Copilot alternative for Windows: what each assistant does, and how to choose

People look for a Copilot alternative for different reasons. Some want something that does the job instead of explaining it. Some want an assistant they talk to like a person. Some just want the Copilot button off their taskbar. Whatever brought you here, the quickest way to choose is to know what each kind of assistant on Windows is built to do.

This guide sticks to what each maker says its product does, and shows you how to try the free options that are already on your PC.

What Copilot on Windows does

Microsoft describes Copilot on Windows as an assistant you type or talk to. On its support pages, Microsoft says Copilot can find, open and answer questions about files on your device, take screenshots, show web pages in a side pane, and guide you to the relevant option in Windows Settings. You can start it with "Hey, Copilot" once you turn that on, and with Copilot Vision it can look at a window you choose to share and help you step by step.

On new Windows 11 PCs the Copilot app comes installed. You can use it with a personal Microsoft account or a work or school account, and Microsoft says signing in with a personal account adds chat history, longer conversations and voice.

If you would rather it was not on your taskbar, right click the Copilot icon and unpin it. To remove the app, open Settings › Apps › Installed apps, find Copilot, and choose Uninstall. You can always install it again from the Microsoft Store.

Three kinds of assistant on Windows

Most of the confusion goes away once you split assistants by what they hand back to you:

• A chat assistant answers. You ask, it replies with words, a summary or a file. Copilot is this kind. It is the right pick when you want an explanation, a draft or a quick fact.
• Voice control follows your commands. You say each step and the PC does that step. Voice access in Windows 11 is this kind. It is the right pick when you want to use the computer without the mouse and keyboard.
• A desktop assistant does the whole job. You say what you want once, and it goes through the steps in your apps and tells you when it is done. It is the right pick when you want the result and do not care about the clicks in between.

A simple test: think of "make the text bigger". A chat assistant tells you where the setting is. Voice control lets you say "open Settings", "click Accessibility", "click Text size" and so on. A desktop assistant makes the text bigger.

How to turn on voice access in Windows 11

Voice access is built into Windows 11, version 22H2 and later. It lets you open apps, click, scroll and dictate text by speaking. It is a way of driving the computer with your voice: you say each step, and it carries that step out.

1. Open Settings › Accessibility › Speech. A quick way in is Win + I, then Accessibility in the list on the left.
2. Turn on the Voice access switch.
3. The first time, choose a language and let Windows download its speech files. This one download needs an internet connection; after it, voice access works without one.
4. Pick your microphone when it asks, and finish the short setup.
5. If you want it every time, tick the box to start voice access after you sign in.

Say "Voice access wake up" to have it listen and "Voice access sleep" to make it stop. Alt + Shift + B switches between the two from the keyboard. If it does not hear you, check Settings › Privacy & security › Microphone and make sure microphone access is on.

A good first test: say "Open Notepad", then dictate a sentence. If the words come out right, the microphone and the speech files are both working.

How to choose

• You mostly want answers, drafts and summaries: a chat assistant such as Copilot.
• You want to drive the PC by voice, or you need a hands-free way in: voice access.
• You want everyday jobs done for you, like changing a setting, finding a file or tidying a folder: a desktop assistant.

They do not exclude each other. You can keep Copilot for questions, use voice access for dictation, and add a desktop assistant for the jobs in between. If you only need to find a setting once, our free Windows and Mac settings finder shows where each one lives.

A desktop assistant that does the job: Key

If the third kind is what you are after, there is Key.

Key is a free personal assistant that lives on your computer, on Windows 10 and 11 and on any Mac with macOS 11 Big Sur or newer. You speak to it or type to it, and it opens your apps, finds your files and changes your settings, then tells you what it did. It works in the real windows you already use and presses the real buttons; there is nothing to connect first.

Half a sentence is enough: "Turn the brightness down", "Make the text bigger", "Where did that download go?", "Mute everything". Before it reports, it reads the result back, and when it could not check, it says so. It never deletes for good, never types a password, and stops before paying until you say yes.

It is free to download, with no card and no trial. More: what a desktop assistant can do and is it safe to let an assistant use your computer.

Questions people ask

Is Copilot free on Windows?

Microsoft offers Copilot on Windows for free, with extras such as higher limits in paid Microsoft 365 plans. Check Microsoft's own pages for what each plan includes today.

How do I remove Copilot from the taskbar?

Right click the Copilot icon on the taskbar and choose to unpin it. You can also uninstall the Copilot app from Settings, Apps, Installed apps.

Can I use voice access and Copilot together?

Yes. They are separate features. Voice access controls the PC by voice, step by step, and Copilot answers questions in a chat.

What does Copilot Vision do?

Microsoft says Copilot Vision can see a window or app you choose to share and then answer questions about it or help you do something step by step.

Do I need a Microsoft account for Copilot?

You can use it with a personal Microsoft account or a work or school account. Microsoft says signing in with a personal account adds chat history, image creation, longer conversations and voice.