Microsoft finally lets you change the Copilot key back to what it was before Windows 11’s AI assistant existed

Microsoft brings in several options to remap the Copilot key
You will be able to redefine it to call the context menu or use it as right Ctrl
This used to be the right Ctrl key before Microsoft ditched it to make way for the dedicated AI key on Windows 11 laptops

Microsoft will provide more options to remap the Copilot key, the dedicated key introduced to summon Windows 11’s AI assistant on laptops (and some standalone keyboards as well).

Windows Central noted that Microsoft has confirmed this move in a support document, which says: “Customers who rely on the right Ctrl key or context menu key for keyboard shortcuts or assistive technologies (such as screen readers) experienced some challenges with their workflows when using these devices.

“A Windows 11 update is shipping later this year that will add a setting option to allow you to turn the Copilot key into a context menu key or right Ctrl key.”

Analysis: a necessary solution

A young woman works on a Windows 11 laptop in a casual office space.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

It’s good to get some better options then, including that context menu key (which was actually rumored to be a change in the works over a year ago). Returning the key to the right Ctrl is an important move because, as Microsoft notes, it can be an accessibility issue if you don’t have it.

It is helpful for certain workflows, such as being able to use shortcuts with one hand, pressing Ctrl plus the arrow keys, for example, or other combinations using Ctrl with other keys on the right side of the keyboard. Without a Ctrl key on the right, these actions become a two-handed action using the left and right sides of the keyboard.

It would be nice if Microsoft gave us a wider range of options to transform the key into anything we wanted, although that can be achieved by installing PowerToys and using the Keyboard Manager. We’ve got the full details on how to do that here, though I’d still rather have some of the key parts of PowerToys – including this one – incorporated into Windows 11 as options, as I recently discussed.

All in all, this move is a welcome one, and another part of Microsoft’s big plan to fix Windows 11 – although some people are still pretty upset that the company implemented the Copilot key in the first place.

As this Redditor noted, “Oh yeah: steal the right Ctrl key and return it now as an improvement.”

And another on Reddit noted: “Looks like their telemetry told them people were avoiding pressing that key like the plague.”