Microsoft’s Copilot key will be able to launch apps on Windows 11 soon

Microsoft is planning to allow Windows 11 users to customize the Copilot key that has started shipping on new laptops and keyboards. The Copilot key is configured as default to launch Microsoft's Copilot app on Windows 11, but the company is now testing the ability to use it to launch other apps instead.

A new beta build of Windows 11 includes the customization changes, available for testers today. "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," explains the Windows Insider team in a blog post. "The key will continue to launch Copilot on devices that have the Copilot app installed until a customer selects a different experience."

The Copilot key is the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years and part of a push by Microsoft to encourage Windows users to try its AI assistant.

New Copilot Plus PCs also started shipping with the key earlier this year, with Microsoft actually making the Copilot experience less useful on these new devices by turning Copilot into a web app in the latest 24H2 update to Windows 11.

This web app version of Copilot no longer integrates into the Windows 11 settings, so you can't use the AI assistant to control whether you have dark mode enabled or a variety of other settings. It's still not clear how Microsoft intends to evolve the Copilot experience in Windows, nor whether the company will turn its Copilot key into something that could be used more like the Windows key to launch shortcuts.

Given the customization for the Copilot key is available to beta testers of Windows 11 today, I would expect we'll see this available for all Windows 11 users in the coming months.