In recent months, Windows 11 has been subject to much criticism regarding its heavy-handed approach to artificial intelligence. For the longest time, Microsoft has been laser-focused on stuffing every last nook and cranny of its flagship desktop operating system with Copilot-powered agentic and generative AI features, which hasn’t boded well with many users.

Most recently, Microsoft penned a lengthy blog post addressing concerns over Windows’ quality, with the company promising to make meaningful improvements to the platform’s performance metrics, stability, and overall fit-and-finish. Copilot was also addressed within this blog post, and it looks like AI features are set to be scaled back and to be implemented more thoughtfully going forward.

For the most part, AI within Windows 11 has never spoken to me. Despite daily driving a Surface Pro 12-inch, which is a Copilot+ PC, I find myself hardly ever using Microsoft’s chatbot, its suite of AI tools within in-box apps, or even Windows Studio Effects. I also have the controversial Recall feature disabled, not because of security concerns, but because it doesn’t integrate into my workflow, and it therefore consumes resources for very little gain.

There is one AI-powered feature within Windows 11 that I have successfully integrated into my workflow, however, and it’s called Click to Do. Essentially analogous to Google’s Circle to Search feature on Android, Click to Do can be triggered on virtually any screen, and it presents a contextually aware overlay with quick access shortcuts, actionable commands, and more.

Click to Do is the sleeper hit of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC initiative, and I wish more people knew about it. There are a few ways to jump into the feature, including by swiping in from the right-hand side of a touchscreen, clicking your pointer while holding down on the Windows key, and launching it directly from the Start Menu or from Windows Search.

Recently, I learned of a hidden touch screen gesture that makes Click to Do far more convenient to trigger when I’m using my Surface Pro in tablet mode, and it means I no longer have to sacrifice the ability to access my notifications via the existing right-hand swipe gesture. Referred to within Windows as the ‘two finger press and hold gesture,’ toggling on the option makes it so Click to Do is invoked as soon as I tap and hold two of my fingers anywhere on-screen.

How to enable Click to Do via two finger press and hold

The option is nestled within Windows 11’s Settings application

On most Copilot+ PCs, Click to Do’s two finger gesture should already be enabled by default. To ensure that you have it toggled on, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Settings application.
2. Navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Touch > Touch screen edge gestures.
3. From here, toggle on the Two finger press and hold gesture entry.

I’m not sure why this particular feature lacks an explanation as to what it triggers, but that’s neither here nor there. Once toggled on, Click to Do will instantly pop into view every time you press and hold two of your fingers on a touch-enabled PC screen. In the future, I’d love to see this gesture be opened up to alternative functions via a drop-down menu, and I’d also love to see it make its way over to Windows 11’s advanced gestures within touchpad settings.

Click to Do is an example of artifical intelligence actually being useful within the context of an operating system, as opposed to feeling like a gimmick or a party trick. Much like Circle to Search on Android, I’ve been enjoying using Click to Do to research things, to look into images, to summarize long bodies of text, and even to edit images and the like. Personally, I hope to see Microsoft continue to prioritize the feature going forward, as opposed to doubling down on chatbots and generative content of dubious merit.