Microsoft launched its range of Copilot Plus PCs earlier this week, and they all come equipped with the new dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. It’s the first big change to Windows keyboards in 30 years, but all the key does now is launch a Progressive Web App (PWA) version of Copilot.
The web app doesn’t even integrate into Windows anymore like the previous Copilot experience did since last year, so you can’t use Copilot to control Windows 11 settings or have it docked as a sidebar anymore. It’s literally just a PWA. Microsoft has even removed the keyboard shortcut to Copilot on these new Copilot Plus PCs, so WINKEY + C does nothing.
I was hoping Microsoft would evolve the Copilot key into something that could be used much like the Windows key, in combination with other keys to launch shortcuts to apps or even AI-powered features in Windows. That would make it far more useful than just launching a PWA.
Microsoft hasn’t explained why it’s changed Copilot from a more integrated experience in Windows to just a web app that can no longer control Windows settings. “We’re also evolving the Copilot experience on Windows as an app that will be pinned to the taskbar,” says the Windows Insider team in a recent blog post. “This enables users to get the benefits of a traditional app experience, including the ability to resize, move, and snap the window – feedback we’ve heard from users throughout the preview of Copilot in Windows.”
Microsoft says it will be able to “more agilely develop and optimize” the Copilot experience as a result of these changes, so maybe we’ll see some future changes that make this regression in functionality make sense. Until then, the new Copilot key will replace the menu key (application key) on keyboards on new Copilot Plus PCs, and Microsoft has also pinned the Copilot app to the taskbar so you don’t even need to use the dedicated key anyway.