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Yes, Microsoft has added an option to remap the Copilot key on the keyboard to any app, and here's how. On Windows 11, the system now includes an option to change the behavior of the Copilot key to launch other applications, and in this guide, I will explain how to complete this process. If you recently purchased a Copilot+ PC or a computer with modern hardware, you probably noticed the new "Copilot" physical key on the keyboard, next to the "Alt" key, which replaces the second "Windows" key. Originally, the idea was to promote Microsoft's Copilot chatbot integration on new devices, which the company said was the most significant change in PCs in the last three decades. However, shortly after (typical), Microsoft took a different approach and completely removed the Copilot integration from the operating system, making this new dedicated key useless. Instead of recalling the devices to change the keyboard or leave the dedicated key without any action, Microsoft came out with a cheaper solution that adds a simple option to remap the Copilot key to any supported application. In this how-to guide, I'll explain the steps to change the settings of the Copilot key to launch other apps. How to change the Copiloy key on Windows 11 To launch other apps with the Copilot key on your keyboard, use these steps: Open Settings. Click on Personalization. Click the Text input page on the right side. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) (Option 1) Choose the Search option in the "Customize Copilot key on keyboard" setting. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) (Option 2) Choose the Custom option. Select the application you want to launch with the Copilot key. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Once you complete the steps, when pressing the dedicated "Copilot" button, it'll launch the specified app. It's important to note that Microsoft only allows you to set apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store or installed using a signed MSIX package. However, I have also noticed that in the latest update of Windows 11 through the Windows Insider Program, the list of available apps only shows a few items, but in the Stable Channel, you can still select virtually any application. How to restore the default Copilot key setting on Windows 11 To restore the default configuration for the Copilot key on Windows 11, use these steps: Open Settings. Click on Personalization. Click the Text input page on the right side. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Choose the Custom option. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Select the Copilot app. After you complete the steps, the Copilot key will open the Microsoft chatbot app. What app do you plan to launch with the Copilot key? Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of November): 5,298 news posts RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Microsoft rolled out a new feature to Canary Channel Windows Insiders that lets you customize the Copilot key. What you need to know Windows 11 Build 27729 allows you to configure the Copilot key to launch other applications. That build is in testing among Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. Apps need to be MSIX packaged and signed to be opened with the Copilot key due to security requirements. Windows 11 will soon support setting the Copilot key to open a different application. The change will be welcomed by many who view Copilot as either an unnecessary app or that prefer to bring up the tool with a different keyboard shortcut. The change is in testing in Windows 11 Build 27729, which is now available to Windows Insiders in the Canary Channel. If all this sounds familiar, it's because Microsoft started testing the option with Dev and Beta Channel Insiders last month. Now, the option is available to those in the Canary Channel as well. All Copilot+ PCs feature a Copilot key, as do many newer keyboards. At the moment, that key is not customizable, making it a waste to those who do not use Copilot. The Salesforce CEO is a likely candidate to remap the Copilot key to another app, since he said that "Copilot is just the new Microsoft Clippy. It doesn't work or deliver value." Assuming all goes well in testing, the ability to customize the Copilot key will make its way to everyone in the near future. When it does, swapping the Copilot key to open your app of choice will be possible through the Windows 11 Settings app. There are some limits on the apps that you can open with the Copilot key. Microsoft restricted the feature to MSIX packaged and signed apps to ensure customer security and privacy. While it doesn't affect the functionality of the Copilot key, it's fun to note that Microsoft did not invent a new key for Copilot. Instead, the teach giant programmed the Copilot key to use the key combination of Left Shift + Windows key + F23 to open Copilot. That combination of keys is unlikely to be bound to a different shortcut because very few computers have an F23 key. Windows 11 Build 27729: Changes and Improvements Settings We are adding the ability to configure the Copilot key. You can choose to have the Copilot key launch an app that is MSIX packaged and signed, thus indicating the app meets security and privacy requirements to keep customers safe. The key will continue to launch Copilot on devices that have the Copilot app installed until a customer selects a different experience. This setting can be found via Settings > Personalization > Text input. If the keyboard connected to your PC does not have a Copilot key, adjusting this setting will not do anything. We are planning further refinements to this experience in a future flight. Windows 11 Build 27729: Fixes General We fixed an underlying issue causing some games, including Microsoft Solitaire & Casual Games, to crash on launch after installing Build 27718+. Windowing Fixed an underlying issue which could cause the screen to go black for a few seconds for some people when using ALT + Tab. Other We fixed an issue causing BitLocker to not work correctly for a small number of Insiders in the last 2 flights. Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of September): 4,292 news posts

Left-Shift + Windows key + F23 In January, Microsoft introduced a new key to Windows PC keyboards for the first time in 30 years. The Copilot key, dedicated to launching Microsoft's eponymous generative AI assistant, is already on some Windows laptops released this year. On Monday, Tom’s Hardware dug into the new addition and determined exactly what pressing the button does, which is actually pretty simple. Pushing a computer's integrated Copilot button is like pressing left-Shift + Windows key + F23 simultaneously. Tom's Hardware confirmed this after wondering if the Copilot key introduced a new scan code to Windows or if it worked differently. Using the scripting program AuthoHotkey with a new laptop with a Copilot button, Tom's Hardware discovered the keystrokes registered when a user presses the Copilot key. The publication confirmed with Dell that “this key assignment is standard for the Copilot key and done at Microsoft's direction.” F23 Surprising to see in that string of keys is F23. Having a computer keyboard with a function row or rows that take you from F1 all the way to F23 is quite rare today. When I try to imagine a keyboard that comes with an F23 button, vintage keyboards come to mind, more specifically buckling spring keyboards from IBM. IBM’s Model F, which debuted in 1981 and used buckling spring switches over a capacitive PCB, and the Model M, which launched in 1985 and used buckling spring switches over a membrane sheet, both offered layouts with 122 keys. These layouts included not one, but two rows of function keys that would leave today’s 60 percent keyboard fans sweating over the wasted space. But having 122 keys was helpful for keyboards tied to IBM business terminals. The keyboard layout even included a bank of keys to the left of the primary alpha block of keys for even more forms of input. An IBM Model M keyboard with an F23 key. James R. Maynard III/Wikimedia Commons The 122-key keyboard layout with F23 lives on. Beyond people who still swear by old Model F and M keyboards, Model F Labs and Unicomp both currently sell modern buckling spring keyboards with built-in F23 buttons. Another reason a modern Windows PC user might have access to an F23 key is if they use a macro pad. But even with those uses in mind, the F23 key remains rare. That helps explain why Microsoft would use the key for launching Copilot; users are unlikely to have F23 programmed for other functions. This was also likely less work than making a key with an entirely new scan code. The Copilot button is reprogrammable When I previewed Dell's 2024 XPS laptops, a Dell representative told me that the integrated Copilot key wasn't reprogrammable. However, in addition to providing some interesting information about the newest PC key since the Windows button, Tom's Hardware's revelation shows why the Copilot key is actually reprogrammable, even if OEMs don't give users a way to do so out of the box. (If you need help, check out the website's tutorial for reprogramming the Windows Copilot key.) I suspect there's a strong interest in reprogramming that button. For one, generative AI, despite all its hype and potential, is still an emerging technology. Many don't need or want access to any chatbot—let alone Microsoft's—instantly or even at all. Those who don't use their system with a Microsoft account have no use for the button, since being logged in to a Microsoft account is required for the button to launch Copilot. A rendering of the Copilot button. Microsoft Additionally, there are other easy ways to launch Copilot on a computer that has the program downloaded, like double-clicking an icon or pressing Windows + C, that make a dedicated button unnecessary. (Ars Technica asked Microsoft why the Copilot key doesn't just register Windows + C, but the company declined to comment. Windows + C has launched other apps in the past, including Cortana, so it's possible that Microsoft wanted to avoid the Copilot key performing a different function when pressed on computers that use Windows images without Copilot.) In general, shoehorning the Copilot key into Windows laptops seems premature. Copilot is young and still a preview; just a few months ago, it was called Bing Chat. Further, the future of generative AI, including its popularity and top uses, is still forming and could evolve substantially during the lifetime of a Windows laptop. Microsoft's generative AI efforts could also flounder over the years. Imagine if Microsoft went all-in on Bing back in the day and made all Windows keyboards have a Bing button, for example. Just because Microsoft wants something to become mainstream doesn't mean that it will. This all has made the Copilot button seem more like a way to force the adoption of Microsoft's chatbot than a way to improve Windows keyboards. Microsoft has also made the Copilot button a requirement for its AI PC certification (which also requires an integrated neural processing unit and having Copilot pre-installed). Microsoft plans to make Copilot keys a requirement for Windows 11 OEM PCs eventually, it told Ars Technica in January. At least for now, the basic way that the Copilot button works means you can turn the key into something more useful. Now, the tricky part would be finding a replacement keycap to eradicate Copilot's influence from your keyboard. Listing image by Microsoft Source

Microsoft has released a new Windows 11 build for members of the Windows Insider Program in the Beta Channel. The build number is 22635.4225, under KB5043186. Among other new features, it adds a way to configure the Copilot key for keyboards and notebooks that have the recently added key. Here is the changelog: You can check out the full blog post here. Source RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every single day for many years. 2023: Over 5,800 news posts | 2024 (till end of August): 3,792 news posts