GitHub Copilot adds computer use to operate desktop apps on macOS and Windows

What GitHub announced

GitHub announced on 1 October 2026 that computer use is available in public preview in GitHub Copilot CLI and the GitHub Copilot app on macOS and Windows. With the feature on, Copilot can interact with desktop applications on the user's behalf: it reads accessible app content and visual context, clicks controls, enters and edits text, presses keys, scrolls, drags and moves through workflows that span several applications.

GitHub frames the feature around software that offers no other way in. The changelog names workflows in legacy and GUI-only programs that do not provide an API, a command-line interface or an MCP integration. Its examples are summarizing notifications in a browser, updating a presentation and moving information through a desktop workflow. A demo in the post shows Copilot working through an expense report in Safari.

How access and approvals work

GitHub's documentation says computer use is disabled by default. In the CLI, /computer on enables it, /computer show checks its status and /computer off turns it off; in the app the switch sits under Settings > Computer Use. Copilot asks for approval before it controls an application, and the user can allow access for the session, save the approval for later sessions or deny it. An Always allow choice is stored locally and applies to both the CLI and the app on that computer. Rules that deny a tool override saved approvals, and enterprise administrators can switch the feature off through managed settings that a local setting cannot override.

On macOS, Copilot walks the user through granting Accessibility and Screen Recording permissions. Copilot reads apps through the operating system's accessibility tree and falls back to screenshots when it needs visual context. A running action can be stopped by pressing Esc twice in the CLI, or with Stop or Esc in the app.

Why it matters

Until now, computer use was mostly something developers called through model APIs and wired into their own harness. GitHub is putting it inside a coding agent that many developers already run in the terminal, next to its file, shell and MCP tools. GitHub's own guidance is that computer use is the fallback: if an API, MCP server, terminal command or dedicated browser tool can do the job, that tool gives more structured and predictable results.

The documentation is unusually direct about the risks. It warns that Copilot can select the wrong control, type in the wrong place or repeat an action when window state or timing changes, and that unexpected on-screen content can cause unintended actions affecting devices, data and connected accounts. It advises against Always allow for apps with sensitive data or high-impact actions. Those warnings match a wider pattern in agent safety, where browser and desktop agents are the place where instructions and untrusted content meet.

What to watch next

GitHub has not said when computer use will leave preview, whether it will count against premium request limits, or which models drive it. Linux is not listed. Enterprise teams will want to check their managed settings before developers turn it on. Other agent products with browser and desktop control are tracked under AI Agents.

Questions people ask

How do you turn on computer use in GitHub Copilot?

In Copilot CLI run /computer on; in the GitHub Copilot app open Settings, select Computer Use and turn on Enable Computer Use, GitHub says.

Can a company block Copilot computer use?

Yes. GitHub says enterprise administrators can disable it through managed settings, and enabling it locally does not override that policy.

Does Copilot computer use work on Linux?

The announcement lists macOS and Windows only. Linux support is not stated in the announcement.

Sources

1. GitHub Copilot can now interact with desktop apps with computer use (GitHub, 1 Oct 2026)
2. About computer use in GitHub Copilot (GitHub Docs, 1 Oct 2026)