Not all speculations materialize into a full-fledged feature, but it seems a little different for the first experimental “Taskbar companion” features in Windows 11. It’s supposed to be an AI agent integration in the taskbar, and now new references have surfaced in the recent Insider builds.

Microsoft researcher Phantom found new references to the upcoming AI feature. There’s a new entry called “Composer on Taskbar feature which integrates with assistants and agents”. He further explained that there are some features related to the Taskbar.view.dll file, but they don’t directly impact the taskbar companion option. As a result, he couldn’t forcibly awaken the feature like it’s possible with other hidden ones.

What exactly is Taskbar Companion designed for?

Taskbar companion is very vaguely explained in the hidden settings, and there’s nothing concrete about what it’ll do. As a companion app, I expect it to add more fluidity to the taskbar, help find apps from a pile of icons, or even do stuff without requiring any input.

Or, it could become more pushy and start recommending apps based on my usage pattern. Another cool implementation could be an agent that could help manage the taskbar settings and suggest ways to improve my productivity.

Or, it could be an overlay that asks limited questions and just displays some info. When Microsoft rolled out Copilot on the sidebar and it could manipulate settings, I was happy because it required less manual effort. But the company seems to have stopped encouraging such screen interaction ideas for security and privacy concerns. It now focuses on features that can only help you to some extent, but still require manual input.

Even Copilot Vision, which is supposed to be a screen analyzing tool, cannot scroll the page. So, you have to move it and then ask for help with voice or text commands. I think we’re far away from allowing complete control of the system to AI or agents.

Then there’s another question about the exclusivity of such a feature. Will it be only available for Copilot+ PCs or roll out to everyone? Nothing except the Copilot app is available for regular Windows 11 users, so it’s a question about how the feature will work if it needs an NPU.

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