In January 2024, we announced the introduction of the Copilot key on new Windows 11 PCs, marking the first significant change to the Windows PC keyboard in nearly three decades. While the Copilot key was originally intended to invoke Copilot in Windows, this has shifted as we've evolved Microsoft Copilot experiences on Windows to better address your feedback and needs.
The physical Copilot key on new Windows 11 devices.
As we've previously shared, Copilot in Windows has been removed, and the Microsoft Copilot app is now only available to consumer users authenticating with a Microsoft account. It will not work for commercial users authenticating with a Microsoft Entra account. With this change, IT admins will need to take steps to ensure employees authenticating with a Microsoft Entra account can still access Copilot via the Copilot key.
We recommend that managed commercial organizations remap the Copilot key to invoke the Microsoft 365 app for simplified access to Copilot experiences designed for work and education. Here, we're providing a deeper dive into the changes to the Copilot key experience and sharing guidance for IT admins on how to manage this in their organization.
Copilot key on newly provisioned Windows 11 PCs
Employees with Windows 11 devices that have the Copilot hardware key will be configured for enterprise use when going through the out-of-box experience (OOBE)* or setting up a new account using their Microsoft Entra account. In this scenario, pressing the Copilot key on the keyboard will open Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app. This is the default and recommended scenario for all commercial managed organizations, regardless of whether you have the paid add-on Microsoft 365 Copilot license.
Users that go through OOBE or set up a new account using a Microsoft account to sign into their device will be configured for personal use. This means the Copilot key will open the Microsoft Copilot app when pressed.
*New devices that are cloud domain joined will receive this experience upon taking the post-setup update.
Copilot key for existing Windows 11 PCs
As of the October 2024 monthly security update for Windows 11, the Copilot key mapping remains unchanged. This means that existing devices with the Copilot key mapped to the Copilot app will remain as such. Because the Copilot app is now intended for the consumer audience, users will only be able to sign in with a Microsoft account. For users attempting to sign in with a Microsoft Entra account, the Copilot app will redirect them to the browser experience of Microsoft Copilot at https://copilot.cloud.microsoft, which is built for work and offers enterprise data protection (EDP) when signed in with a Microsoft Entra account.
Users attempting to sign in to the Copilot app with their Microsoft Entra account will be redirected to the browser version of Microsoft Copilot with EDP at https://copilot.cloud.microsoft.
For the optimal experience, enterprise users should go to Windows client policies, such as Group Policy or configuration service provider (CSP) policies to update the target of the key to the Microsoft 365 app so employees can access Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app. End users can also configure this via Settings.
The Microsoft 365 app comes preinstalled on all Windows 11 PCs. If your organization has uninstalled the Microsoft 365 app, we suggest you reinstall it from the Microsoft Store or your preferred application management solution so the Copilot key can be remapped to the Microsoft 365 app. We also suggest you pin Microsoft Copilot to the navigation bar of the Microsoft 365 app.
To avoid confusion for employees as to which entry point for Microsoft Copilot to use, we recommend you uninstall the Copilot app.
Manage the Copilot key
Policies are available to configure the target app of the Copilot hardware key. Documentation for this policy can be found at WindowsAI Policy CSP.
The policy name is WindowsAI/SetCopilotHardwareKey.
For further information, please visit Updated Windows and Microsoft Copilot experience.
Frequently asked questions
Is user data protected when using Microsoft Copilot?
For users signed in with a Microsoft Entra account, Microsoft Copilot will offer EDP, which is available to these users at no additional cost. EDP refers to controls and commitments, under the Data Protection Addendum and Product Terms, that apply to data for users of Copilot for Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Copilot. This means that security, privacy, and compliance controls and commitments available for Copilot for Microsoft 365 will extend to Microsoft Copilot prompts and responses. To learn more, please visit Updates to Microsoft Copilot to bring enterprise data protection to more organizations.
If my organization enables Microsoft account, is there a way for me to block users from using the Microsoft Copilot app?
It is possible to enable a Microsoft account in your organization but disable authentication using a Microsoft account for a specific application via app management policy. To learn more, please see Updated Windows and Microsoft Copilot experience.
What if my users prefer the Microsoft Copilot app experience, but my organization does not allow Microsoft account and they can no longer authenticate?
Moving forward, the Microsoft Copilot app will no longer allow authentication with Microsoft Entra accounts. As suggested in this blog, we recommend that organizations direct employees to access Copilot within the Microsoft 365 app. This entry point maintains the same functionality as the Copilot app, and the Microsoft 365 app can be pinned to the taskbar for easy access, just like the Microsoft Copilot app.
Do these changes apply even if I do not have the Microsoft 365 Copilot add-on subscription?
Yes, these changes apply to all managed commercial organizations with users authenticating with a Microsoft Entra account, regardless of whether they only have the free Microsoft Copilot with EDP offering, or they also have the paid add-on Microsoft 365 Copilot license. If you have the add-on Microsoft 365 Copilot license, you will have access to both web and work modes in chat, with the option to toggle between the two.
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