Turn on π» Coding (Ctrl+Shift+C), choose the language in π» Code Lang, then click π₯ Read screen (Ctrl+Shift+S) to capture the problem; the answer comes back as code in that language with a short βΆ Example run. To capture without a picker, pin a screen; to answer a problem that spans several screens, hold pages with Ctrl+Shift+2. π Debug code turns shown code into a table of bugs and fixes.
Practice first
Online assessments, proctored tests and AI-led interview rounds forbid outside help, so prepare for those with practice instead. Many coding screens on CoderPad, HackerRank or CodeSignal are exactly that kind of test. Use the steps below on practice problems, and if you consider help in a live interview, follow your employer's rules.
Set up coding answers
- On the Candidate setup screen, pick π» Coding Language (Python is preselected). In a session you can change it under β Options β π» Code Lang.
- In the session, click π» Coding or press Ctrl+Shift+C. The β‘ button now reads "Code answer", and π Debug code and π£ Talk appear.
- For a spoken problem, click Code answer or press Ctrl+Shift+A as usual.
- For a follow-up in words, such as why you chose a data structure, press π£ Talk (Ctrl+Shift+E); the button then reads "Talk answer". Press it again to return to code. Talk switches off at the start of each session.
Read a problem from the screen
- Click π₯ Read screen or press Ctrl+Shift+S.
- On Windows with more than one display, choose one under "Select a screen to capture". Then drag over the problem, or click anywhere for the full screen ("Drag to select area β or click anywhere for full screen").
- On a Mac, drag to select the area ("πΈ Select area to capture (drag to select)..."). This needs the Screen Recording permission, called Screen & System Audio Recording on current macOS.
- The capture goes to the AI and the answer arrives as a new card; a "Last screenshot" thumbnail appears on the left.
- If the image is already on your clipboard, click π Paste image (on Windows, take it with Win+Shift+S or PrtSc first).
Pin a screen and hold several pages
- Click π Pin a screen and choose the display. The button turns into "π Pinned β" and Read screen becomes "π₯ Read pinned screen", which captures the whole pinned display at once with no picker.
- For a problem longer than one screen, scroll and press Ctrl+Shift+2 for each part. Each press holds a page ("Page 2 held β press Ctrl+Shift+3 (or β‘ AI Answer) when the whole screen is captured") and a "π 2 pages Β· Answer" button appears.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+3, or click the pages button, to answer everything at once. β next to it discards the held pages.
- Click "π Pinned β" again to unpin. End also releases the pin and clears held pages.
What a coding answer contains
- A short title line, then one code block in the Code Lang language.
- By default, a short comment at the end of each meaningful line. Turn π« No comments ON for clean code.
- With π Note on, two to four comment lines at the top give the approach, the key idea and the time and space complexity.
- βΆ Example run: a few lines that call the solution with one sample input, then the output they print.
- π Debug code (Ctrl+Shift+D): a "Bug Summary" table with Line(s), Error, Reason and Fix, then the fixed code, a note on each bug, how to verify the fix, and a "Say this" line to explain it aloud. While Debug is on, π Paste image stacks a page instead of answering at once.
Answer length and style settings explains Note and No comments in more detail.
Limits
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Programming languages (Candidate) | 40, from Python, Java, C++ and Go to R, COBOL, SQL and four of its dialects, plus Auto-detect |
| Programming languages (Mock Interview) | 15 plus Auto-detect |
| Screen capture on a Mac | Needs the Screen Recording permission |
| Held pages | Need a pinned screen; cleared when the session ends |
| What it can read | Anything on screen: "a coding problem, a diagram, a question on a slide" |
Troubleshooting
- "Screen Recording permission required" (Mac): click Open Settings, turn on CoPilot Interview, then quit with Cmd+Q and reopen. The same fix applies if only one screen is offered when pinning.
- "No screen sources found" (Windows): check your display settings and try again.
- "No image in the clipboard": take the screenshot first, then click π Paste image.
- The answer came in words: Talk is on. Press π£ Talk ON to return to code.
- Code in the wrong language: set β Options β π» Code Lang, or choose Auto-detect to follow the problem.
Where to practice
CoPilot Interview is an AI interview assistant for Windows and Mac. The free browser demo at /try has a Coding track of 30 questions and lets you attach a screenshot, and the AI mock interview asks coding questions with a code box where "your spoken explanation is graded too". Practicing thinking out loud pairs well with both, and what an AI coding assistant can and cannot do sets expectations.
Frequently asked questions
Which programming languages does CoPilot Interview support?
Candidate mode's Code Lang list has 40 languages plus Auto-detect, including Python, JavaScript (Node.js), TypeScript, Java, C, C++, C#, Go, Rust, Kotlin, Swift and several SQL dialects. Mock Interview lists 15 plus Auto-detect.
Does Coding mode explain the time complexity?
Only when π Note is on: the code then opens with two to four comment lines covering the approach, the key idea and the time and space complexity. You can also press π£ Talk and ask.
Can it read a diagram or a slide, not just code?
Yes. Read screen sends whatever you capture, so a diagram, a chart or a question on a slide works the same way as a coding problem.
Do I need to pin a screen?
No. Read screen works without pinning. Pinning skips the picker and is required for holding several pages with Ctrl+Shift+2.
Try a practice question
The browser demo has 145 real interview questions across 10 tracks. Type your answer and get a score out of 10, strengths, areas to improve and a follow-up question. Free, no signup.
Try a practice question