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Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Kevin Okemwa

Microsoft Copilot's new feature can finally handle complex projects and supports up to 18,000 characters, but it has one major downside

Microsoft Copilot's Notebook feature.

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Copilot now ships with a Notebook feature to let users refine and alter their prompts for the best output.
  • It supports up to 18,000 characters, making it the perfect candidate for complex queries and projects.
  • It's currently available on the web for PC and mobile.
  • There's no word on when Microsoft intends to extend its support for the feature to Copilot for Windows or the Copilot app for iOS and Android.

Microsoft recently announced that Copilot's Notebook feature finally shipped to general availability (well, on the web for PC and mobile). For context, Microsoft started testing the Notebook feature in Copilot with several users late last year. 

It lets users type prompt on the left side of the interface and see results on the right side. This way, it's easier for users to copy and change their prompts. Moreover, the feature remembers the previous version of your output, thus making it easier to iterate, refine, and improve your prompts. 

Microsoft's Corporate Vice President and Head of Engineering and Product for Copilot and Bing, Jordi Ribas, announced Notebook's broad availability on copilot.microsoft.com for PCs and mobile. Ribas added that the tool is "ideal when you need to iterate on a prompt to get the best result." What's more, the tool supports up to 18,000 characters.

Perfect for complex queries and projects

(Image credit: Windows Central | Jez Corden)

When Microsoft launched Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat), several lodged reports citing instances of the chatbot hallucinating or outrightly providing inaccurate responses to queries. This prompted the company to place a character cap on the chatbot to prevent the reoccurrence of such instances. 

This move wasn't well received by users who primarily wanted to use the tool to generate long-form content or to handle complex queries and projects. It now seems that Copilot's new Notebook feature is the direct answer and solution for this. Even Microsoft's lead for Bing, Michael Schechter, shares the same sentiments as highlighted in his post on X (formerly Twitter). 

To this end, it remains unclear when Microsoft plans to extend its support for Copilot's Notebook feature to Copilot for Windows or the Copilot app for iOS and Android.

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