Kernel developers have tweaked the code of the Linux kernel to support the Copilot button on the keyboard, in accordance with Microsoft’s policy gradually observed in new PCs released since 2024.
The workings behind the Copilot button is not a new key on the keyboard, but a signal code of Left Shift + Windows key + F23. The issue is that the atkbd keyboard driver in Linux did not previously capture the F23 button (0x6e). Recently, Mark Pearson, a kernel developer from Lenovo, has updated the patch to support this. This patch will be a part of kernel 6.14 in the upcoming release.
Currently, the Linux kernel can now capture the pressing of the Copilot button. What happens next when the Copilot button is pressed will depend on the management of each desktop environment on how to utilize it further.
TLDR: Kernel developers have enabled support for the Copilot button on the keyboard in the Linux kernel, following Microsoft’s policy in new PCs. The atkbd driver in Linux now captures the F23 button, thanks to an update by Mark Pearson from Lenovo. Next steps involve how each desktop environment will handle the use of the Copilot button.
Leave a Comment