The prodigal child of Microsoft, Copilot has had its dedicated key on new Windows PCs for a few months now. However, thankfully, even if you are not a regular user of artificial intelligence, you may still find some usefulness in this little innovation.
It’s hard not to be aware that Microsoft has developed new AI features for its services. Windows, of course, is no exception, and Copilot aims to be an essential element of the most popular OS on PCs. So much so that it almost reminds us of the forced introduction of Cortana at a time when tech giants were all about voice assistants.
While Copilot is somewhat more useful in comparison, it remains one of those features that some users would prefer to discard if they don’t need it. The problem is that the tool has had its dedicated key on new Windows 11 PCs for a few months now, and it becomes much less useful when AI is absent from the system. This is an issue that Microsoft is currently addressing.
Indeed, in the latest version of Windows Insider Preview in the Dev channel (26120.1930), a new option has appeared in Windows settings. This allows users to reconfigure the Copilot key to launch another application, though there are some restrictions.
A limited feature, but it’s worth having In its blog post, Microsoft specifies that only “MSIX packaged and signed” applications can be selected, “which indicates that the application meets security and privacy requirements to ensure customer safety.” As explained by our colleagues at Ars Technica, programs installed via the Microsoft Store and those directly integrated into Windows 11 should be compatible without issues.
However, the situation will not be the same for software installed from external sources. In this case, users will need to use third-party tools to reassign the key. The same goes for those wanting to give it a different function beyond simply launching an application.
This new feature may arrive in the coming weeks or months in the stable version of Windows 11 24H2. However, it’s important to note that Microsoft may modify it by then or even decide to abandon it before it reaches the general public. Nevertheless, it’s good to see some efforts being made to make Copilot easier to remove than the now-defunct Cortana.
