Exploring AI actions in Windows 11 - Click to Do

Have you ever wished you could instantly act on anything you see on your screen without switching between applications or manually copying content?

I have been fortunate enough to be using a Copilot+ PC on ARM64 for some time now - it is the Surface Laptop 7, and it is awesome in so many ways. But one thing sets it apart - the access to the AI features in Windows 11. There are many new capabilities and they are often overlooked. One of these capabilities is Click to Do, which I have started using all the time. So, if you, like me, have a Copilot+ PC, I highly encourage you to enable Click to Do.

But how do you enable this? And more importantly, how can you use it to boost your productivity? What follows is everything you need to know about Click to Do - from verifying your device is ready, to enabling the feature, and practical examples that will make you wonder how you lived without it.

What is Click to Do?

Click to Do is an AI-powered feature exclusive to Copilot+ PCs running Windows 11 version 24H2 or later. It allows you to take instant actions on any content visible on your screen - whether it is text, images, files, or other elements. Think of it as having an intelligent assistant that can analyze what you see and suggest relevant actions.

Image viewer

When you activate Click to Do, it captures and analyzes your screen using on-device AI processing. The feature then identifies actionable elements and offers contextual options like:

• Extracting and copying text from images
• Searching the web for selected content
• Opening images in editing applications
• Blurring backgrounds or removing objects from images
• Creating bulleted lists from selected files
• Summarizing or rewriting text
• Looking up definitions or translating content

The beauty of Click to Do is that all processing happens locally on your device using the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) - your data never leaves your PC.

Someone might argue that Click to Do is just taking a screenshot and applying AI to it - and that you could achieve the same with Snipping Tool or similar. They would not be entirely wrong. However, Click to Do removes several clicks from your workflow and integrates the AI analysis seamlessly. More importantly, some of the examples I share below cannot be achieved using Snipping Tool alone - the contextual intelligence and instant actions are what set Click to Do apart.

Before you can use Click to Do, you need to confirm you have a Copilot+ PC with the required AI components.

Enabling Click to Do

Click to Do should be enabled by default on Copilot+ PCs, but if you need to enable it manually or want to verify the settings, follow these steps:

1. Open Settings (Windows key + I)
2. Navigate to Privacy & security > Click to Do
3. Toggle the Click to Do switch to On

Click to Do in Privacy & Security settings.

Enable Click to Do in Privacy & Security > Click to Do settings.

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Using Click to Do

Once enabled, you can activate Click to Do using these methods:

The quickest method is Windows key + left-click directly on the content you want to act on.

Understanding the Click to Do toolbar

The Click to Do toolbar is your control center for selecting and acting on screen content. It offers three selection modes, each suited to different scenarios - from quick single-element actions to precise multi-item captures.

Click to Do: Cursor

Click to Do: Rectangular selection

Click to Do: Freeform selection

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When you activate Click to Do, a toolbar appears at the top of your screen with three selection modes:

The toolbar intelligently recognizes content types. Text elements show copy, search, or summarize options, while images show editing, extraction, or search options.

Practical examples

Here are some practical examples of how Click to Do can simplify your day to day workflow.

Copying non-copyable UI text

When writing documentation, blog posts, or guidelines you frequently need exact text from UI elements that do not support Ctrl+C - message boxes, legacy dialogs, tooltips, menu items, or ribbon labels. Click to Do removes the typing and transcription errors:

1. Make the UI element visible (open the dialog, reveal the tooltip, or display the menu)
2. Press Windows key + left-click on the text element. For multi-line or multiple elements, use Windows key + Q and draw a rectangle around the region
3. Choose Copy text to grab the selection, or Create bulleted list if extracting multiple lines or items
4. Paste into your editor, wrap in a blockquote or code block as required for documentation, and correct any minor OCR issues

Tips:

• Use capture mode for dialogs with several fields to extract all labels at once
• Paste into a plain-text editor (Notepad) first if you need to strip formatting before moving to Markdown or CMS
• For screenshots with small or low-contrast text, zoom or increase display scale before capturing to improve OCR accuracy
• When documenting commands or registry paths, paste into a code block to preserve whitespace and formatting

This is particularly useful for copying error dialog text, menu labels, and other UI strings when compiling step-by-step guides or reproducing exact interface wording.

Creating a file list from Windows Explorer

When documenting folder structures for blog posts, presentations, or emails:

1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder you want to document
2. Select the files and folders you want to include (or leave them visible in the view)
3. Press Windows key + Q to activate Click to Do in capture mode
4. Draw a rectangle around the file and folder names
5. Click to Do offers a Create bulleted list option
6. Select it to generate a formatted list you can paste anywhere

This turns what would be tedious manual typing into a two-second task.

Extracting error codes and actionable text from screenshots

When troubleshooting devices, support tickets often arrive as screenshots containing error codes, command lines, or log snippets that are hard to retype. Click to Do can extract those exact values so you can act immediately:

1. Open the screenshot or display the error/log on screen
2. Press Windows key + left-click on the region containing the text
3. Click to Do uses OCR to extract the text; choose Copy text to grab a single value or Create bulleted list when extracting multiple lines
4. Paste the result into a search, your ticket, or a terminal (for example, to run a suggested command), or choose Search the web to look up the error code or KB article

This saves time when dealing with long GUIDs, registry paths, stack traces, or multi-line log fragments sent via chat or email, and reduces transcription errors compared with manual retyping.

Quick web searches for technical terms

When reading documentation or reviewing configurations:

1. Press Windows key + left-click on any technical term, registry key, or setting name
2. Select Search the web from the available actions
3. A search results panel opens with relevant information

This eliminates the context switching between reading content and researching unfamiliar terms.

Summarizing text content

When reviewing lengthy documents or web pages:

1. Use Windows key + Q to activate Click to Do
2. Draw a rectangle around a block of text you want to understand quickly
3. Select Summarize from the available actions
4. Click to Do generates a concise summary of the selected content

This is particularly valuable when skimming through lengthy technical documentation or reports.

Other AI features in Windows 11 on Copilot+ PCs

Beyond Click to Do, Copilot+ PCs include several on-device AI capabilities that address productivity, creativity, and communication. Below is a compact, scannable overview with practical notes for each feature.

• Recall - searchable timeline of what you saw: Periodic, encrypted local screenshots and on-device indexing let you find previously seen content. Strong privacy controls exist. Great for retrieving information you forgot to bookmark or capture.

• Cocreator - image generation and transformation: Integrated into Paint and select apps; combine sketches and prompts to produce new visuals or restyle existing images for documentation or marketing assets.

• Windows Studio Effects - better video and audio: AI-powered camera and microphone enhancements (background blur/replacement, automatic framing, eye-contact correction, voice focus) for higher-quality meetings without extra hardware.

• Live Captions with translation - real-time, local translation: Captions for any audio with on-device translation between many languages - useful for meetings with distributed teams.

• Image Creator & Restyle Image - quick image variants: Generate images from text or restyle photos with different artistic looks; handy for header images, thumbnails, and concept art.

For more details on these features, see Copilot+ PCs  on the Microsoft website.

Final thoughts

Click to Do represents a new paradigm in how we interact with content on our screens. Instead of the traditional workflow of selecting, copying, switching applications, and pasting, you can now take instant actions directly from any visual content.

For IT professionals, the ability to quickly extract error messages, document file structures, and capture information from anywhere on screen removes friction from documentation and troubleshooting workflows. For knowledge workers generally, it simplifies the constant flow of information that defines modern work.

The key to getting value from Click to Do is building the muscle memory to reach for Windows key + left-click whenever you see something you want to act on. After a few days of intentional use, it becomes second nature - and you will find yourself frustrated when using devices that do not have it.

If you have a Copilot+ PC, I encourage you to explore Click to Do today. And if you are considering your next PC purchase, the AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs - including Click to Do, Recall, and the other features I mentioned - are compelling reasons to make the leap.

–Jesper

Header image attribution: Image created with help from Adobe Firefly `