After years of trying to get people to embrace the Copilot+ PC brand, Microsoft decided to move away from the moniker entirely. The new Surface Pro 12-inch and Surface Laptop 13-inch aren't called Copilot+ PCs even though they meet all the technical requirements to be labeled as such.
That leaves some of us in a strange spot. Many purchased Copilot+ PCs because that was the only way to get a new model of certain laptops. People can enable or disable AI features as they'd like, but Copilot+ PCs feature a Copilot key that is useless to a lot of people.
There are non-Copilot+ PCs and keyboards that feature a Copilot key. But because of the recent change regarding Copilot+ PCs, people online have complained about their Copilot+ PCs having a Copilot key, so I made this guide.
So, what can you do if you spent hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on a laptop to get the latest specs only to find a key on your keyboard wasted? Luckily, Microsoft considered this quandary and made it possible to remap the Copilot key.
Windows 11 allows you to customize what the Copilot key does, but the options are limited. You can set the key to open Search, open Copilot, or launch an app.
If you want more control over what the Copilot key does (pun intended), you can use PowerToys to remap the key.
You can also spend a few dollars to cover up the Copilot logo and replace it with whatever you'd like to remap that key to.
How to remap Copilot key in Windows 11
This is the easiest option, but it has serious limitations.
- Open the Settings app on Windows 11.
- Open Bluetooth & devices.
- Open Keyboard.
- Click the dropdown menu next to Customize Copilot key on keyboard.
- Select Search, Copilot, or Open an app.
The option to remap the Copilot key shipped to Windows 11 this year, so you need to make sure your PC is up to date to use the feature.
How to remap Copilot key with PowerToys
If you want to remap the Copilot key to do something other than launch Search, Copilot, or an app, you need to use a separate application. PowerToys includes a Keyboard Manager that does the trick.
Because the Copilot key is treated by Windows 11 as a shortcut and not as a single key, you need to use the option to remap a shortcut.
I found this process easier to complete using the classic Keyboard Manager within PowerToys. You can do this by toggling Try the new editor off.
- Install PowerToys.
- Open PowerToys.
- Open the Keyboard Manager tool.
- Make sure Keyboard Manager is enabled.
- Select Remap a shortcut.
- Select Add shortcut remapping.
- Set the shortcut to Windows + Shift + Ctrl + F23.
- Set the action to whatever you'd like (such as Ctrl (Right)).
Since few keyboards have an F23 key, I found it easier to use the classic editor in Keyboard Manager. Our colleagues at Tom's Hardware were the first to discover that the Copilot key is actually a shortcut using F23.
How to cover the Copilot key
Even if you remap the Copilot key, the logo will still appear on your keyboard. If you dislike keys mismatching what they input on your PC, you may want to cover up the Copilot key.
Unfortunately, how easy that will be depends on the color of your keyboard. It's very easy to find keyboard stickers in black or white. This listing on Amazon includes stickers in white, black, and in various languages.
If you have a Surface with a gray keyboard or a colorful Type Cover, you may struggle to find a sticker that matches the color of your keys. You may have better luck on eBay or Etsy, but since items there are often custom made, I won't recommend a specific set of stickers.
If you find stickers to replace the Copilot key on your PC and want to make sure other people know about them, comment below or reach out to me on social media and I'll update this piece.
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