An important feature returns to the Windows Copilot application. You can give direct links to the operating system settings. The new feature, officially called “Direct Access to Settings,” is starting to roll out to users across all Windows Insider channels.
Now, if you ask Copilot a question related to your PC settings, it won’t just give you the answer. It will give you a direct link to the corresponding Windows Settings page. This helps make Copilot more of an assistant for you on your Windows computer. This is also a huge improvement, as the one thing that has always been a bit clunky about Copilot is that its integration with core Windows features sometimes seemed lacking.
Previously, you could ask Copilot to open an app, which was great, but finding a specific setting often remained a manual task. Microsoft has given some very practical examples of how this works. You can ask Copilot to “Make my screen easier to read” or “Help me focus by reducing distractions,” and the AI assistant will immediately guide you to the specific Windows settings page.
Another example shows that if you ask a question such as why your screen is too dark, Copilot will give you a link to where you can adjust the brightness. The AI even gives simplified advice on checking things like battery saver or night light settings. It’s more like Cortana, but I’ve had nothing but problems with that, so I hope Copilot will be much more useful.
In general, I don’t like how intrusive Copilot is, but I don’t like the Windows settings interface even more. It’s difficult to navigate and I tend to use Google to figure out what to search for, so making Copilot more of an assistant for navigating the settings is actually quite welcome.
Some may remember that the ability to control or link to Windows Settings was actually a core feature of an earlier version of Copilot on Windows 11. It was removed at some point, likely due to operational issues. This makes the current announcement seem less like a brand new feature and more like a welcome return of genuinely useful features that got lost in the shuffle.
You can still use Copilot for everything it’s typically used for, but if you want to use this particular feature, you’ll need to be an insider or wait for an official release. This new feature arrives via the update of the Copilot application (version 1.25095.161) which is distributed via the Microsoft Store on all Insider channels.
If you’re not part of the Insider program, you may have to wait a little longer. This could appear for general users by the end of 2025, but that’s really just a guess.
Source: Windows Blog
