Hey everyone,
While Copilot is a big deal on Windows 11, did you know you can get it running smoothly on your Mac too? The trick is to use the Microsoft Copilot app designed for iOS, which works great on macOS. This way you’re not stuck using a web browser all the time.
Although you can always access Copilot via browsers like Edge, Chrome, or Safari by going to copilot.microsoft.com or using Bing Chat, the app provides quicker access plus some extra features, especially if you use Microsoft Edge.
It’s pretty cool that you can install the Microsoft Copilot app on your Mac even though it was made for iPhones and iPads. This makes interacting with Copilot much more efficient. Let’s jump into how to set it up.
Installing Microsoft Copilot on Mac
- First, open the App Store on your Mac.
- Next, in the search bar, type in Microsoft Copilot.
- Now, switch to the ‘iPhone and iPad Apps’ tab, and install the first app that pops up in the list.
- Once it’s installed, open the app and click on Continue.
You can start using Copilot right away without signing in. But, signing in with your Microsoft account gives you longer chat sessions (up to 30 responses per chat) and keeps your chat history synced across all your devices.
- To sign in, click on Sign in at the top-left corner of the app.
- Then, click Sign in again and type in your Microsoft account details.
Using Microsoft Copilot on Mac
Once you’re signed in, you’re all set to start using Copilot on your Mac. By default, Copilot uses the GPT-3.5 model and the responses are set to a ‘More Balanced’ tone.
- To start chatting, just type your question or request into the text field and hit Enter.
- Copilot will then process your question and give you a response, along with the source links. Click a source to go to the website.
- You can have up to 30 messages per conversation before you need to start a new one.
- Copilot automatically names each chat based on what you’re talking about. To rename a chat, click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, and select Rename.
- If you want to delete a chat from your history, choose Delete from the same menu. Be aware it will delete right away without asking you to confirm.
- To see your previous chats, click the three-dot menu and choose Chat History.
- Instead of typing, you can use your voice. Click the Microphone icon, and make sure you give Copilot permission to use your Mac’s microphone.
- To switch back to typing, click the Keyboard icon.
- You can also upload photos for Copilot to analyze. Click the Camera icon, and again, grant permission to access your camera.
- Choose to either take a photo with your camera or upload one from your photo library.
- After the image is uploaded, type or speak your question and send it to Copilot.
Switching the Model/ Tone
You can tweak Copilot’s model and tone to match what you need. Copilot lets you use the GPT-4 model for free, but you can only change these settings when you start a new chat.
- If you’re already in a conversation, hit the New Topic button at the bottom-left to start a new chat.
- To use the GPT-4 model, turn on the Use GPT-4 toggle. When using GPT-4, Copilot automatically sets the tone to ‘More creative’. Just be aware that GPT-4 might be slower than GPT-3.5.
- Once you’ve chosen GPT-4, you can use Copilot as normal. Keep in mind the 30 responses per chat limit still applies.
- To change the tone of Copilot’s responses, start a new chat, click the three-dot menu and pick Show All Tones.
- Pick from ‘More creative’, ‘More balanced’, or ‘More precise’ for your desired tone.
So, even though there’s no specific Microsoft Copilot app for Mac, the iPad version works great, letting you access its AI tools on your Mac. Copilot is handy for writing, research, and a ton of other stuff, making you way more productive.