Microsoft makes Copilot less useful on new Copilot Plus PCs

Microsoft launched its Copilot Plus line of PCs earlier this week, and they all come equipped with the new dedicated Copilot key on the keyboard. It’s the first major change to Windows keyboards in 30 years, but all Key does now is release a Progressive Web App (PWA) version of Copilot.

The web app no ​​longer even integrates with Windows like the previous Copilot experience did from last year, so you can no longer use Copilot to control Windows 11 settings or dock it as a sidebar. It’s literally just a PWA. Microsoft even removed the keyboard shortcut for Copilot on these new Copilot Plus PCs, so WINKEY + C does nothing.

I was hoping that Microsoft would evolve the Copilot key into something that could be used similar to the Windows key, in combination with other keys to launch shortcuts to apps or even AI-powered features in Windows. This would make it much more useful than just launching a PWA.

Microsoft hasn’t explained why it changed Copilot from a more integrated Windows experience to just a web app that can no longer control Windows settings. “We are also evolving the Copilot experience on Windows as an app that will be pinned to the taskbar,” the Windows Insider team says in a statement. recent blog post. “This allows users to get the benefits of a traditional app experience, including the ability to resize, move and adjust the window – feedback we heard from users while previewing Copilot on Windows.”

Microsoft says it will be able to “more agilely develop and optimize” the Copilot experience as a result of these changes, so perhaps we will see some future changes that will make sense of this regression in functionality. Until then, the new Copilot key will replace the menu key (application key) on the keyboards of new Copilot Plus PCs, and Microsoft has also pinned the Copilot app to the taskbar so you don’t even need to use the dedicated key anyway.