With the recently-announced Copilot key coming to next-gen Windows laptops, Microsoft is making the biggest change to Windows keyboards in 30 years. The last big, universal altering of Windows keyboards happened way back in 1994 with the Windows button. However, it wasn't the only other time Microsoft has tried out some weird keys on the best laptops and keyboards over the years.

From redundant emoji keys to a seriously weird pop-up camera, there's a lot to uncover in the world of strange Windows keys. In honor of the Copilot key's impending debut, let's take a look back at some of the weirdest buttons to ever appear on Windows keyboards.

8 Copilot key

The jury is still out on Microsoft's latest Copilot push

The Copilot key is the most recent example of Microsoft adding a button to Windows keyboards, but it's far from the worst one to appear. Rather, it's too early to say whether the Copilot key will become royalty or live in infamy. Microsoft clearly views Copilot as a replacement for the Start button, and it definitely has that potential. The problem is that Copilot is far from good enough to warrant a physical key on Windows keyboards today. We'll have to wait and see how this one turns out, but it'll come down to Copilot's reception.

7 Emoji key

An unnecessary key thanks to great keyboard shortcuts

There's nothing inherently wrong with the emoji key, which appeared on a few Microsoft external keyboards. It did exactly what it was supposed to, opening up the emoji keyboard in Windows, and it didn't replace any other keys on the keyboard, so users didn't lose out on anything. The problem is that Windows already had a suitable solution for opening the emoji keyboard: Just press Windows + . (period). Plus, do we even really use emoji on computers enough to warrant a physical button? For these reasons, the emoji key was a weird blip in Windows keyboard history.

6 Airplane mode key

How often do you need to toggle airplane mode so that a hardware key makes sense?

Did you know that some Lenovo laptops, like the Lenovo Slim Pro 7, have an airplane mode button on the F8 key? It does exactly what you'd think it does, turning airplane mode on and off, depending on what the current setting is. Judging the airplane mode key is tricky because Windows keyboards have so many function keys that some are simply up to an OEM's preference. However, I think the number of people who need to toggle airplane mode so frequently that a hardware key makes sense is quite small. After all, turning it on or off via the Quick Settings menu only takes a few clicks.

5 Zoom key

Regardless of how much you use Zoom, it isn't enough

Having keyboard controls for audio and video settings isn't a bad idea in 2024. In fact, being able to mute and unmute with a physical key can be pretty useful. But it was a perplexing move when Dell added keys for Zoom and only Zoom. The Dell Premier Collaboration Keyboard had a few Zoom buttons, as well as select laptops. There were four "collaboration" buttons for Zoom on the Collaboration keyboard, including a video button, audio button, screen sharing button, and chat button. It was certainly a weird collection of keys, especially since you couldn't remap them for another video conferencing program. A lot of companies use Microsoft Teams and Google Meet for video calls, after all.

4 Office key

A very strange and short-lived choice

Because one weird key wasn't enough, the same keyboards with an emoji key from Microsoft also had a dedicated Office key. Worst of all, it replaced the Windows button on the right side of select keyboards. As you'd expect, the key didn't take off, and the Windows button returned or stayed put on most keyboards. The key was used primarily for shortcuts to open specific Office apps. For example, Office + Word would open the Microsoft Word app. Since then, Office has become Microsoft 365, and the right-hand Windows key has become Copilot. It's hard to see the strange Office key as anything but a failure.

3 HP support button

HP's invasive customer support button was simply bad

If this list was about the worst key to appear on Windows keyboards, the HP support key might have a case for being the frontrunner. I'm not a fan of HP's four custom keys on the right side of the keyboard in general because many people use the keyboard's edge as muscle memory nav keys and others like Enter. Adding extra keys is one thing, but a dedicated support key is an abomination. It appeared on the HP Dragonfly Pro laptop, among others, and is simply an annoying waste of space.

2 Touch ID key

It was a key because ... why not?

There are usually a few approaches for integrating a fingerprint sensor into a keyboard, which Microsoft did with the Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID. It could function as a power button, but that doesn't work for a Bluetooth keyboard. It could serve as a lock screen toggle instead, or it could just be a sensor and not a button at all. So, what did Microsoft do? It made the fingerprint sensor a button that wasn't actually mapped to anything. Worse, you didn't even have to press it to use the sensor.

1 Pop-up webcam

Leave it to Huawei to make something that absolutely nobody wanted

Of course, Huawei leads this list because what other company puts out more strange ideas and concepts than Huawei? This isn't a knock on Huawei since experimenting is far better than releasing minor refreshes yearly. However, the company's MateBook X Pro laptop had a key that would release a pop-up camera when pressed. While cool as a concept, this was awful in practice. The camera's angle was borderline unusable, according to reviewers who tested it when it was released in 2018 (editor's note: It was angled so it was always looking up my nose). It's by far the weirdest key we've seen on a Windows keyboard, and I can't believe it shipped.

Honorable mention: the Touch Bar

An honorable mention has to go to the Touch Bar, which graced MacBook Pro models from 2016-2022. While this isn't a Windows keyboard (and it's not a button), it could run Windows via Boot Camp on Intel Macs, so I'll briefly touch on it. Apple completely replaced the function row with the Touch Bar, which featured touch commands for common tasks like scrubbing through videos or using commands in apps like Photoshop. It had a lot of potential but was poorly executed. As such, it became a weird part of Apple's keyboard history that is now in the rear view mirror, likely forever.

The final say

Keyboards are one of the most important ways we interact with computers, so changing them is always a big risk for tech companies. While there are hits, like the Windows key, there are many more misses. We'll have to see whether Copilot joins the likes of the Windows key or falls into the same group as the Office key.