The Copilot key is the key next to the spacebar on newer Windows 11 keyboards, and pressing it opens the Microsoft Copilot app, or a smaller quick view if you've set it that way. No Copilot key on your PC? Windows key + C does the same job, as of October 2026.
Microsoft's Windows Learning Center says you'll usually find the key near the spacebar, taking the spot where the right-hand Windows key used to be. It also calls it the first major change to the Windows keyboard layout since the Windows key itself arrived in the 1990s. So if you've just unboxed a laptop and found a strange new key, that's why.
Press it once: what opens
On a personal PC, Microsoft's support page says pressing the Copilot key launches the Copilot app, and Windows key + C does the same. That shortcut can open either the full app or a smaller quick view, and you choose which.
On a work PC it behaves differently. Microsoft's Windows IT Pro Blog said that from late May 2025, pressing the key would open a small prompt box for Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat, so you can ask a question without switching apps, and expand it into the full app if you need more. People without the key get the same thing on Windows key + C. Microsoft's Learn page for admins confirms this replaced the old Copilot sidebar in Windows.
There's a condition. On newly provisioned, managed Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise PCs, Microsoft says the key opens that prompt box provided you're signed in with a Microsoft Entra work account and the Microsoft 365 Copilot app is preinstalled. The blog also says that with this change, the full-screen app can't be opened straight from the key, and that anyone who'd already pointed the key at another app keeps their setting.
Choose quick view or the full app
If the key opens something bigger or smaller than you'd like, change it in the Copilot app itself:
- Open the Copilot app.
- Select Account.
- Open Settings.
- Go to Copilot Keyboard Shortcuts.
- Choose whether the shortcut launches the full application or the smaller quick view, then press the key to test it.
Pointing the key at a different app
Microsoft's Learn page for IT describes a Windows setting for this. Go to Settings, then Personalization, then Text input, and find the setting called Customize Copilot key on keyboard. The dropdown offers Search, Custom, or whichever app is mapped already.
To send the key to the Copilot app, choose Custom and pick the Microsoft Copilot app from the app picker. If the picker is empty or the Copilot app isn't in it, Microsoft says to reinstall Copilot from the Microsoft Store. You can also choose another app, but it has to be MSIX packaged and signed, and its maker has to have registered it as a Copilot key provider, so plenty of apps won't appear in the list. On a company laptop, don't be surprised if this is already set: admins can configure the key through a group policy called Set Copilot Hardware Key.
Long press, voice and other ways in
- Short press, then the voice icon. On the work Copilot, Microsoft says a short press opens the prompt box, where you can select Start a new voice chat.
- Long press. Holding the Copilot key (or Windows key + C) opens the voice controller, a small window that stays on screen while you work, according to the same Learn page.
- Hey, Copilot. An opt-in wake word that opens Copilot hands-free.
- Your pen. On supported devices, go to Settings, then Bluetooth & devices, then Pen & Windows Ink, find Choose what your shortcut button does, and select Same as Copilot key.
The combination shortcuts Microsoft lists
Search for the Copilot key and you'll see a list of combinations. Here's where each one comes from:
| Shortcut | What Microsoft says it does | Where Microsoft says it |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot key | Launches the Copilot app, or the quick view | Support page: Access Microsoft Copilot on Windows |
| Windows key + C | The same, for PCs without the key | Support page and Windows IT Pro Blog |
| Copilot + C | Start a quick chat with Copilot | Windows Learning Center |
| Copilot + S | Summarise highlighted text | Windows Learning Center |
| Copilot + I | Get insights from what's on screen | Windows Learning Center |
| Copilot + L | Launch a task list | Windows Learning Center |
| Long press Copilot key | Open the voice controller on the work Copilot | Learn page for IT admins |
Here's the honest catch. The four combinations come from a Windows Learning Center article dated 17 December 2025. It's a marketing page, written for the US market, and it carries a disclaimer that features and functionality are subject to change and may vary by region. Microsoft's support article for Copilot on Windows sticks to the key, Windows key + C, the wake word and the pen. So treat the combinations as Microsoft's claim, and try them before you put them in a team guide.
The same marketing page says the shortcuts run smoother on a Copilot+ PC, because those machines have a neural processing unit. The key itself turns up on ordinary Windows 11 laptops too. If you're weighing up the upgrade, here's what a Copilot+ PC adds.
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If you'd rather it did nothing at all
You've got two routes. Point the key at Search or another app with the Customize Copilot key on keyboard setting above, or turn Copilot off more broadly, which I cover in my guide to turning off Copilot. If you're keeping it, this guide to using Copilot well is the next stop once the key opens it.
How I'd use it
I'd use Windows key + C with the quick view for everyday questions, because it pops up, answers and gets out of the way. Skip the Copilot + S, I and L combinations until you've tried them on your own PC and seen what they do there. Once it's become a habit, the key is quicker than hunting for the icon, and that's the whole point of it.
If your team has new Windows laptops and wants Copilot used well rather than ignored, that's the kind of AI training I run. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Copilot key do?
It opens the Microsoft Copilot app, or a smaller quick view if you've set it that way. On managed work PCs it opens a small prompt box for Copilot Chat that you can expand into the full app.
What if my keyboard has no Copilot key?
Use Windows key + C. Microsoft says it opens the same Copilot experience as the key.
Can I change what the Copilot key opens?
Yes. Microsoft's Learn page describes Settings, then Personalization, then Text input, then Customize Copilot key on keyboard, with options for Search, Custom or a mapped app.
Do Copilot + S and Copilot + L work on every PC?
They come from a Microsoft marketing page written for the US market that says features are subject to change, so try them on your own PC first.
Where is the Copilot key on the keyboard?
Microsoft says it's usually near the spacebar, in the spot where the right-hand Windows key used to be.
