Microsoft has added yet another Copilot tweak for Windows Insiders. Hold down Alt + Spacebar for two seconds, and the AI assistant will pop up for a voice chat.
The change comes via an update to the Copilot app in the Microsoft Store and is gradually reaching all Windows Insiders. Instead of typing out a request, users can now summon Copilot with the hotkey, triggering a small microphone to appear on the screen, and from there you can interact with the chatty Copilot assistant via voice, ask it questions, and so on. If no one speaks for several seconds, the microphone vanishes, and Copilot quietly ends the conversation.
According to Microsoft, the new press-to-talk functionality "allows you to interact with Copilot using your voice by using a hotkey, providing instant responses while staying in your current workflow and continuing tasks without interruption."
Microsoft has been repeatedly tweaking the Copilot app for Windows over the past year. Its most recent change was to have the app go native. Well, more native than when it was a web app thinly disguised as a Windows application.
Windows has long had its share of hotkey quirks - just ask anyone who's accidentally triggered Sticky Keys by hammering the Shift key five times. While accessibility shortcuts serve a clear purpose, the same can't always be said for Copilot.
That said, when prompted, Copilot dutifully claimed the new press-to-talk hotkey would help users who prefer or rely on voice commands. Microsoft, however, was all about the potential for productivity improvements - because nothing says efficiency in this quasi-return-to-office era like talking to your PC out loud while working instead of typing.
Previously, Copilot could be launched using the Windows key + C shortcut. Many new PCs now ship with a dedicated Copilot key, which might have seemed like the obvious trigger for voice activation. However, since most machines still lack the button, Microsoft needed a universal alternative - hence the decision to use Alt + Spacebar held for two seconds instead.
Windows has plenty of handy hotkeys, and if you've installed PowerToys, Alt + Spacebar is used to launch the PowerToys Run feature.
Microsoft isn't alone in assigning hotkeys to virtual assistants. Apple, too, has implemented a key combination in macOS to summon its assistant, Siri. ®