Microsoft will finally let you uninstall Copilot

The April 2026 update adds the ability to fully remove the Copilot app from Windows 11. Enterprise administrators can use a Group Policy setting named “Remove Microsoft Copilot app” under User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows AI, or apply it through the Windows Registry. The uninstall occurs only when Microsoft 365 Copilot and the standalone Microsoft Copilot are installed, the user did not manually install the Copilot app, and the app has not been launched in the past 28 days. Regular users can uninstall through Settings by going to Apps, Installed Apps, searching for Copilot, and selecting Uninstall. The app can be reinstalled later from the Microsoft Store. The change responds to criticism about forced AI features and low Copilot payment adoption.

"Microsoft has added the ability to fully remove the Copilot app from Windows 11. The change arrived in the April 2026 update and applies to both enterprise administrators using Group Policy and regular users who can now uninstall it through Settings like any other app."

"For IT administrators, the new policy is called “Remove Microsoft Copilot app.” It sits under User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows AI in the Group Policy Editor. Administrators can also apply it through the Windows Registry. The policy will uninstall Copilot only if specific conditions are met: both Microsoft 365 Copilot and the standalone Microsoft Copilot must be installed, the user must not have manually installed the Copilot app, and the app must not have been launched in the past 28 days."

"For home and Pro users, the path is simpler. Go to Settings, then Apps, then Installed Apps, search for Copilot, and select Uninstall. The app can be reinstalled later from the Microsoft Store if needed."

"Since integrating Copilot across Windows 11 and the Microsoft 365 suite in 2023, Microsoft has positioned the tool as its centrepiece AI product. It embedded Copilot into the taskbar, Edge, Notepad, Office apps, and Outlook, all running in the background and enabled by default. Users who wanted it gone had to resort to PowerShell scripts, third-party debloating tools, or registry hacks. The new policy makes removal an official, supported option for the first time."

Read at TNW | Apps