Copilot will reach into files on Copilot+ PCs, and Surface Laptop Ultra starts at A$4,399

Microsoft wants Copilot to stop being a chat window that only knows what you paste into it. In announcements on 7 October (US time), the company said Copilot on Copilot+ PCs will be able to read relevant files on the computer, take actions across Windows and run AI models locally.

For an Australian office, nothing changes this week. Microsoft has not given a date, and it has not said when the features reach Australia. But it is a good moment to decide who in the business may switch on an assistant that can see and act on local files, before it arrives through Windows Update.

What Microsoft announced for Copilot

In a post by Windows chief Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft describes three “local capabilities” coming to Copilot on Copilot+ PCs, under the name hybrid intelligence:

• Local context. “With your permission, Copilot can understand relevant content on your PC, including files and recent activity.”
• Local actions. Copilot can take action across Windows, with examples including organising files, checking device diagnostics, troubleshooting, coding and “carrying out workflows directly on your device”.
• Local models. Copilot can use AI models running on the PC, combined with cloud AI “when needed”.

Microsoft also says these capabilities will feed into Autopilot, which it calls “a persistent, proactive and personal agent” that can keep working while you do something else.

The timing is loose. Microsoft says the features are “expected to begin rolling out on Copilot+ PCs in the coming months”, require a Windows Update, and that “availability and timing may vary by device, market, and silicon platform”. The post doesn’t say whether they will be on or off by default, beyond repeated references to the user’s permission.

Only Copilot+ PCs are named. On our reading, an office running ordinary Windows 11 laptops should not expect these features for now.

The controls for businesses

The part with an immediate business consequence is the security tooling. Microsoft says Microsoft Execution Containers (MXC) are now generally available on Windows 11, “enabling organizations to define which files and networks agents can access, with those policies enforced at runtime”.

The company also says Windows is designed to make clear which agent took an action, so IT can tell agent activity from the person using the device, and that the activity connects into Intune and Microsoft Agent 365 so organisations can set policy and monitor agents. A footnote adds that “governance at scale may require additional services”. Microsoft did not publish a specific Intune or Group Policy setting for Copilot’s local file access.

That leaves small teams with a practical gap. If staff can approve an assistant’s access on their own PCs, the business’s rules need to say what it may touch: client files, payroll exports and anything covered by a confidentiality agreement are the obvious candidates to exclude. Our guide to writing an AI use policy has a template that covers this.

Windows Search changes, in preview

Separately, Microsoft is testing a new Windows Search that can carry out simple settings changes, such as turning on Bluetooth or dark mode, from the search box. It is “gradually rolling out to Windows Insiders” in the Experimental channel, in English only for now.

In its hybrid intelligence post, Microsoft says an option to connect the new Copilot to taskbar Search “will be opt-in”, and that it will first roll out “to select markets later this year”. The markets aren’t named.

Surface Laptop Ultra in Australia

Microsoft also opened pre-orders for Surface Laptop Ultra, a 15-inch laptop built on NVIDIA’s RTX Spark chip with up to 128 GB of unified memory. Microsoft pitches it at developers and creators who want to run large AI models on the machine itself.

Microsoft’s Australian store lists it from A$4,399 including GST, with a 16 October release date. The configurations listed on 8 October were:

Configuration	Windows	Price (incl. GST)
18-core CPU, 24 GB memory, 512 GB SSD	Home	A$4,399
18-core CPU, 24 GB, 1 TB	Home	A$4,999
18-core CPU, 32 GB, 1 TB	Pro	A$5,549
20-core CPU, 32 GB, 1 TB	Pro	A$6,199
20-core CPU, 48 GB, 1 TB	Pro	A$6,699
20-core CPU, 64 GB, 1 TB	Pro	A$7,149
20-core CPU, 128 GB, 1 TB	Pro	A$9,649 (listed out of stock)

A separate business model page lists “Starting From AU$5,629.00” with the same release date; the page doesn’t say whether that includes GST. Microsoft’s announced US starting price is $2,599, but budget from the Australian store price rather than a currency conversion.

For most offices this is not a general staff laptop. It makes sense only where someone has a specific job, such as development or heavy media work, that needs local AI models or a lot of memory. Microsoft’s MacBook trade-in offer is for the US and Canada only, and its separate Surface RTX Spark Dev Box is sold only in the US.

If you are planning Windows changes anyway, our Windows 11 26H2 rollout checklist covers testing a few PCs before updating the rest.

Checklist

• List your Copilot+ PCs. Note which office computers are Copilot+ PCs, because Microsoft has announced Copilot’s local file access and actions for those PCs.
• Decide who may switch it on. Agree whether staff can grant Copilot access to files on their own PCs, or whether the business owner or IT provider decides.
• Name the folders that stay off limits. Write down the client, payroll and confidential files no AI assistant should read, and add them to your AI use policy, or start one.
• Ask your IT provider about Microsoft Execution Containers. Find out whether you need MXC, Intune or Agent 365 to control which files and networks agents can reach, and what any extra licences cost.
• Watch Windows Update notes for the rollout. Microsoft has given no date, so check release notes on your Copilot+ PCs before the features appear, rather than after.
• Price Surface Laptop Ultra from the Australian store. Use the A$4,399 local price, not a currency conversion, and buy it only for a role that needs local AI models or large memory.