If you ever feel useless at work, always remember that you could be the Win + C keyboard shortcut. Stripped of its previous jobs, its newfound role as the Copilot hotkey had the prime potential to give this wandering keyboard shortcut a forever home. Alas, it was not meant to be, as the latest Windows 11 Insider build has once again left this keyboard shortcut bereft of any meaning.

The latest Windows 11 Insider update removes Copilot from the Win + C shortcut

As announced on Windows Blogs, the latest Dev Insider build makes some tweaks to Copilot. The update now evolves Copilot from a side panel to a fully-fledged app, allowing users to move the Copilot window around, resize it, and pin it to the taskbar. However, because Copilot is now a traditional app, Microsoft has decided that the current Copilot hotkey isn't cutting it anymore:

As part of the Copilot experience’s evolution on Windows to become an app that is pinned to the taskbar, we are retiring the WIN + C keyboard shortcut. For new devices that ship with a Copilot key, this key will open Copilot. For existing devices without that key, using the WIN + (number position for Copilot pinned to your taskbar) is a great way to open Copilot.

This isn't the first time that the Win + C shortcut has been evicted. It was previously the quickest way to invoke Cortana, before Microsoft decided to pull the plug on its first AI assistant. It was then given the job of opening Teams, which was part of Microsoft's bid to capitalize on the work-from-home boom. After that, it became Copilot's hotkey; however, with future computers coming with a dedicated Copilot key, there's no more room for Win + C to stick around. Who knows where it'll end up next?