How to use Copilot Vision for on-screen help

To use Copilot Vision on desktop, start a new voice chat, select Start screen share, and choose a screen or window. Ask about what is visible, then use Stop sharing when you finish; Microsoft’s usage guide↗ (opens in a new tab) says this stops the visual feed while the voice chat continues. fenbs can keep the useful findings and next steps you choose to save after the session, so you can continue the work elsewhere.

What do you need before starting Vision?

Check the account before troubleshooting your screen. Microsoft’s getting-started guide↗ (opens in a new tab) specifies a Microsoft Copilot license with a work account, or Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, or Premium with a personal account. Its broad applicability heading should not be read as a promise that every free account has Vision.

The guide documents Windows desktop or web for sharing a screen, and the mobile app for sharing a camera. Microphone permission is required because Vision runs during a voice conversation. Individual availability can vary during rollout, so use the prerequisites for the account and experience you have.

Before sharing, open only the content needed for your question. A single application window is usually easier to explain and review than a desktop full of unrelated work. Move private messages and unrelated material out of view so you can focus on the task you actually want help with.

How do you share a screen or application window?

Start with one visible problem, such as an unfamiliar settings screen or a chart whose labels need explaining. Follow the documented desktop sequence↗ (opens in a new tab), keeping the chosen content still long enough to discuss it.

1. Sign in to Microsoft Copilot with the eligible account you intend to use.
2. In the Message Copilot prompt box, select Start a new voice chat. On Windows, Microsoft also documents the Copilot key or Win+C.
3. Select Start screen share, then choose the entire screen or a specific window.
4. Ask one spoken question about the visible content. Keep the relevant area in view while discussing it.
5. Ask follow-up questions in that conversation. Select Stop sharing when you are finished showing the screen.

Confirm the suggested action yourself before doing it. “Which control would let me review these settings?” is a useful first question because you can inspect the answer without changing anything. For a separate screenshot-based workflow, see ways to show ChatGPT your PC screen.

Can Vision click, type, or scroll for you?

No. Microsoft says Vision explains and can highlight what you share↗ (opens in a new tab), but it does not click, type, or scroll. You make the changes. Treat each instruction as advice to understand and check, especially when a button could publish, delete, or send something.

Ask for the reason behind a suggested step. If Copilot says a chart is unusual, ask which visible value supports that observation and compare it with the actual labels. If it describes a button, read that button yourself before selecting it.

• For an unfamiliar app: ask what the visible choices mean, then choose the one that fits your goal.
• For a chart: ask it to separate what is visibly shown from a possible explanation of the pattern.
• For a design review: ask for observations tied to visible elements, then decide which suggestions to accept.
• For an error: keep the exact error in view and ask for the least disruptive check you can perform first.

Our Microsoft Copilot prompts guide covers clearer requests. For Vision, the useful habit is to connect every answer to the content you can both inspect, rather than accepting broad advice that could describe any screen.

How is sharing a mobile camera different?

The mobile procedure↗ (opens in a new tab) starts in a voice conversation in the Microsoft Copilot app. Select the camera icon, point the camera at what you want help with, and ask your question. Select the camera icon again to stop sharing.

Camera permission is an additional requirement on mobile. A camera view and a desktop screen share show different things, so describe your goal before asking for instructions. Keep the relevant object or text in view and check the answer against what you can actually see.

For example, you might ask for help understanding an ordinary printed setup instruction. If the text is unclear, repeat or type the important wording yourself rather than letting a guess become the basis for the next step. For high-consequence choices, stop and use the responsible person or authoritative instructions.

What should you check if sharing is unavailable or unhelpful?

Work through the prerequisites in order. Check the signed-in account, its eligibility, and the supported device experience. Then check microphone access, since a visual session depends on voice; for a phone camera session, check camera permission as well. A missing control alone does not prove there is a service outage.

If the answer seems disconnected from your question, return the relevant content to view and ask a smaller question. Avoid rapidly switching windows while asking about a particular item. Try “What does the warning in this window say?” before asking for a complete solution.

Keep the checks you actually performed and the remaining uncertainty. A useful saved record says, for example, “Account eligibility checked; microphone permitted; screen-share option still unavailable.” That gives the next person a starting point. How fenbs works explains keeping those findings available outside one conversation.

What should you keep before the visual session ends?

Microsoft says each visual conversation is independent: earlier screens or camera input are not reused, and Vision conversations cannot be resumed. Save the useful outcome in words while you can still check the screen, rather than expecting a later session to reopen the same visual state.

Keep the problem, the steps you tried, the result, and what you would do next. Record a proposed fix as proposed until you have tested it. If you accepted a design suggestion, say which one and why, so another assistant does not treat every suggestion in the conversation as approved.

For finding ordinary earlier conversations, see Microsoft Copilot history. For the separate question of saved preferences and work information, see Microsoft Copilot memory. The AI at work hub covers more ways to preserve useful session outcomes.

How to keep your screen-session findings with fenbs?

Save what you learned so you can carry on from the same point, on any device and in another AI. The saved explanation should make sense even when the screen you shared is gone.

1. Create a free account.
2. Save the problem, the steps that worked, and what still needs checking. Leave out private material that does not belong in the saved work.
3. If you also use GitHub Copilot, connect GitHub Copilot to fenbs. It is a separate coding product from the Copilot app running Vision.
4. Ask your connected assistant to read the saved findings before continuing. Add the result of your next check before you stop.

fenbs does not capture a Vision session or read your shared screen. If all you need is immediate help and there is nothing to continue, a separate record may be unnecessary. The GitHub Copilot connection guide↗ (opens in a new tab) covers that separate coding product’s tools, rather than a connection in the ordinary Copilot app running Vision.