Microsoft Introduces Unified Copilot Desktop App With Code and Autopilot Features

Microsoft is following the recent trends of AI “super apps” with the launch of a new Copilot desktop app that unifies the traditional chat experience, coding tasks, and agentic AI. The three experiences will appear as separate Home, Code, and Autopilot tabs in the new desktop app, which will become available in the coming weeks via Microsoft’s Frontier program.

“We’re reimagining Microsoft Copilot to enable work as it evolves: Just as Office defined productivity for the PC era, Copilot is defining work for the AI era—to help expand what every individual and every organization can accomplish in the flow of human ambition,” said Jared Spataro, Chief Marketing Officer, AI at Work, Microsoft.

In the new unified Copilot app, the Home tab will provide access to Chat and the Cowork experience that was previously introduced in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Cowork is an agentic feature that can complete multi-step tasks on its own, while the Code tab will bring the power of GitHub Copilot to this new unified app.

Spataro said that Microsoft’s goal is to make Copilot automatically choose the best feature for the task at hand. “Coming soon, you won’t need to choose a mode: simply state what you need to accomplish, and Copilot will route the work to Chat, Cowork, Code—or whichever capability is right for the job,” the exec explained.

This new Copilot app will also keep the existing Office features of the previous Microsoft 365 Copilot app. From Home, users will be able to ask the chatbot to create Office documents that can be shared with coworkers. These Copilot-created documents will also be synced with the Office apps, while tasks started in Code will also sync with the standalone GitHub Copilot service.

Autopilot, the third tab in this unified Copilot app, will provide access to Scout, Microsoft’s new personal work agent powered by OpenClaw. Spataro described Autopilot as a “digital teammate” with access to its own computer to perform tasks using an organization’s data.

“It can do things like set up and manage a full supplier review process: building the schedule and workback plan, then handling prep, meetings, and follow-ups on its own, right down to reaching out to stakeholders for updates. And Autopilot is cloud-hosted, so it keeps working while you sleep or your attention is elsewhere—no constant monitoring required,” Spataro explained.

Home and Code tabs will start rolling out to Microsoft’s unified Copilot app in the coming weeks for organizations enrolled in the Frontier program. Autopilot will become available in private preview at the end of the month.

To help organizations manage their AI spend, Microsoft is also evolving Copilot pricing. Cowork, Code, and Autopilot will run on usage-based billing, while Copilot in Chat depends on user subscription licenses.