Criticized as an Edge shell and with memory usage up to 1GB, Microsoft’s native Copilot application in Win11 sparks heated discussions.

On December 25, 2024, news broke that Microsoft’s native Copilot application for Windows 11 sparked heated discussions. Last year, Microsoft introduced Copilot on Windows 11 as a replacement for Cortana. Initially integrated into the sidebar, it was later changed to a web application and underwent four revisions. Now, the new version of the Copilot application is fully open and can be downloaded and experienced through the Microsoft App Store. However, many users have reported a less than satisfactory experience. It is accused of being a shell for Edge, with memory usage as high as 1GB. The new Copilot application is bundled with the WebView2 framework, and its core functions are still loaded through a web page based on Microsoft Edge’s WebView. In addition, its shortcut key Alt + Space has also sparked controversy as it has already been used by other applications. Windows Latest commented that Copilot does not truly reflect the value of Microsoft’s cooperation with OpenAI and falls short of users’ expectations for “native.” Users are also disappointed with it.