The next thing in Windows 11 will finally make the Copilot key useful

In early 2024, Microsoft changed the keyboard on Windows computers for the first time in 30 years, introducing special co-pilot keyThis feature is exclusive to PCs with Windows 11 which hit the market this year quickly proved to be completely useless, as it did nothing more than summon an AI assistant.

Many have described the Copilot button as the famous keyboard shortcut The inclusion of which was only in line with Microsoft’s marketing strategy, not the real needs of users. Fortunately, Windows 11 will soon allow you to do something much more useful with it: launch applications.

On the Windows Insider blog, Redmond residents reported that the latest beta version of Windows 11 allows Set up the Copilot key to open specific programsBy default, it will still be linked to an AI assistant, but users will have the ability to change its behavior.

It is worth clarifying, however, that this new Windows 11 feature will not be compatible with any executable file in EXE format. According to Microsoft, only applications that have the format MSIX and signed. The company explains that this requirement is intended to ensure that applications comply with relevant privacy and security requirements.

It’s also important to note that this feature will be available to all Windows 11 PCs, not just those that launched this year with the new Copilot key. Of course, Microsoft clarifies that if you’re using a keyboard without a corresponding key, changing this setting in the system settings won’t do anything.

How to Use the Copilot Key to Launch Programs in Windows 11

Changing the behavior of the Copilot key in Windows 11 and using it to launch programs is easy. Once this option appears in the stable version of the OS, all you have to do is enter Settings > Personalization > Text input. There will be a new section dedicated to this task, which will include a drop-down menu from which you can choose which application to open by clicking the button.

As we said at the beginning, this could potentially make the co-pilot key a real utility. After all, for now all it does is replicate the same result you get when you press Win+C on any PC. In fact, last June, Microsoft announced that it was going to eliminate the shortcut in an effort to increase usage of the dedicated button and sales of Copilot+ PCs.

An interesting fact he discovered Tom’s Equipment Shortly after the Copilot key was introduced to Windows 11 computers, it simply launched a shortcut Left Shift + Windows + F23. This means that Microsoft did not create a new scan code to identify the button action in question, but instead gave it a key combination that is nearly impossible to reproduce on modern keyboards, which mostly only include the F12 key.