It looks like the Win + C shortcut is returning to Windows 11. This keyboard combo has quite a rich history of performing different tasks across various Windows releases, and as of right now, it does not do anything. However, Microsoft allegedly wants to change that.
During the Windows 10 era, the Win + C shortcut was responsible for invoking Cortana (in Windows 8, it triggers Charms Bar). In 2023, Microsoft turned off the shortcut with Cortana's death. Its next assignment was invoking Copilot in its sidebar form, but in 2024, Microsoft ditched the shortcut once again as it moved away to a more app-like Copilot experience.
Now, with Windows 11 having a proper Copilot app and not just a web wrapper, Microsoft appears to be changing its mind again. In the latest Windows 11 builds, @phantomofearth discovered the following string pointing at the potential return of the Win + C shortcut:
Microsoft is experimenting with bringing back the Windows key + C keyboard shortcut. It will do the same action as the Copilot key, so can be customized in Settings.
— phantomofearth ⛄ (@phantomofearth) March 23, 2025
"Choose what happens when you press the Copilot key or Windows logo key + C"
In its current form, Windows 11 lets you trigger Copilot by pressing Alt + Space or holding Alt + Space (the recently added shortcut for starting voice conversations with Copilot). For now, there is no information on whether Microsoft plans to change the default Alt + Space shortcut to Win + C. Considering that ChatGPT and similar applications use the same shortcut, Microsoft might want to have a separate shortcut for its own assistant. After all, Microsoft lets you remap the Copilot key to launch other applications, and it probably wants to give this feature to all Windows 11 users via the Win + C shortcut.
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