I reprogrammed the Windows 11 Copilot key and now it’s actually useful

Back in 2024, Microsoft made headlines by introducing the first new mandatory PC keyboard button in decades: the Copilot key. Donning the company’s signature artificial intelligence logo, this Copilot key now features prominently on all newer-generation Windows 11 computers, replacing the dedicated ≣ menu key found on the far right-hand side of older officially licensed keyboard models.

Microsoft, it’s fair to say, envisions Copilot and AI itself to be a major game changer in how we will one day operate our personal computers, positioning the Copilot key in a similar manner to the iconic Start Menu key from the mid-nineties. As it currently stands, hitting the Copilot key launches the company’s AI chatbot within a dedicated Copilot app window, which, admittedly, is of middling convenience to many PC users.

Microsoft has since faced massive amounts of backlash with its handling of Windows 11, primarily in relation to its heavy-handed approach to AI, and the shoehorning of the Copilot brand across every possible user interface surface of its desktop OS. While reports indicate that the company is reevaluating its approach to Copilot within Windows (via Windows Central), I think it’s unlikely that the Copilot key itself will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Thankfully, it’s possible to reconfigure the Copilot key — at least on newer builds of Windows 11. While options are limited, the key can be bound to a third-party AI assistant of choice, which I suppose is better than nothing. Still, I hope to see Microsoft one day offer far more flexibility in what can and can’t be mapped to the Copilot key. I reckon options like Recall, Click to Do, launching any installed application of choice, and custom actions should all be added as options, to offer users a more malleable experience.

How to reprogram the Copilot key on your Windows 11 PC

Microsoft offers some flexibility, but not as much as it should

To remap your Copilot key on any Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Launch the Settings application.
2. Navigate to Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard > Shortcuts and hotkeys.
3. From here, tap or click on the dropdown menu located within the Customize Copilot key on keyboard entry.
4. Lastly, select between Search or Custom. The former binds the button to Windows Search, while the latter prompts you to select a compatible AI app like Microsoft 365 Copilot, or, if installed, ChatGPT.

Now, every time you hit (or accidentally hit) the dedicated Copilot key on your computer’s keyboard, it’ll launch your configured option rather than the main Copilot app itself. Note that remapping the key doesn’t impact its secondary fn function, which still defaults to the ≣ menu key.

If you aren’t satisfied with Microsoft’s limited set of Copilot remapping options within Settings, there are also a couple of advanced options at your disposal. These include:

• Downloading and installing
  Microsoft PowerToys
  and leveraging its built-in Remap a Shortcut tool within the Keyboard Manager
• Running a dedicated Copilot key remapping script, such as CopilotKeyRemap from GitHub.
• Using the Local Group Policy Editor within Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions to modify the Set Copilot Hardware Key policy.