Are you curious about unlocking shortcuts to get Windows AI features? Let’s get started. Microsoft has started integrating AI shortcuts or AI actions into File Explorer in Windows 11. These shortcuts allow the users to right-click on any document or file and easily use AI features on Windows like blurring background of a picture, erasing any object or summarising content from office files.
In this guide, you will be able to understand how you can run the four AI actions on a supported image. This will also provide insights into the new features adopted in Windows Explorer.
Four AI Actions
Dev Channel builds of Windows 11 have tested Four AI actions recently. They enable users to use advanced features on their files without opening them. This includes:
- Searching for similar images with Bing Visual Search- This action initiates a web search on the image to extract the details regarding the file, identify similar pictures and find out landmarks and other elements.
- Blurring the background of an image- This action opens the photos application that automatically find the background of the image. Now users can decide to blur background to keep the subject in focus. Users can also get the outcomes by adjusting the intensity of the blur or applying the Brush tool to refine the blurred area.
- Removing objects from an image- In this action, the photos application is opened but you have to select an object in the image that you wish to remove. The generative erase feature removes the object from the image easily.
- Automatically discarding an object from the background- This action opens Paint on the system through which you can remove the background from a picture. However, you have a clear segregation of the subject. The tool attempts to automatically segregate the subject from the image. If it does not work, then you can apply the selection tool to manually manage the process.
Future Goals of Microsoft
Microsoft is looking for testing some alike AI actions for Office files which may enable the users to summarise the documents kept in OneDrive or SharePoint. They are also planning to integrate the AI action that can generate a list from files quickly. Such Office AI actions will be restricted to Microsoft 365 commercial subscribers with a Copilot license and then customer support.
However, it is not yet clear whether the AI actions can be turned off in the context menu, but they will also work together with ‘Ask Copilot’ feature that Microsft has integrated into right click menu of File Explorer.
Apart from the AI-enabled shortcuts in File Explorer, Microsoft is also trying to bring some changes to visuals to the widgets feature in Windows 11. This aims to establish a more organised, tailored and engaging feed. Additionally, Microsoft team is launching Copilot-curated stories into the feed.
Microsoft is also adding a ‘create an FAQ’ command to improve AI actions. This will easily transform the OneDrive files into Q&A lists that you can share with others. Apart from MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, text files, PDF, this AI action can work with ASP files as well as web pages.
This new Dev Channel build also integrates a new User Interaction-Aware CPU Power Management feature. Microsoft has discussed it as an OS-level change to lessen power consumption on laptops and tablets. The Windows team opined that after some times of inactivity on the desktop, windows now preserves power by automatically activating efficient power management policies. This saves energy of the system when the user is inactive and get back with full performance when restored.
How to Enable AI Actions in File Explorer?
You can follow these steps to enable AI actions:
- Users can start this by installing the ViveTool application from the Official GitHub repository. After downloading it, you can extract the documents to the C Drive to run it easily.
- Now, press Win + x and choose Terminal (admin) from the menu bar on the screen.
- Now, input the command and click Enter
- Once you execute the command, you need to restart your system to ensure that the changes are activated
- After enabling this, AI actions can be found in the context menu when you right-click on the supported file types.
How to Use AI Actions?
Follow the steps below to better use AI actions:
Find a Supported File
AI Actions presently support some formats for images like JPG, JPEG, and PNG. Whereas, the documents in formats like docx, pdf and text are supported.
Access AI Actions
Go to the file in File Explorer and right-click on it. You can find new AI actions option in the context meny. After clicking on it, you will get a list of available AI actions for that particular type of file.
Perform Action
Now you can select your favourable action and allow AI to proceed with the Action request.
Tips to Effectively Use AI Actions
Here are some tips for you:
- Make sure that your device is operating with Windows 11 Version 24H2 or after than are active for this version only.
- Some other cutting-edge features such as document summaries and FAQ section need a Microsoft 365 subscription with an active Copilot.
- It can perform best when the files are stored locally or in cloud servers such as OneDrive and SharePoint
- To get most of AI actions, make sure your device is connected to a power source while prompting the initial indexing.
Common Issues
There are some common issues that you must know:
- You may struggle with the narrator scan model in some AI actions in Windows
- You may find text direction problems in the right-to-left language interfaces.
Final Thoughts
AI Actions in File Explorer show an important progress in file management and efficiency. This feature enables you to explore the capabilities while saving time, reducing manual work, and finding new ways to engage with the files. You can edit images, summarise content, or develop FAQs with the AI actions in Windows 11. So it’s your turn to try it.
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