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Microsoft Copilot hardware key providers

Starting with Windows Build 22621, apps can register to be included in the picker UI that allows users to select the app that is launched when the Microsoft Copilot hardware key or the Windows key + C is pressed.

Note

It is recommended that apps that register to be a Microsoft Copilot hardware key provider be implemented as single-window apps.

Microsoft Copilot hardware key app extension

An app must be packaged in order to register as a Microsoft Copilot hardware key provider. For information on app packaging, see An overview of Package Identity in Windows app. The app package manifest file, Package.appxmanifest, supports many different extensions and features for Windows apps. The app package manifest format is defined by a set of schemas that are documented in the Package manifest schema reference. Microsoft Copilot hardware key providers declare their registration information within the uap3:AppExtension. The Name attribute of the extension must be set to "com.microsoft.windows.copilotkeyprovider".

<Package
...

  xmlns:uap3="http://schemas.microsoft.com/appx/manifest/uap/windows10/3"
...>
    <Applications>
        <Application...>
            ...
            <Extensions>
                <uap3:Extension Category="windows.appExtension">
                    <uap3:AppExtension Name="com.microsoft.windows.copilotkeyprovider" 
                        Id="MyAppId"
                        DisplayName="App display name"
                        Description="App description"
                        PublicFolder="Public" />
                </uap3:Extension>
            </Extensions>
          ...
    </Application>
    </Applications>
    ...
</Package>

The following table uap3:AppExtension describes the attributes of the uap3:AppExtension element.

Attribute Description Required
Id The app-defined identifier for the app. Yes
DisplayName The app name displayed in the Windows Copilot hardware button picker UI. Yes
Description The app description displayed in the Windows Copilot hardware button picker UI. Yes
PublicFolder The folder that the instance declares as the location where a host can have read access to files through a broker. Yes

Sign your Windows Copilot hardware key provider

Provider apps must be signed in order to be enabled as a target of the Microsoft Copilot hardware key. For information on packaging and signing your app, see Package a desktop or UWP app in Visual Studio.

Query for the current Copilot hardware key provider

Check if your app is the user's target for the Copilot hardware key & Windows key + C keyboard shortcut by querying the value of the following registry keys. For more information, see Retrieving Data from the Registry.

Registry key Description Value
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BrandedKey\BrandedKeyChoiceType Identifies if the user has selected Search or an app as the target of the Copilot key. The value "AppEnforcedByPolicy" indicates that an app target of the Copilot key has been set by IT administrator policy. For more information, see Policy CSP - WindowsAI. "Search", "App", "AppEnforcedByPolicy"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BrandedKey\AppAumid Identifies the Application User Model Id (AUMID, also known as AppId) of the Copilot hardware key provider that was last configured, even if the key is currently configured to Search. An AUMID.

To provide a good user experience, apps should be respectful of the user's selection for the Copilot hardware key provider app and should not display persistent or noisy requests for the user to change their selection.