Computer-Using Agents (CUAs) in Microsoft Copilot Studio

Computer-Using Agents (CUAs) in Microsoft Copilot Studio

These are agentic AI systems designed to “see, understand, and act” across web and desktop applications, specifically for complex UI automation where traditional APIs do not exist.

Real-time User Journey

The user journey for a CUA shifts from writing rigid scripts to delegating natural language instructions:

1. Instruction: A user tells the agent, “Every night at 11 PM, log into the vendor portal, download the invoice, and enter the data into our desktop ERP system.”
2. Autonomous Authentication: The agent retrieves encrypted logins from Azure Key Vault and signs in to both the website and the legacy desktop app without human intervention.
3. Adaptive Action: The agent “sees” the screen. Even if the vendor website has updated its layout or a new pop-up appears, the agent uses its reasoning model (e.g., Claude 3.5 Sonnet or OpenAI) to navigate the change.
4. Cloud Execution: The task runs on a managed Cloud PC pool (Windows 365), meaning the user’s local machine isn’t tied up.
5. Audit & Review: The user checks the Session Replay the next morning to see a step-by-step video/screenshot log of exactly what the agent clicked and why.

Step-by-Step: How to Enable

To set up a computer-using agent in a US-based Copilot Studio environment:

• Step 1: Create the Agent: Open Microsoft Copilot Studio and create a new agent or open an existing one.
• Step 2: Add the Computer Use Tool: Navigate to Tools > Add tool > New tool and select Computer Use.
• Step 3: Define the Task: Write a natural language description of the workflow the agent should perform.
• Step 4: Configure Intelligence & Security: * Select your model (e.g., Anthropic Claude Sonnet 4.5 for dynamic UIs or OpenAI for multi-step web flows).
  • Set up Built-in Credentials (linked to Azure Key Vault) for secure, unattended logins.
• Step 5: Provision Infrastructure: Set up a Cloud PC pool (managed Windows 365 for Agents) to handle the execution at scale.
• Step 6: Publish: Deploy the agent for autonomous or attended runs.

Infographic: The CUA Ecosystem

This infographic summarizes the key components that allow CUAs to automate UI at scale:

Visual & Logic	Security & Access	Scale & Monitoring
Model Choice	Built-in Credentials	Cloud PC Pools
Uses Claude 4.5 or OpenAI to interpret screens & dynamic dashboards.	Encrypted logins via Azure Key Vault for unattended runs.	Managed Windows 365 machines that scale with demand.
Solves: Brittle UI changes	Solves: Auth bottlenecks	Solves: Hardware overhead

References

Computer-using agents now deliver more secure UI automation at scale