GitHub Copilot can now operate desktop applications directly, a capability the company calls computer use and is shipping in public preview for Copilot CLI and the Copilot app. The preview runs on macOS and Windows. It is aimed at software that has no API, command line, or MCP interface, meaning older and GUI-only tools that agents previously could not touch.
Copilot reads what is on screen, both accessible app content and visual context, then acts on it. It can click controls, type and edit text, press keys, scroll, drag, and carry a workflow from one application into another. GitHub's own examples include summarizing browser notifications, updating a presentation, and moving data between tools. The company says results are best when users describe the outcome they want along with the apps involved and any constraints.
Read more: Microsoft Copilot Usage Falls Sharply as Google's Gemini Gains Ground
Control is gated by approval. Copilot asks before it takes over an app, and users can review or reset the list of apps they have permanently allowed. On macOS, setup walks through granting Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Organizations can switch the whole feature off through managed settings.
Turning it on differs by surface. In the CLI, the command /computer on enables computer use, /computer show reports its status, and /computer off turns it back off. The same /computer on command works in the GitHub Copilot app, which also offers a Settings path through Computer Use and an Enable Computer Use toggle.
GitHub did not list a price or subscription tier for computer use in the announcement, did not give a general availability date, and did not mention Linux support or whether Copilot Free users can use the feature.
The feature extends a desktop push that began earlier this year, when the Copilot app arrived at Microsoft Build 2026 as a hub for running agents, initially in technical preview across Windows 11, Windows 11 on Arm, Mac, and Linux. That app required a Pro, Pro+, Business, or Enterprise subscription, with a waitlist for Copilot Free users, and it ran agent sessions in isolated Git worktrees with local and cloud sandboxing.
Computer use also lands alongside GitHub's September work on the Copilot app, which added OpenTelemetry support through enterprise-managed settings, and the September VS Code releases covering versions 1.136 through 1.140. Earlier this year, GitHub said it would start drawing on Copilot interactions to train its models on April 24 unless users opted out, with Business and Enterprise subscribers exempt.
