Don’t have a Copilot key? Microsoft is adding a keyboard shortcut for you

Newer Windows PCs have included a special Copilot key for about a year now. The Copilot key is meant to be a dedicated way to bring up Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant, although some people never use it and have turned to repurposing the Copilot key for other actions.

But then there are others who want to use Copilot and wish they had a dedicated button for calling it up, yet don’t want to shell out money on a new laptop just for said key. If that’s you, then here’s some good news: Microsoft is adding a new keyboard shortcut for Copilot.

According to the announcement post, the Copilot app for Windows (available via the Microsoft Store) will soon be able to initiate a voice conversation with Copilot by holding Alt + Space for 2 seconds. Once you’re done talking, you can press Esc to end the conversation. It’ll also end on its own if you don’t say anything for several seconds.

The new keyboard shortcut is rolling out to Windows Insiders across all channels. It’s unclear when it’ll be made available to all Windows users.

Microsoft recently revamped the Copilot app for Windows, rebuilding it from the ground up and integrating it more natively into the operating system, improving its performance and results. If you previously wrote off the Windows Copilot experience, consider giving it another try.