- The integration of IA in File Explorer Windows 11 allows you to edit images and summarize documents from the context menu.
- These features are available in Insider builds and require specific hardware and subscriptions for some advanced features.
- AI brings convenience, speed, and security, although limitations and privacy requirements remain.
The arrival of the Artificial Intelligence a Windows 11 It marks a before and after in the way we interact with the files and tools we use daily on our computers. Surely, more than once you've wondered what your daily life would be like if you could edit images, analyze documents, or find relevant information with just a couple of clicks, without opening multiple applications or losing There between windows. Now, all of this is closer to becoming your routine thanks to the AI actions built into File Explorer.
Microsoft has taken a giant step by equipping its operating system with features that allow you to harness the potential of AI directly from the context menu.. Just right-clicking on an image or document brings up a range of smart tools designed to save time, increase convenience, and offer a much more fluid and efficient experience. Get ready to see your productivity multiply thanks to the automation and improvements that are coming—and will continue to come—to File Explorer.
What exactly are AI actions in Windows 11 File Explorer?
The AI stocks are one of the most striking new features that Microsoft has implemented in the latest builds of Windows 11. It is about smart functions accessible from the context menu (the one that appears when you right-click on a file), offering shortcuts to perform common tasks that previously required opening apps external search engines or follow several steps. Thanks to the integration of engines such as Bing Visual Search, Microsoft Paint and Copilot, you can edit images, modify documents or analyze files automatically and almost instantly.
At the moment, these functions are intended for images in formats such as JPG and PNG and for Office files (Become, Excel, PowerPoint and other supported formats). Some actions are:
- Blur the background of a photo to highlight the main object.
- Remove the background using Paint, automatically generating images with transparency.
- Delete unwanted objects in an image in an almost magical way.
- Visual search with Bing, to find information on the Internet about what you see in the image.
- Summarize Office documents and extract relevant information in seconds (requires Copilot and Microsoft 365).
All this is done without leaving File Explorer.No more opening and closing apps like Paint, Word, or Photos just to make small edits or searches: AI runs them for you, right where you manage your files.
Prerequisites for enabling AI actions
Not everyone can use these new features right away. AI Actions integration is currently only available in advanced versions of Windows 11., that is, those distributed through the Windows Insider Program. If you want to try them out before anyone else, you must meet these requirements:
- Have a Copilot+ PC; currently, this means having a computer with a Snapdragon processor, although support for AMD is expected soon Intel.
- Be enrolled in the Windows Insider Program and have selected the Dev or Beta channel.
- Have a recent build: for example, build 26200.5603 (Dev) or 26120.4151 (Beta).
- For advanced document summarization features, It is essential to have a Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription. active.
If you've met all the above requirements, all that's left to do is configure your system to start using intelligent AI actions. If you're not yet part of the Insider program, you'll have to wait a few more months until these features are publicly released.
Step-by-step guide to enabling AI actions in File Explorer
Ready to bring artificial intelligence into your everyday life in Windows 11? Here's how to enable these features in the simplest way:
- Open the menu Home and navigate to Configuration.
- Sign in Windows Update and access the section Windows Insider Program.
- Select the channel Dev o Beta, as you prefer.
- press Search for updates and make sure to install the latest Insider build available.
- Once updated, open the File Browser.
- Right-click on an image or Office document and look for the new option AI Stocks in the context menu.
If after these steps you don't see the AI actions menu, there is an alternative method to force it to activate:
- Download the tool LiveTool from GitHub.
- Unzip the folder to your desktop.
- Open the Symbol of the system as administrator and navigate to the folder where you put ViveTool.
- Run the command:
vivetool /enable /id:54792954,55345819,48433719 - Reboot the computer to apply the changes.
After the restart, when you reopen File Explorer and right-click on images or documents, you should have smart actions available.
How AI Actions Work on Images: Instant Editing and Search
Most users tend to work with images almost daily, whether for leisure, work, or study. New automatic editing features implemented by Microsoft give you the ability to quickly improve photos without editing knowledge. and with surprising results:
- Visual search with Bing: Select an image and find similar ones on the Internet to identify objects, places or people, using artificial intelligence for visual analysis.
- Blur background: Ideal for highlighting the main subject of a photograph, creating a bokeh effect with just one click.
- Delete objects: Automatically removes unwanted, distracting elements from your image without tedious manual retouching.
- Remove background with Paint: Extracts the object or person from the background in seconds, creating a perfect cutout image for presentations, creative work, or social media.
These tools are activated from the Explorer context menu itself, and its operation is extremely simple. You just need to select the file, right-click, and choose the option that best suits you. This way, you can stop relying on programs like Photoshop or photo editing apps when all you need is a quick touch-up.
Integrating AI into Office documents: summary, lists, and FAQs in seconds
The big news coming up is AI actions applied directly to Word, Excel, PowerPoint files, PDF and other compatible formatsIf you work with documents often, you'll soon be able to:
- Summarize complete documents Office files stored on OneDrive or SharePoint, without opening them. Copilot will generate a summary of the file's highlights.
- Create AI-generated lists from scattered text or data, making it easy to organize key information in seconds.
- Generate automatic FAQs (frequently asked questions and answers) based on the content of your documents, making them very useful for work teams or studies.
For now, these advanced features are available only to Microsoft 365 subscribers with Copilot. and commercial users of the Insider channel, although it is planned to activate them for individual consumers in the coming months.
The list of supported formats is extensive: .docx, .doc, .pptx, .ppt, .xlsx, .xls, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, .loop, .aspx, .htm, .html, among others. This covers virtually any document you might need to quickly analyze without leaving File Explorer.
Customizing and controlling AI actions: Can they be disabled or modified?
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether it will be possible configure or disable AI shortcuts in the context menu. Currently, there's no clear option in Windows settings to manage which shortcuts appear using AI, but Microsoft has received feedback from users and is likely to allow future updates to manage, hide, or reorder these functions according to individual preferences. This way, each user can have a context menu tailored to their needs.
This is especially relevant for those who prefer to keep their File Explorer as simple and clean as possible, or for those who have very specific needs and want to prioritize some shortcuts over others.
Advantages of AI actions: speed, convenience, and security
The main advantage of Integrate AI into File Explorer is the saving time and convenience which means having the most useful tools always at hand, without changing applications. Image editing is fast and intuitive, document organization becomes much simpler and you can access relevant information with a single click.
In addition, it is a native integration: You don't need to install third-party software or expose yourself to untrustworthy websites, which is key in a world rife with phishing and cybersecurity risks. malware related to artificial intelligence. Microsoft controls the environment and ensures regular updates to correct possible errors and continuously improve functions.
Possible drawbacks and limitations
It should be noted that while these features are promising, they are currently in beta and may be subject to some usability issues, bugs, or inconsistent operation, especially in Insider builds. Additionally, many of the more compelling features, such as automatic document summaries, require a active Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription, which adds an extra cost for home users.
In the privacy section, the use of AI involves analysis of personal data, so Microsoft ensures that it complies with international regulations such as GDPR or CCPAEven so, it's always a good idea to review the privacy policies and make sure the system is configured correctly according to your preferences.
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