How to use Copilot Plugins on Windows 11

The launch of Microsoft Copilot is here - and it's very exciting for organisations of all sizes!

There are some important things to know and in order to experience the true benefits of Microsoft Copilot, you must complete ALL background security policies around data governance and access permissions – otherwise lots of potential sensitive data could be available and accessible!

Instead of jumping in blindly, it’s important to assess your readiness. Our expert team at CSG can help support your business throughout the entire process for no cost at all – that’s right, no cost. Here is our guide on how to get started with Copilot plugins on Windows 11…

Microsoft’s Copilot not only responds to queries by utilising data from the web but also has the capability to interface with various plugins for interacting with different services. This tutorial will walk you through the process of initiating usage of this functionality.

Copilot’s plugins are compact applications that enable Microsoft’s chatbot AI to broaden its functionalities by linking up with chatbots from various services, providing supplementary experiences. For instance, while Copilot can locate and suggest restaurants, the “OpenTable” plugin can enhance recommendations and streamline the process of making reservations online.

Built upon OpenAI’s technology, these plugins differ from those designed for ChatGPT. Microsoft extends plugins as a complimentary feature for both Copilot (free) and Copilot Pro subscribers. Although enterprise plugins are available, the following instructions cater to consumers. This step-by-step guide will detail the process of activating and utilising plugins with Copilot on Windows 11. As these instructions pertain to the web version of the chatbot, you may find them applicable for implementing the feature on various supported platforms as well.

How to use plugins on Copilot

To start using Copilot plugins, use these steps:

1. Open Copilot (web) or on Bing.
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
3. Click the New topic button.

• Quick note: Copilot requires you to terminate any current conversation before you can enable a plugin.

4. Click the Plugins tab on the top-right corner.
5. Turn on the toggle switch for the plugins you want to use:

(Image credit: Mauro Huculak)

• Instacart: Provides recipes and discovers the ingredients you need, and it helps you to have it all delivered from local stores.
• Kayak: Search flights, hotels, and rental cars or get place recommendations.
• Klarna: Searches and compares prices from many online retailers.
• OpenTable: Provides restaurant recommendations and makes it easy to make reservations.
• Shop: Searches online products, similar to Klarna.
• Suno: Provides access to AI to create songs with a single prompt.

6. Compose the question that Copilot will use with the plugin. For example, “Use Klarna to search for the best price on an Xbox Series X.”

7. Click the Submit button.

Once you complete the steps, Copilot will connect with the plugin to generate the response.

Here are some important things to note when using Copilot – remember to get in touch with our team today to learn more about any of these points raised!

• You must sign in to access the plugin feature, let us help set up an account for you today.
• Plugins are expected to arrive in the version of Copilot on Windows 11, but it’s only possible to configure the feature from the web at the time of this writing.
• Copilot only allows you to enable up to three plugins at once in addition to the default search plugin, allowing the chatbot to interact with data from the internet.
• If you turn off the “Search” plugin, Copilot won’t have access to the internet. So, you can use this option to test the chatbot capabilities without access to recent content from the web.
• To ensure the plugin works, you can ask Copilot: Are you connected to the (plugin-name) plugin? 
• It’s not possible to turn on two similar plugins. For instance, enabling “Klarna”and “Shop” will result in an error, and the chatbot will make you choose between the two.
• Although plugins are enabled in the web version of Copilot, you won’t be able to access them from the chatbot interface on Windows 11. (At least not yet.)
• When composing a prompt, specify that you want to use a specific plugin. I have tried to ask a particular question that will require the use of the plugin, but Copilot responded with an answer without using the plugin.

CSG are your IT, Cyber Security and Telephony experts – whatever your question, we’ll have a solution. Get in touch today!