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If you’ve purchased a new Windows laptop anytime in the past year or two, you may notice the presence of a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. Located to the right of the spacebar, this key quickly launches Microsoft’s Copilot AI so that you can ask a question or kickstart a conversation.
Naturally, the key is the brainchild of Microsoft, which first introduced it to its own Copilot+ PCs Surface laptops more than two years ago. Third-party laptop vendors like Lenovo, Dell, and HP then jumped on the bandwagon, adding the key to their own Copilot+ PCs. Now, even laptops not designated as Copilot+ models sport the key.
The Copilot key is part of Microsoft’s effort to stuff its AI into every nook and cranny of Windows. However, adding a new key to a physical keyboard is a rare move. The only other obvious instance is the introduction of the dedicated Windows key to keyboards back in the 1990s.
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If you don’t use Copilot that much or at all, the key is just a waste of space. Even if you do turn to the AI, you can just as easily launch Copilot by clicking its taskbar icon or pressing the Windows key + C. You can even set it to launch by voice if you say “Hey, Copilot.”
The inclusion of the key also presents one clear drawback. Typically, the key replaces the Right Ctrl key or the Context menu key. Replacing these keys creates problems for people who would otherwise use them for shortcuts or assistive technologies.
Even Microsoft has acknowledged that this scenario poses challenges for certain users. In a recent support article, the company revealed that it plans to update Windows 11 later in the year with a setting that would let people remap the Copilot key to act as the Right Ctrl key or the Context menu key.
Two ways to remap your keyboard’s Copilot key
Until then, there are a couple of key (pardon the pun) ways to remap the Copilot key to something more helpful.
You can remap the key directly in Windows settings, though your options are extremely limited. To check this out, go to Settings, select Bluetooth & devices, and then click Keyboard. Under Shortcuts & hotkeys, the setting for “Customize Copilot key on keyboard” may be set to Copilot. If so, click the drop-down menu for alternatives.
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You can set it to Search so that pressing the key launches the Windows Search tool. Choose Custom, and you may see other choices. On my end, I was able to switch it to trigger the Google app for Windows. Since your options are so limited, though, next up is a better way to remap the key.
Microsoft’s free PowerToys utility offers a keyboard remapping tool called Keyboard Manager. Here, you’re able to remap specific keys as well as keyboard shortcuts. As long as the key or shortcut follows certain rules and doesn’t conflict with ones already reserved by Windows, you can redefine it to almost anything you’d like.
To try this remapping option, head to the PowerToys GitHub page or Microsoft Store page to install the program if you don’t already have it. Launch PowerToys and select Keyboard Manager from the Input & Output category. At the Keyboard Manager screen, click “Remap a shortcut.” (Technically, the Copilot key is a shortcut rather than an actual key.)
At the Remap Shortcuts screen, click the pencil icon next to Shortcut in the Select section on the left. Press the Copilot key to register it as the key you wish to remap. You should then see the selected keys as Win (Left), Shift (Left), and F23. Click OK.
In the To section on the right, click the drop-down box under Shortcut. Scroll through the list of choices and select the key you wish to activate when you press the Copilot key. For example, you may want to set it to Ctrl (Right) to restore that functionality. You can also disable it entirely, but I think remapping it to something more useful is your best bet. When done, click OK at the upper right.
Before you leave PowerToys, make sure the switch is turned on for Keyboard Manager so that it will always be in effect. Now press the Copilot key to confirm that it was remapped to the function you chose.
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If you remapped it to the right Ctrl key, that’s easy enough to test. Open a text file or document and use the Copilot key instead of the Ctrl key for such familiar shortcuts as Ctrl+C for Copy, Ctrl+V for Paste, or Ctrl+Z for undo. If that works, you’re good to go.
If you ever want to remove the keyboard mapping, just return to Keyboard Manager in PowerToys. Click “Remap a shortcut” and then click the trash can icon next to the remapping you created.
