Revolutionizing Productivity: Microsoft's Click to Do Feature for Windows 11

In a world where efficiency and productivity reign supreme, Microsoft is rolling out a fresh feature tailored to power users and multitaskers alike: Click to Do. This innovative tool is available for preview on Windows 11 for those equipped with Copilot+ capabilities. It offers an impressive suite of actions to streamline interactions with whatever content graces your screen. Let’s dive into what Click to Do is all about and how it stands to change the way you work on your PC.

What is Click to Do?​

Click to Do is all about getting more done, swiftly and intuitively. Imagine you have a page of information open: an email, a document, or even a webpage filled with resources. Instead of switching between applications or windows endlessly, this feature allows you to interact directly with the content visible on your screen.
By analyzing text and images, Click to Do presents you with contextual actions to facilitate your workflow. This functionality hinges on local processing—meaning everything takes place right on your device, ensuring privacy and security. Your interactions will cause a blue-and-white cursor to appear, indicating that Click to Do is active and ready to assist.

Powerful Actions at Your Fingertips​

Here’s where it gets interesting. What can you do once Click to Do is activated? Depending on whether you select text or an image, a variety of options unfolds before you:

Text Actions​

• Copy: Grab selected text and copy it to your clipboard. Pretty standard, but essential.
• Open with: Opens the text in an editor like Notepad.
• Search the web: Performs a web search for the highlighted text via your default browser.

For users on supported devices, thanks to the Phi Silica small language model, more advanced capabilities are present:

• Summarize: Condenses the selected text into a brief summary.
• Rewrite (Casual/Formal): Alters the selected text to suit different tones.

Additionally, it recognizes data types such as email addresses and web links, enabling actions like sending emails or opening websites directly.

Image Actions​

When you select an image, the options transform, allowing you to:

• Copy: Copy the image to the clipboard.
• Save as: Designate a location to save the image.
• Share/Open with various apps like Photos or Snipping Tool.
• Visual Search with Bing: Conduct a visual search in your default web browser.
• Editing Features: Use Photos or Paint to blur backgrounds or erase unwanted objects.

Getting Started with Click to Do​

To kick off your experience with Click to Do, simply press the Windows logo key + a mouse click or the Windows logo key + Q. You could also access it via the Snipping Tool for additional functionality. It’s as easy as that!

Focus on Privacy​

In today’s digital landscape, privacy concerns loom large. Click to Do respects this by processing actions directly on your device, ensuring no content from your screen sticks around post-action. If you opt to share information, Click to Do creates temporary files only when needed—these are wiped clean once the task is completed.
Furthermore, intelligent actions utilizing the Phi Silica model are designed with privacy in mind, relying on secure cloud processing but ensuring that the data is not retained for longer than necessary.

The Technology Behind Click to Do​

The magic of Click to Do lies in its use of optical character recognition (OCR), which powers the detection of text from your screen. By processing actions locally on Copilot+ PCs and combining this with advanced AI through Phi Silica, Microsoft offers a robust user experience that caters to various tasks—all while remaining energy efficient.

Why It Matters​

With technology constantly evolving and demanding our attention, having tools like Click to Do can significantly reduce friction in daily workflows. Imagine the productivity boost from being able to change the tone of an email or summarize data as easily as clicking on a screen. Moreover, it showcases Microsoft’s push toward integrating AI responsibly, providing users with powerful tools that respect privacy while enhancing usability.

Conclusion​

As we witness the rollout of Click to Do, it’s clear that Microsoft is acutely aware of user needs in a fast-paced, information-heavy world. This feature’s blend of simplicity and complexity provides a promising glimpse into the future of Windows user experience. With Click to Do, get ready to work smarter, not harder!
By adopting these innovations, Windows users have yet another feather in their cap—making mundane tasks a little less mundane and ushering in a new era of interactive capabilities right at your fingertips. Are you ready to take advantage of Click to Do? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

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Source: Microsoft Support Click to Do: do more with what’s on your screen - Microsoft Support