Top 6 new features and changes coming to Windows 11 in August 2025 — from AI agents to redesigned BSOD screens

Microsoft has announced that a bunch of new features are on the way to Windows 11, with the rollout starting now. Most users won't see these features land on their PCs until sometime in August, however. So, here's a preview of the top 6 new features on the way in the coming month.

If you want to gain access to these new features sooner, make sure the "Get the latest updates as they become available" option is toggled in Windows Update. This will ensure you're running the latest bits as Microsoft rolls them out. All of these features should be generally available by the end of August.

Copilot Vision

Copilot Vision for Windows 11 is a feature that's built directly into the Copilot app, and lets the AI assistant see what you see on your desktop. When enabled, Copilot Vision can chat with you about a project you're working on, video you're watching, or website you're reading in real time.

Microsoft calls this a useful productivity tool, as Copilot is able to provide tips, suggestions, and thoughts on whatever it is you're doing on your computer. You can choose to share individual app windows or browser tabs, or share your entire desktop allowing you to easily context switch between apps and have Copilot follow.

Copilot Vision is even able to help out with highlight areas of an app it recommends you click if you need help completing a task or looking for something on a website.

Unfortunately, although Copilot Vision is now rolling out more broadly, it's only available to users in the United States at this time. It's expected to roll out to more markets in the coming months, but no concrete dates have been provided just yet.

AI Agent in Settings

In August, Microsoft will begin rolling out a feature it's describing as Windows' first AI agent. This feature is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, and transforms the built-in search box in the Windows Settings app into a command line that you can use natural language with to change settings on your PC.

Essentially, Microsoft is adding a little AI assistant to the Settings apps search box, which you can ask to change settings on your behalf. For example, if you want to make your cursor look bigger, just type "make my cursor larger" into the Search box, and the AI assistant will bring the option to make that change directly to you.

This feature is most useful for people who might not know where to find a particular setting. If you want to enable quiet hours, or turn on Bluetooth, you can just ask the Settings app to do that for you now. Ideally, this will streamline and speed up your use of the Settings app, getting in and out without needing to hunt for any particular setting or option page.

This feature is rolling out first to Copilot+ PCs with a Snapdragon processor, with Intel and AMD Copilot+ PCs getting support for it at a later date. All PCs will see the new search bar UI however, which is now at the very top center of the Settings app.

Relight in Photos

Relight in Photos uses on-device AI to enhance photos with studio-grade lighting effects with ease. The feature lets you add up to three virtual light sources that you can move around a photo, and apply different lighting styles that change how the image looks.

There are built-in presets like Studio Portrait and Cinematic Glow, but there are also custom sliders you can choose which let you fine tune your own style on the fly.

This is a Copilot+ exclusive feature, and is only currently available on Snapdragon PCs. Intel and AMD Copilot+ PCs will gain access at a later date.

Object Select in Paint

Object Select in Paint uses AI to identify objects in an image, and makes it incredibly easy to isolate and cut out those specific items for use elsewhere. Microsoft calls it a smart selection tool, and makes cutting out particular items from a photo super easy.

Paint is also gaining a new sticker generator feature, which lets you create custom stickers by simply typing a prompt into the built-in AI generator. These stickers are only useful within the Paint app itself, letting you add them to a canvas within the app.

Both of these features are Copilot+ exclusive, but are available on all three platforms: Snapdragon, Intel, and AMD.

Perfect Screenshot in Snipping Tool

Microsoft is enhancing the Snipping Tool app on Windows 11 with a new feature dubbed "perfect screenshot." This feature uses AI to automatically crop a region of the screen based on your selection.

For example, if you wanted to screenshot an app window, but didn't want your wallpaper in the background surrounding said app window, you could use perfect screenshot to automatically crop the screenshot so that it's just the app window in the saved image.

This is one of those small additions that you won't realize is useful until you actually need it. No longer will you need to head into Paint or Photoshop to crop a screenshot so that it's only the subject matter you wanted.

Once again, this feature is a Copilot+ PC exclusive, but it's available on all three platforms: Snapdragon, Intel, and AMD!

Snipping Tool is also gaining a new feature that color professionals are going to enjoy; a built-in color picker! No longer will you need to download a third-party tool just to check the hex code of a color you saw online. It's now built right into the Snipping Tool app, which you can access by pressing Win+Shift+S.

Quick Machine Recovery

Microsoft is also rolling out some key updates to the BSOD and recovery screens on Windows 11 in August. First, Microsoft is redesigning the BSOD, replacing the iconic blue screen with a more simplified black screen that displays an error message.

The new BSOD screen is also faster, meaning it will be displayed on screen for less time than before. The company says the new BSOD should only be on screen for around 2 seconds, instead of 40 seconds. The idea is to boot your machine into recovery mode as quickly as possible, so that Windows can attempt to recover itself faster.

Microsoft has also announced a new feature called quick machine recovery, which is a new recovery mechanism that attempts to automatically detect, troubleshoot, and restore the OS to a bootable state should the PC find itself in a boot loop.