Tired of Copilot in Windows 11? Microsoft's new keyboard shortcut for AI might not solve the problem and could impact your desktop experience.
The hijacking of shortcuts will likely annoy some people.
Microsoft is promoting a new keyboard shortcut to facilitate access to its Copilot assistant in Windows 11. Following a recent update to the Copilot app, users have begun receiving a pop-up message suggesting the use of the Alt + Space key combination to open the assistant. This new approach aims to encourage users to interact more with the tool, which has been functioning as a standalone application since last year, rather than being anchored to the side of the desktop.
The notification informs users that they can enable the new shortcut or choose to ignore it. This shortcut was previously tested last month when the 'quick view' feature of Copilot was introduced. Additionally, devices with a dedicated Copilot key can use it to access the main view of the assistant, which is configurable.
However, this new shortcut could interfere with the workflows of some Windows 11 users. While this might be irrelevant for many, those who have already assigned Alt + Space to another function, such as PowerToys, may encounter issues. Furthermore, this key combination also opens the context menu of any active window, which is a key feature in the Windows 11 interface.
Microsoft has acknowledged that many applications utilize the Alt + Space shortcut. According to their explanation, the operating system will register the first running application that responds to this key combination, meaning that if an application like PowerToys is active, it will take priority over Copilot. However, the context menu of the main Windows 11 interface will not be affected by this setting, as it is part of the operating system's design, not an application.
The company has indicated that this implementation may be reviewed based on user feedback through the recommended channels. Additionally, there is an option to enable or disable the Alt + Space shortcut for Copilot in the app's settings, accessible from the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.
