How to remap the Windows 11 Copilot key and restore your missing Right Ctrl button

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If you've purchased a new Windows laptop anytime in the past year or two, you may notice the presence of a dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. Located to the right of the spacebar, this key quickly launches Microsoft's Copilot AI so that you can ask a question or kickstart a conversation.

Naturally, the key is the brainchild of Microsoft, which first introduced it to its own Copilot+ PCs Surface laptops more than two years ago. Third-party laptop vendors like Lenovo, Dell, and HP then jumped on the bandwagon, adding the key to their own Copilot+ PCs. Now, even laptops not designated as Copilot+ models sport the key.

The Copilot key is part of Microsoft's effort to stuff its AI into every nook and cranny of Windows. However, adding a new key to a physical keyboard is a rare move. The only other obvious instance is the introduction of the dedicated Windows key to keyboards back in the 1990s.

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If you don't use Copilot that much or at all, the key is just a waste of space. Even if you do turn to the AI, you can just as easily launch Copilot by clicking its taskbar icon or pressing the Windows key + C. You can even set it to launch by voice if you say "Hey, Copilot."