Microsoft has finally realized that not everyone cares about Copilot

Despite making claims to the contrary, Microsoft is not really thought of as being a company that takes much notice of user opinion. All too often it seems that incredibly unpopular options, features and changes are introduced with little regard for what users actually want.

But, to buck the trend, Microsoft has apparently been listening to feedback from people who are unhappy about the encroachment of Copilot into... well, pretty much everything, really. The decision to include a physical Copilot key on keyboards has been one such unpopular move, and the reaction from Windows 11 users has forced Microsoft’s hand.

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In a blog post about the Copilot key, Microsoft continues to wax lyrical about its AI-powered digital assistant, but concedes that the feedback from users has not been entirely favorable. Microsoft’s response is to give users that thing which is becoming increasingly rare in Windows -- choice.

Starting in the latter half of next month, Microsoft says that it will be rolling out the “updated Copilot key experience” after hearing feedback. What does this mean?

When a user presses the Copilot key, it will invoke a prompt box allowing you to interact with Copilot Chat without taking up too much space on the screen or needing to switch context. This prompt box is flexible and can be expanded into the full Microsoft 365 Copilot app for users who want access to the full set of capabilities and their productivity tools.

The company continues, saying: “For users without a physical Copilot key on their keyboard, the same experience will be coming to the Windows key+C keyboard shortcut”.

Microsoft refers to its changes as providing users with flexibility. The blog post goes on:

Starting late May 2025, users that currently have the Copilot key or Windows key+C shortcut mapped to the Microsoft 365 Copilot app as a default will begin to see the key and shortcut open the prompt box instead. This change to the Copilot key will happen automatically and is tied to a Microsoft 365 update, whereas the Windows key+C shortcut update will be part of a Windows update. Users will see a first-run experience introducing them to the new way to interact with Copilot Chat on their Windows 11 PC.

With this change, the full screen mode of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app cannot be invoked directly from the Copilot key or Windows key+C shortcut. This is based on customer feedback we received to make the Microsoft 365 Copilot app more flexible in Windows. It enables users to interact with Copilot Chat alongside their existing workflow, and it gives them the option to expand to the full app if they choose to do so.

If you have previously remapped the Copilot key or Windows key+C shortcut to a different app, your settings will remain unchanged.

System administrators have the option of using policies to control the hardware key as well. Documentation is available here.