Win+C, Windows’ most cursed keyboard shortcut, is getting retired again
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I do wonder if the companies that are all in on AI realise how much they're diluting the AI Buzz.
I imagine this one going the way of Cortana, except now there's a new weird key on your laptop.
I imagine this one going the way of Cortana, except now there's a new weird key on your laptop.
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I wonder if you'll be able to remap the copiloit key back to what it should be. Context menu (right mouse click). I won't be buying a keyboard that has it, and hopefully by the time my newish laptop needs replaced, it won't be REQUIRED on those.
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Honestly, this isn't such a bad thing, IMO. Virtually all Windows 11 systems I've run across to date, all of which belong to clients since my system can't run Windows 11 due to being slightly too dated to have a TPM, lack a Copilot key. I've had more than 1 client call and ask me why Copilot gets opened and every time it happened when they were copying something.
That annoyance going away? Great, thanks Microsoft!
That annoyance going away? Great, thanks Microsoft!
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As someone who actually uses Copilot with Win+C (and doesn't have a Copilot key, and doesn't want to sacrifice the taskbar real estate for its button) - this is irritating!
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As someone who switches between a MacBook and a Windows laptop while using the same keyboard...I'll cry no tears for Win+C going away. It's so annoying when I accidentally press it to copy text and have Co-Pilot show up (since Win+C is read as Command+C on MacOS).
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I never knew the key combination. But why is Win-C for Copilot. I totally get C is for Copilot. But the frustration of everyone hitting Win-C for Copy by accident will probably drive people nuts for that segment of the world that uses the Control on the Right side of the keyboard.
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I use it on purpose nearly every day. The various shortcuts can be quite useful in jumping straight to various system controls. Win+Pause/Break is likely the most common one I use but there's also Win+Shift+S for a selective screenshot, Win+I for Settings, and Win+R for the run line just to name a few.
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Sigh. This ClippyPilot key is going to ruin many desktop keyboards for the next year or two until the AI hype bubble bursts and Microsoft decides that 3D or VR or NFTs or Zune is the new future of ruining keyboards.
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You'd think after nearly 30 years of creating many different virtual assistants, they'd had either learned how to do it right or learned that no one actually want it and give up, but I guess not. Surely THIS ONE won't end up like clippy, cortana, and all the rest.
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I found myself very happy for the
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Yeah, I use Win+S, Win+R and Win+Shift+S ALL the time. Someone in another ars comment thread posted a link to all the Win+Letter commands and there’s a LOT of really useful stuff there that almost no one seem to know about.
-edit- here’s a link with all win key shortcuts.
Keyboard shortcuts in Windows - Microsoft Support
Learn how to navigate Windows using keyboard shortcuts. Explore a full list of taskbar, command prompt, and general Windows shortcuts.
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As your local IT, don't forget the most important one: Win+L to lock your screen when you step away from your desk!
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Agreed there are a number of useful short cuts using the windows key. I feel like most people just don't know about them.
Win + L to lock my work computer.
Win + left or right arrow to snap something to the left or right half of screen. Especially handy when you have a multiple monitor setup so dragging a window to that side to snap is difficult to do.
Win + Shift + left or right arrow to move a window over one monitor to the left or right in a multi monitor setup.
Win + P for changing screen settings between different presentation modes.
Off the top of my head those are the ones I use daily, probably multiple times a day for most of them.
EDIT.
A quick google search
Keyboard shortcuts in Windows - Microsoft Support
Learn how to navigate Windows using keyboard shortcuts. Explore a full list of taskbar, command prompt, and general Windows shortcuts.
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I've never once hit it by accident and I use some combination of win+L, win+R and win+E every single day multiple times a day. And as a touch typist I rarely, if ever, look down at the keyboard. I trigger the ctrl key with my pinky and it would feel extremely unnatural to hit the windows key with that finger.
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I use Win+arrow key all the time to move my windows around without having to reach for the mouse, along with Win+L for locking the screen, Win+E for Explorer, Win+R for the Run dialog, etc.
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This really only happened to me when I finally switched away from my winkeyless Model M that I had used for decades. Now I use it fairly often, but mostly just for opening the file manager (Super + E).
Edit: I forgot about Super+ -> and Super + <- for moving windows around. Very handy.
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The Win key is useful on Linux too, my primary go-to is setting it as the window grabbing/resizing modifier, and one can set it up for a multitude of things beyond that. (One thing I like to emulate from Windows is vertically maximizing a window with Win+Shift+Up, for example.)
Win+C is a pretty comfortable shortkey. Throwing that out in favor of the key with the strange logo is not very friendly - why not have both?
Win+C is a pretty comfortable shortkey. Throwing that out in favor of the key with the strange logo is not very friendly - why not have both?
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It appears my reading comprehension was hindered by the long span of orange text, so I missed that part in the article.
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I use Windows-L multiple times a day. It's the easiest way to lock your screen.
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Impressive how people sound so confident in their ignorance.
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This is . . . actually really great. Speaking for myself, I'm delighted that the only Copilot nonsense we're going to have (at least near-term) is a PWA that we can unpin and forget about just like Candy Crush. No deep integration into the OS, no Recall nonsense. That's fantastic news.
Is it possible that MS realized that they shot themselves in the foot here to some extent and are backing away from cramming Copilot down users' throats? Maybe?
The sad thing is, these new "copilot PC" specs actually are pretty good. It'd be a way for MS to signal "this is a good laptop," but they've tainted it with the AI junk.
Is it possible that MS realized that they shot themselves in the foot here to some extent and are backing away from cramming Copilot down users' throats? Maybe?
The sad thing is, these new "copilot PC" specs actually are pretty good. It'd be a way for MS to signal "this is a good laptop," but they've tainted it with the AI junk.
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My keyboard literally has a "disable the windows key" button. Maybe because its a "gaming" keyboard and there's no case in a game where you ever hit that key deliberately given how disruptive it is, but still. It's existence suggests at least one person at Logitech agreed with you enough to convince the company to actually add another button just to disable it.
I do get use out of that button for WinKey+L to lock the screen, so I don't find it useless, but it has caused FFXIV to lose focus a time or two which may have gotten some folks killed...
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Agreed there are a number of useful short cuts using the windows key. I feel like most people just don't know about them.
Win + Shift + left or right arrow to move a window over one monitor to the left or right in a multi monitor setup.
A quick google search
Keyboard shortcuts in Windows - Microsoft Support
Learn how to navigate Windows using keyboard shortcuts. Explore a full list of taskbar, command prompt, and general Windows shortcuts.support.microsoft.com
Definitely a game changer. I use Win + L / R all the time but it's like 5 steps to snap into another screen. TIL adding a shift makes it a single step.
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Confirmed.
Why?
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Apparently it's part of something that was done for Office.
But wait, there's more!
Using the Office Key - Microsoft Support
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Today I learned this weird Windows keyboard shortcut opens LinkedIn
Microsoft’s Office key is available to all Windows users.
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Maybe the NPU does but having 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is hardly something you need a new PC to obtain. I have a 10-year-old Macbook Pro that meets and exceeds those other two specs and it's nothing to write home about. If we're being honest, it wasn't anything amazing even back in 2014.
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I just tried this key combination, and it works exactly as described. How and why is this even a thing?
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All proving that there’s no good way to discover these various ‘shortcuts’. “What does that key do?”
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I doubt it's more than a temporary pull back given how bad the security glare was on them and their past history with being caught actively ignoring security in the name of sales. But yes, it's a good step that this thing is not infesting the OS nearly as much.
MS has tried to have a "this is a good device" signal before but they never really stick with it. This wasn't really intended to do that either and once more systems meet the requirements (which will get more common in a year or two), it'll stop meaning much of anything because they're probably not going to revise it yearly to set a baseline for a good experience.
But that would be a nice thing to have, like "here's a set of minimum requirements to be certified as a 'Good Windows Device 2024'". That would be easier to tell a non-tech person to look for than giving them a bunch of minimum specs or just going with them, which is what I often end up doing.
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