Microsoft tests "Hey, Copilot" voice wake word on Windows

Remember “Hey Cortana”? Years after retiring its original desktop voice assistant, Microsoft is finally bringing hands-free voice wake back to Windows. This time, it is powered by generative AI.

Microsoft began rolling out an update for the Microsoft Copilot Windows app to Windows Insiders. The update, version 1.25051.10.0 and higher, introduces the wake word “Hey, Copilot.”

Whenever your PC is turned on and unlocked, saying “Hey, Copilot” triggers Copilot Voice. A floating call interface appears at the bottom of the screen alongside an audio chime to indicate it is listening. You can end the chat by clicking the on-screen X or simply by staying silent for a few seconds.

Privacy guards and technical quirks

Because an always-listening microphone on a PC raises obvious privacy red flags, Microsoft built in several guardrails.

The feature is strictly opt-in and turned off by default. Users must manually navigate to Copilot Settings, scroll down to Voice mode, and toggle the wake word listener on.

Once activated, Windows will show the microphone in use in the system tray whenever Copilot is running in the foreground, minimized, or idling in the background.

Under the hood, wake word detection happens entirely locally using an on-device spotter. The app maintains a 10-second rolling audio buffer in system memory to capture your prompt seamlessly. Microsoft noted that this buffer is never stored locally or written to disk.

Only after the wake phrase is recognized does the buffer and incoming audio get sent to the cloud for processing. If your internet drops, the local wake word will trigger, but the session will quickly fail and hang up.

Currently, the wake word is trained solely in English, rolling out first to Insiders worldwide whose Windows display language is set to English. It also does not support voice fingerprinting yet, meaning anyone in the room can trigger your unlocked PC.

Why it matters

Giving Copilot hands-free access turns it into an ambient desktop companion rather than just another pinned app.

For users deep in creative flow, coding, or gaming, barking a question without taking hands off the keyboard or mouse genuinely removes friction. However, whether it is worth enabling right away depends heavily on where you work. In an open office, talking to your PC is awkward, and the lack of voice profiles means anyone walking past your desk could trigger it.

From an industry standpoint, Microsoft is trying to finish what Cortana started a decade ago. Typing into a chatbot sidebar often feels like a chore, but an ambient voice agent that responds instantly feels like the natural evolution of computing.

That said, keeping a PC microphone permanently hot remains a high psychological barrier. Microsoft handled the technical privacy well with memory-only buffering, but until Copilot can run locally offline and recognize specific voices, many desktop users will likely keep the toggle turned off.