When Microsoft introduced the Copilot key, all we could think was, “Frankly, this is a waste of valuable laptop keyboard real estate,” and for those who have the key and think like that, here's some very good news: you can now reconfigure it, at least in testing.
In the new Beta Channel Preview build 22635 for Windows 11, Microsoft has made it possible to remap the Copilot key to launch an app instead of invoking the AI assistant.
However, as Microsoft explains in a blog post, there's a small catch: “You can choose to have the Copilot key launch an app that's packaged and signed with MSIX, indicating that the app meets security and privacy requirements to keep customers safe.”
We'll get back to the exact implications of this in a moment, but the gist is that you can't remap the key to any app you want, only to MSIX apps.
There's no change to the default behavior of the Copilot key, as you might expect: when you first receive your shiny new Copilot+ laptop, it will still summon the AI assistant when you press it. You'll be able to reconfigure it in the Settings app, under Personalization > Text inputat least when this change hits the release version of Windows 11, and we don't see why it would be cut off in testing.
That warning about MSIX configuration
As mentioned, the caveat is that you have to remap the Copilot key to launch an MSIX app, which is a Windows app package created by Microsoft, with the goal of increased security (among other benefits). In short, many Windows apps aren't packaged in MSIX, and if an app you want a shortcut to isn't, then you're out of luck.
This feature is currently in testing, so it is possible that Microsoft will change this requirement; we will have to wait and see what happens later. The reason for stipulating MSIX, as stated, is the greater security that this installation format offers compared to MSI (its predecessor).
Those who are frustrated with the limitation can always remap the Copilot key using third-party keymapping software, naturally, but that’s not as convenient as having a native option. (If that native option has a full range of features when it comes to the apps you can bind the key to, that is.)
We don't have a Copilot key on our keyboard, and we don't want one, as you can probably guess from how this article started; those at TechRadar who have been playing around with this key have also found it to be unrevolutionary.
Overall, having to introduce an option to reconfigure the key might be a bit of an embarrassment for Microsoft, considering the uproar that was created when the Copilot key was introduced. If you recall, the move was billed as the “first significant change” to the Windows keyboard in about 30 years, and that the Copilot key would be a “fundamental part” of the keyboard on par with the Windows key itself.
All that said, if the Copilot assistant itself becomes much more useful in Windows 11 in the future, perhaps the dedicated key could still have a more genuine reason for being, rather than feeling more like a forced addition, at least to us.
