- Microsoft is nudging people to make use of a brand new keyboard shortcut for Copilot
- The nudge reportedly arrives through a pop-up after updating the Copilot app
- The issue is the important thing combo used might intervene with the present workflows of some Home windows 11 customers
Microsoft is eager to get people on Home windows 11 utilizing its Copilot assistant extra, and the software program big is now flagging up a recent keyboard shortcut to summon the AI to your desktop.
Home windows Newest stories that after updating the Copilot app in Home windows 11 – keep in mind, the assistant was was a standalone app final 12 months, in a separate window, whereas it was beforehand anchored to the right-hand aspect of the desktop – the tech web site acquired a pop-up selling the brand new shortcut for Copilot.
The pop-up tells the consumer that they’ll hit Alt + Area as a keyboard shortcut to fireplace up the Copilot app. This panel additionally has a button to click on to allow the shortcut, or you possibly can go on that possibility and click on ‘Not now’ in case you desire.
This was seen final month in testing, the place it was launched to open Copilot’s new ‘fast view’ characteristic. (The devoted Copilot key, on PCs which have it, is used to open the assistant in its major view – although this key may be reconfigured).
So, this performance is seemingly rolling out through an replace to the Copilot utility, with a recent immediate to make use of it.
Evaluation: Interfering with workflows
Okay, then – what’s the large deal right here? Nicely, for some Home windows 11 customers, this gained’t be essential. Nonetheless, others could have Alt + Area set to one thing else (PowerToys makes use of it, for one factor), and furthermore, by default, it additionally brings up the context menu for any energetic window. That’s a part of the core Home windows 11 interface, and it may be a capability used often within the workflows of some people.
That means that Copilot might mess with these workflows, which might result in some frustrations.
Microsoft beforehand acknowledged this challenge in testing, noting that: “Many apps use this keyboard shortcut [Alt + Space] in the present day. For any apps put in in your PC that may make the most of this keyboard shortcut, Home windows will register whichever app is launched first in your PC and operating within the background because the app that’s invoked when utilizing Alt + Area.”
This isn’t precisely clear (to us, anyway), however we take it to imply that with different apps (just like the talked about PowerToys), in case you run them first (and never the Copilot app), they may preserve the Alt + Area shortcut. Nonetheless, you gained’t be capable of use Alt + Area as a part of the primary Home windows 11 interface (which means to summon the context menu for the energetic window on the desktop), as this isn’t an app (however a part of the core UI as talked about).
This entire setup would possibly change, Microsoft stated final month in its weblog submit for testers, although it seems that the software program big may be going forward with the plan at this level. That doesn’t imply this course can’t nonetheless be altered, after all, if sufficient Home windows 11 customers complain through the Suggestions Hub and ordinary channels.
Home windows Newest factors out that you could disable (or allow) the Alt + Area shortcut for Copilot within the app’s Settings (accessed through the three-dot menu on the top-right).
