Microsoft Rolls Out Copilot “Press to Talk” Feature for Instant Voice Queries

Microsoft had been testing a native Copilot app for quite some time now, and the version 1.25023.106.0 finally landed for Windows Insiders around a week ago. However, it looks like the Redmond giant is now focused on adding more features to the Copilot app, as it’s now rolling out a “Press to talk” feature to let you swiftly start a new conversation.

Microsoft is rolling out a new version of the native Copilot app 1.25024.100.0 (Visit) to Windows Insiders via the Microsoft Store. The new version brings a shortcut to invoke Copilot and ask questions. All you need to do is press and hold the Alt + Space bar keyboard shortcut for two seconds. A small overlay with a blue microphone icon and settings cogwheel should appear. This will indicate that the Copilot app is active and listening.

Once done, you can end your conversation by pressing the Esc key and Copilot will end the conversation. We did try out the new feature. But there seems to be an ongoing issue with the overlay as it says “Something went wrong”. We hope Microsoft fixes this soon.

Overall, much like selecting the press and hold buttons on Android to invoke Gemini, the new Copilot shortcut should spare Windows users a couple of seconds when trying to access the Copilot app.

The feature is rolling out gradually, so you may need to wait for some time. However, if you want to try the new Copilot right now, visit the following link in your browser.

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9NHT9RB2F4HD

From here, you can download and install the latest APPX bundle, and you should have the latest version of Copilot. Grant it the required microphone and shortcut permissions and invoke it by pressing Alt + Space for two seconds.

What are your thoughts on the new “Press to talk” feature on Copilot? Is it something you’d use every day? Let us know in the comments.