The new Microsoftslop copilot key always sends the following key-sequence when pressed:
copilot key down: left-shift-down left-meta-down f23-down f23-up left-meta-up left-shift-up
copilot key up: <null>
This means there’s no real key-up event when you release the key --> it can’t be used (properly) as a modifier like ctrl or alt.
The workaround is to send a pretend key-up event after a time delay, but then you mustn’t be too slow / fast when pressing a shortcut.
- Linux workaround: https://github.com/m-bartlett/remap-copilot?tab=readme-ov-file
- Windows workaround https://github.com/randyrants/sharpkeys/issues/560
- https://xcancel.com/dcolascione/status/2019936377408811319
tldr: AI took a perfectly working modifier key from you.
— edit —
Some keyboards apparently do the “right” thing and don’t send the whole sequence at once, you can remap those properly with keyd, see: https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/issues/1025#issuecomment-2971556563 / https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/issues/825
copilot key down: left-shift-down left-meta-down f23-down
copilot key up: f23-up left-meta-up left-shift-up
this will still break left-shift + remapped copilot and left-meta + remapped copilot, but RCtrl remaps should work as expected
The WHATNOW is impossible to properly remap?
Doesn’t seem to be present on my keyboard. 😁
sure it is! just install Linux. you can remap ever single key.
Not really, it sends a combination of 3 really fast button combination on press and doesn’t report to the os when your finger releases the key. You need to run a daemon that detects that specific combination and emulates a finger release after a specified time
Assholes. Couldn’t they just remap one of the useless “internet” keys from the 00s like
KEY_HOMEPAGEorXF86Mail??Or create a brand new scancode since they could change the kernel without any problem, especially because the manufacturers would need to change the keyboard firmware anyway AND because copilot requires special hardware, it doesn’t need retro compatibility with older windows versions that don’t have the scancode in kernel or in the keyboard driver
I have one on my Lenovo IdeaPad I bought a few months ago and am running Mint on. I remapped it to bring up the menu almost immediately. No issues. It acts like a Super key. Maybe this is a model specific thing?
happy to be typing this comment on a framework laptop, where no such key is to be found.
interesting post, and thanks for the info. i cant believe the crap MS pulls. Linux is easier than ever. Join us.
If this garbage is on my keyboard I will drill that motherfucker out no second thought
I have a Lenovo usb keyboard with a fn Key in place of the Ctrl key that has absolutely no purpose. It’s for volume control like fn+F7 BUT… IT ALSO HAS DEDICATED BUTTONS FOR VOLUME CONTROL!!
After the nth time I accidentally switched fn and Ctrl I took a screwdriver and popped it out permanently (being USB it doesn’t report fn status to the os and of course the BIOS doesn’t allow FN remapping because it’s not a laptop)
Or just glue a new keycap in place
It’s the Bixby Button all over again.
It’s arguably worse, because Samsung has full control over software, hardware, and firmware of their devices.
Even if MS would like to fix this mess, they can’t.
Congrats Microsoft, you managed to enshittify a goddamn keyboard key.
“tldr: AI took a perfectly working modifier key from you.” - ‘AI’ ?? I can’t see how this is anything but Microshit and Capitalism that 'takes away" anything…
That’s the former right click button location. They took it away to implement a AI button. So it’s AI that’s done it, not literally but figuratively.
They (Microsoft) did actually also originally implement it, the application key was added to Microsoft keyboards in 1994 along with the Windows key. It’s meant to give compatibility to the Windows user interface when your PC had a mouse with only one button. Don’t remember those being very relevant in the recent years.
So it’s Microsoft deciding that their right-click button isn’t necessary any more after 32 years, and swapping it for a Co-Pilot/Windows Search button.
I use the the ‘right click button’ literally every single day. It’s super useful for not having to move between the mouse and keyboard for tasks.
Also, this is on Linux, and I think it’s fair to say that the key has evolved to become a fairly standard part of keyboards and operating systems. Just because MS were the first ones to use it doesn’t give them some kind of say control over the idea, at least beyond the scope of their own hardware, and I don’t think anyone is arguing that they don’t have the right to change their own hardware. It’s just a bad decision.
Jesus. I guess we’re going to have to start figuring out how to reverse engineer our keyboards so we can install QMK on random built-in laptop keyboards and cheap Logitech membrane keyboards to repair the damage Microsoft has done to them.
Didn’t KDE say they were working on a way to remap it in a future update?
so fucking stupid
You can remap that key on a hardware level with a little flathead screwdriver. 🪛 🗑️
I’m gonna hug my old ThinkPad when I get home today
I do that all the time.
There’s nothing weird about it, stop looking at me like that
Its totally normal. And its cool if you like to hug multiple Thinkpads at the same time 😆
Is it? I mean, if I have Linux installed, you know.
Yeah… All the tools in Linux are going to do this weird thing where they expect it to behave like a normal key. So you’d have to do all the hacks mentioned to make it work. For example, GNOME keybind stops detecting the key bind when you release. Etc. Maybe the kernel will accept a “broken copilot key hack“ that implements it but it’s not good.
Even with hacks, it still won’t work like a modifier like most people use alt/ctrl/win because those rely on knowing the key up to see multiple keys pressed together before release. So… Broken.
It’s much worse than I anticipated! Thanks for explaining! I hope to see as little laptops with the key as possible.
Another great product of Free Market Capitalism ©
