The Copilot key on a PC is useless, but behind it is Microsoft's great power

Since the Copilot+ PC standard appeared, there has been a big change in the Windows world, which is the appearance of the Copilot key, which has the function of quickly calling the AI ​​assistant that Microsoft developed and this is mandatory on all computers that meet the standards set by Microsoft. After 2 years of its appearance, I personally (and Microsoft?) find that this key is one of the most useless keys on a Windows computer keyboard. Perhaps those of you who use Windows computers all agree with me on this. Try counting how many times you click that button, you probably won't remember. In fact, the story behind the Copilot key shows how great Microsoft's power is to force all OEMs to follow it, but Copilot is not the only time Microsoft shows that power. Before the Copilot key, this position was the Ctrl key. Although for me, I rarely use it, but for some people, they still use it and I personally find it at least more useful than this Copilot key.

Why is the Copilot key useless?

The Copilot key does not have a new independent hardware scan code. Instead, it is hardwired to play the macro key combination: Left Windows + Left Shift + F23. The F23 key is a legacy function key from the 122-key IBM terminal keyboard of the 1980s. Microsoft chose this method because it does not obfuscate the standard HID encoding, but turns a standalone physical key into an emulated shortcut key cluster.

In fact, when Copilot appeared on Windows computers, I had experience and it could do more things than the current Copilot. The reason is because at that time Copilot was part of Windows, it ran natively and worked well with some settings on the computer, while Copilot is now a web app and it can't even change light mode to dark mode 😃. Therefore, pressing this key simply activates a minimized browser window that calls the API to the cloud. And as I said, it took away the position of the right Ctrl key, which causes great frustration for programmers, office workers and professional users when they lose the traditional navigation key combination. Worse yet, if there is no network, even if you press Copilot, it won't work.

Why is it "mandatory" and how great is Microsoft's power?

Technically, Microsoft does not prohibit manufacturers (OEMs) from making other buttons. However, they make it mandatory through two core power tools:

This is not a new story, this power was proven by Microsoft 30 years ago. Before 1994, PC keyboards did not have a Windows key. When Microsoft launched Windows 95, they forced the entire industry to include the Windows key in keyboards through the "Designed for Windows 95" certification program. Although at that time the community of gamers and programmers protested fiercely because they often accidentally clicked and caused the application to crash, Windows' monopoly on the PC market (more than 70% market share) has turned the Windows key into a mandatory global standard for the past 3 decades. With the Copilot key, Microsoft is applying the same old formula to force the entire supply chain to serve their AI commercialization ambitions.

Fortunately, we can remap to eliminate the uselessness of this key

Perhaps Microsoft also realizes this, so in recent Windows 11 builds, they let users remap the Copilot key to the Search key, or open Microsoft 365 Copilot (still has the new name Copilot), or simply do nothing, turning that key into a place to relieve stress if you feel too stressed at work.

Or, to make better use of it, Microsoft lets us remap to keystrokes or open an application via PowerToys. Actually, if you are using Windows, you should use PowerToys, it's really great and it provides Windows users with many great tools. You open Keyboard Manager in PowerToys and now you can map the Copilot key to any action you like, eliminating the inhibition of that key.