Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Azure Canvases are interactive, task-specific workspaces that open alongside chat in the GitHub Copilot app. Microsoft announced three: one for building hosted skills with Azure Functions, one for read-only Azure resource discovery, and one for cost and governance analysis. The announcement explains how to install them, but does not establish plan eligibility, regional availability, Azure role requirements, or charges.
What Azure Canvases do
Microsoft describes canvas extensions as interactive tools—such as dashboards, editors, and guided workflows—inside the GitHub Copilot app. A canvas gives the user and agent a shared place to inspect progress, make changes, and approve next steps, rather than relying only on the chat history. As Matt Hernandez, author of the Microsoft for Developers post, put it on September 29, 2026: “You and your agent share a workspace where you can see progress, make changes, and approve next steps without digging through chat history.” Read Microsoft’s announcement.
![The Microsoft Copilot Bible for Beginners & Busy Professionals: [5 in 1] How to Boost Productivity, Save Hours Every Week, and Automate Your Work with AI](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41tTEg9fueL._SL160_.jpg)
Microsoft also says routine interface actions, such as filtering a table or selecting an option, can run in code without another model call. The company characterizes this as reducing waiting and AI-credit use, but the announcement gives no measured savings or comparison.
Which of the three canvases fits your task?
| Canvas | What Microsoft says it does | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Functions Hosted Skills | Build, run, and deploy hosted skills with Azure Functions. | A workflow for creating and operating hosted skills. |
| Azure Resources Query | Browse a read-only view of resources across selected subscriptions. | Discovering resources without changing them through this canvas. |
| Azure Cost Health Check | Analyze cost, forecast, budget, governance, and AI billing in a shared dashboard. | Reviewing cost and governance information. |
These are different task-focused tools, not interchangeable dashboard designs. Microsoft explicitly calls Azure Resources Query read-only; the announcement does not establish the permission or resource-mutation behavior of the other two canvases.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
Install a canvas in the GitHub Copilot app
Microsoft’s stated prerequisite is Azure CLI, signed in with az login, so the canvases can use your Azure identity. Its announcement describes two routes to the canvas catalog:
- Install Azure CLI and sign in. Complete the Azure CLI setup, then run
az loginand authenticate to the intended Azure account. - Open the plugin catalog. In the GitHub Copilot app, open Customize > Plugins, find an Azure canvas in the Awesome Copilot marketplace, and install it.
- Alternatively, browse featured canvases. Open Customize > Canvas, select a featured canvas, and install its plugin.
- Start a new session. Microsoft says to start a new session after installation. When Copilot starts an appropriate workflow, the canvas opens beside chat.
Microsoft’s sample prompts show the kinds of requests these canvases are intended to support:
- “Create a daily GitHub digest with Azure Functions Hosted Skills.”
- “Show my Function Apps in Development.”
- “Analyze Azure costs for subscription <subscription name or ID>.”
What the announcement does—and does not—confirm
The September 29, 2026 Microsoft announcement establishes the three canvas use cases, the stated installation path, and the Azure CLI sign-in prerequisite. It does not specify regional availability, which GitHub Copilot plans are eligible, required Azure roles, or whether using a canvas incurs Azure charges. Check current official documentation for those details before relying on a canvas in a particular account or environment. The announcement also provides no study or test results supporting a specific reduction in wait time or AI credits.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems
