited Vision material explains what a user may share and how to stop sharing, but it does not establish Vision’s full retention, processing, or post-session data lifecycle. It would therefore be inaccurate to assume Vision stores data locally, uses Recall’s encryption design, or retains no data after a session.
Which PCs and markets can use Vision?
Microsoft’s October 16, 2025 announcement said Copilot Vision was available in all markets where Copilot was offered and on Windows 11 devices where Copilot was available. Its June 12, 2025 announcement had described an earlier U.S. rollout for Windows 10 or 11. These are dated rollout statements, not a guarantee that every market, app version, or device has the same capabilities today.
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- Instant Copilot. Unlock new possibilities with the dedicated Copilot key, which gives you instant access to experiences that can enhance your productivity¹.
- Enhance your experience With the new microphone mute key and snipping key
- Full keyboard experience. Features a full mechanical keyset, backlit keys, and a large trackpad for precise navigation and control. Optimal key spacing allows fast, fluid typing.
- Slim and compact Performs like a traditional, full-size keyboard.
- Clicks in place instantly Use in combination with the Surface Pro (11th Edition), Pro 9 and Pro 8* kickstand for a perfect laptop experience anywhere.
The later text-input and editing functions described above were Insider previews with their own requirements and regional limits. Do not infer that Vision requires a Copilot+ PC: that hardware category is associated with Recall in the cited announcements, not established as a Vision requirement. Check the current Copilot app and Windows experience on your device for the options actually offered.
What the available numbers do—and do not—say
Microsoft’s October 2025 post cited a Microsoft-commissioned online study in which 68% of U.S. consumers age 13 or older reported using AI to support decision-making. Edelman DXI and Assembly conducted the study with 1,000 participants in July 2025. This is a company-commissioned survey, not an independent Vision performance or adoption measure.
The same Microsoft post said first-party data from March through August 2025 showed voice users engaged with Copilot twice as much as text users, but the passage did not provide detailed methodology. That figure does not establish that Vision improves productivity or works more accurately. Microsoft’s reference to a 40+ TOPS NPU describes Copilot+ PC platform hardware; it is not a Copilot Vision performance result.
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