How to disable Microsoft Copilot

Introduced with version 23H2, Microsoft Copilot is an AI-based feature that replaces Cortana. This new digital assistant responds to natural language questions, summarizes content, modifies system settings, performs actions, and easily connects to your favorite apps.

Although Copilot is a great ally for businesses, it may not be suitable for everyone. If, after trying this tool, you find it no longer necessary for your needs, you have several options to completely disable it. In this article, we will see how to use the Group Policy Editor or the open-source tool ViveTool to disable Microsoft Copilot.

Let's examine the different options together, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs and make your system more aligned with your preferences.

How to enable Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11

Before discovering the various ways to uninstall or disable Microsoft Copilot, let's quickly go over how to activate it on Windows 11.

To show the Microsoft Copilot button in the taskbar on Windows 11 Home, Pro, and Enterprise, follow these steps:

1. Start by opening Settings.
2. Once there, go to Personalization.
3. On the right side, you will find the Taskbar option: click on it.
4. Now, under the "Taskbar items" settings, turn on the Copilot switch.

Following these simple steps, you will see the Copilot button appear in the taskbar.

If, after using it, you decide that Microsoft Copilot is not for you and prefer to remove it completely from your system, you can proceed to uninstall Microsoft Copilot. Let's see how to do it.

How to disable Copilot in Windows 11 24H2

To disable Microsoft Copilot in Windows 11 24H2, follow these simple steps:

1. Start by opening Settings and go to the Apps section.
2. Here, select the Installed apps page.
3. You will find a list of installed apps: look for Copilot and click on the three-dot menu on the right side of the entry.
4. Now, select the Uninstall button. To confirm, click Uninstall again.
5. Once this procedure is completed, the Copilot web app will be removed from your computer.

However, it is important to note that even if you can uninstall Microsoft Copilot, AI integration in the operating system will remain. Microsoft is indeed working on a feature called "Copilot suggestions." This feature will allow Copilot to appear in various system apps to offer assistance in specific situations.

For example, in Settings, suggestions will be integrated to solve problems and enable specific features. File Explorer will also integrate Microsoft Copilot to perform AI tasks on images, and toast notifications will offer suggestions for specific actions.

How to disable Copilot in Windows 11 23H2 or 22H2

On Windows 11 23H2 or 22H2, it is not possible to uninstall Microsoft Copilot, but you can still permanently disable the AI chatbot in various ways.

1. Disabling Copilot from the taskbar

To remove the Copilot button from the taskbar on Windows 11, here is what you need to do:

1. Start by opening Settings.
2. Navigate to Personalization.
3. Go to the Taskbar tab.
4. Under the "Taskbar items" section, find the Copilot switch and turn it off. This will remove the Microsoft Copilot icon from the taskbar.

Once the steps to disable Microsoft Copilot are completed, you will notice that the Copilot button will no longer be visible in the taskbar. However, it is important to know that the AI chatbot will still be accessible using the "Windows Key + C" keyboard shortcut.

If in the future you want to reactivate the icon, you can always return to Settings and turn the switch back on.

2. Disabling Copilot through Group Policy

If you are using Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can disable the Copilot feature using the Local Group Policy Editor. If you have Windows 11 Home, you will need to use the Registry.

To disable Microsoft Copilot through Group Policy, here are the steps to follow:

1. Open the Start menu on Windows 11.
2. Search for gpedit and click on the first result to open the Group Policy Editor.
3. Navigate to the following path:
   User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot
4. Double-click on the "Turn off Windows Copilot" policy to modify it.
5. Select the "Enabled" option to disable Microsoft Copilot.
6. Click the Apply button.
7. Click the OK button.
8. Restart the computer.

Once these steps are completed, the Copilot button will disappear from the taskbar, and it will no longer be possible to open the chatbot with the "Windows Key + C" keyboard shortcut. Additionally, the "Copilot" option will be removed from the taskbar settings page. If in the future you want to re-enable this feature, follow these instructions again, but at the "Select the Enabled option to disable Copilot" step, choose the "Not configured" option. This will restore Copilot's availability on your system.

3. Disabling Copilot through the Registry

If you are using Windows 11 Home, which lacks the Local Group Policy Editor, you can still disable Microsoft Copilot by modifying the Registry. This method is equally valid for Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education.

Important Note: Modifying the Registry can cause serious problems if not done correctly. Make sure you are aware of what you are doing and have created a system backup before proceeding.

Here is how to completely disable Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11 through the Registry:

1. Start by opening the Start menu.
2. Search for regedit and click on the first result to open the Registry Editor.
3. Navigate to this path:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
4. Right-click on the Windows key, select New, and choose Key.
5. Name the key WindowsCopilot and press Enter.
6. Next, right-click on the newly created key, select New, and choose "DWORD (32-bit) Value."
7. Name the new value TurnOffWindowsCopilot and press Enter.
8. Double-click on the TurnOffWindowsCopilot value and change the value from 0 to 1 to disable Microsoft Copilot through the Registry.
9. Click the OK button.
10. Restart the computer.

After completing these steps, Microsoft Copilot will be completely disabled on your Windows 11 system. This procedure is useful if you want to manage system features without using the Group Policy Editor. If you change your mind in the future, you can always restore Copilot by following the same steps and setting the value of TurnOffWindowsCopilot to 0.

4. Disabling Copilot through ViveTool

1. Visit the GitHub website.
2. Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file to disable Microsoft Copilot.
3. Double-click the zip folder to open it with File Explorer.
4. Click Extract all.
5. Select Extract.
6. Copy the folder path.
7. Open the Start menu.
8. Search for Command Prompt, right-click on the top result, and choose Run as administrator.
9. Type the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder and press Enter:
   cd C:\path\folder\ViveTool-v0.x.xMake sure to replace "path\folder" with the actual path of your folder.
10. Type the following command to disable Copilot in the taskbar and press Enter:
    vivetool /disable /id:44774629,44776738,44850061,42105254,41655236
11. Restart the computer.

After completing these steps, the system will disable Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11.

If in the future you want to re-enable the feature, you can follow the same instructions. However, in the penultimate step, run the command:vivetool /enable /id:44774629,44776738,44850061,42105254,41655236

It should be noted that this procedure may not be effective for everyone, as Microsoft may block the disabling of some features through this method with the introduction of new versions. However, to date, ViveTool can still be used to manage Microsoft Copilot.

How to hide the Copilot button in Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Copilot is also integrated into Microsoft Edge. If Edge is the default browser in your company and you want to simplify it, you can remove the Copilot button from the view. Here is how to do it:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and click on the three dots in the top right corner to access the menu.
2. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
3. In the left menu, click on Sidebar.
4. Under the App and notification settings section, go to Specific app settings and select Copilot.
5. Turn off the switch for Show Copilot. This will automatically disable the Open Copilot automatically in the sidebar setting as well.
6. Restart the browser to apply the changes.

Alternatively, you can quickly hide the Copilot button directly from the sidebar itself:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge and click on the Copilot button to open the sidebar.
2. Click on the three vertical dots to access More options.
3. Select Notifications and app settings to open the same settings screen with the Show Copilot switch.

Remember also that even when you remove the button, Copilot's integration remains in the system.

How to disable Microsoft Copilot on Microsoft 10

Modify the registry

1. Open the Registry Editor (type "Registry Editor" in the Windows taskbar and press Enter).
2. Once the Registry Editor is open, navigate to:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows
3. Right-click on the "Windows" folder and create a new key named "WindowsCopilot."
4. Right-click inside the "WindowsCopilot" key. Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value named "TURN OFF Windows Copilot" and set it to 1.

Your setting to disable Microsoft Copilot should look like this:

Repeat the steps in the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

Finally, restart the computer.

After completing these steps, Copilot should be disabled on Windows 10.

These steps work for all versions of Windows 10:

• Windows 10 Home Edition
• Windows 10 Pro Edition
• Windows 10 Enterprise Edition
• Windows 10 Student Edition

And if Copilot still does not disable?

If for some reason the above steps do not disable Copilot, modify the Registry by adding the following values (restart the computer each time to check if Copilot is still active or has been disabled):

Verify the availability of Copilot on the device and make it explicitly unavailable.

Registry Path:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Copilot

Create a string key named "CopilotDisableReason" and set the value to "IsEnabledForGeographicRegionFailed."

Create a DWORD "IsCopilotAvailable" and set it to 0.

If you do not find the registry path, create a new key named "Copilot" to explicitly disable it.

How to disable Copilot in Microsoft Word

Currently, there is no official way to completely uninstall Microsoft 365 Copilot from Word, but we can disable it by following some simple steps.

1. Access Word Settings: open Word, go to "File" and click on "Options." This will bring you to the Word settings window.
2. Select the Experiments tab: in the Options window, you will find a section called "Experiments." Click on it to view all available experimental features.
3. Disable Copilot Features: within the Experiments tab, look for all features related to Copilot and disable them. This way, even if you cannot completely uninstall Microsoft Copilot, you can still prevent it from interfering with your work in Word.

Again, if in the future you decide to re-enable Copilot, you can go back to the Experiments settings and re-enable the features you had disabled.

Additional methods to disable Microsoft Copilot

If the previous solutions do not work, there are still other options you can try to uninstall or at least disable Microsoft Copilot.

Use Task Manager

1. Open Task Manager: press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
2. End the AI process: look for the "artificial intelligence (AI) host" process. Right-click on it and select "End Task." This will temporarily stop Copilot.

Send feedback to Microsoft

Provide feedback: you can send feedback to Microsoft expressing the desire to uninstall Microsoft Copilot. This might encourage them to add an official option in future versions.

Use system settings (for Windows without Group Policy)

1. Open taskbar settings: right-click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar settings."
2. Disable Copilot: look for Copilot in the list of options and turn off the switch to remove the icon from the taskbar.

Remember that some changes may require a system restart to take effect.

What are the benefits of Microsoft Copilot?

If you are here, it is because, for some reason, you have decided that Microsoft Copilot is not a tool suitable for your company's needs. However, we want to remind you that this artificial intelligence, made available to businesses and individuals, can bring many benefits to work efficiency and time management.

Additionally, Microsoft Copilot is constantly being updated with features that you may find useful in the future. For this reason, it is worth briefly reviewing the benefits that Microsoft Copilot brings to companies.

Increased productivity

One of the most evident benefits is increased productivity. If Copilot can halve the time you spend reading and responding to emails, you will already have a huge time saver. Business data shows how this tool can really make a difference:

• On average, sales representatives who use Copilot save 90 minutes a week.
• In tasks that require research and data compilation from multiple sources, Copilot users are 27% faster.
• Cybersecurity professionals who use Copilot are 44% more accurate and 26% faster, and 86% say they are more productive thanks to this tool.
• Customer service representatives resolve cases 12% faster.
• 67% of sales representatives say they can spend more time with customers thanks to Copilot.

Greater job satisfaction

It is no surprise that monotonous tasks do not make employees happy. With Copilot, you can reduce these boring activities and spend more time on interesting and meaningful work. And remember, people who love their work tend to learn faster, make fewer mistakes, and make better decisions.

Easier decision making

In your company, are the best ideas always considered? Or do the best speakers prevail? Copilot can help balance this by clearly showing the pros and cons of each action. Additionally, it can support good ideas that might need a little help to emerge.

Shorter learning curves

Microsoft tools are powerful, but without Copilot, some users may not take full advantage of them. Copilot can help overcome this difficulty and facilitate the onboarding of new hires by providing quick and easy access to crucial information about your company and its processes.

Fewer errors

We tend to make more mistakes when we are bored. Computers never get bored, and although AI can sometimes make irrelevant suggestions, these errors are easy to spot and quickly correct.

Conclusion

Disabling Microsoft Copilot may seem like a complex task, but by carefully following the instructions provided in this article, you can do it with ease and precision. We have explored different methods to suit various versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10, ensuring that you can find the solution that best fits your specific needs.

Remember that while uninstalling Microsoft Copilot can improve your system's performance and reduce clutter, it is always advisable to back up your system before making changes to the Registry. This will ensure that you can restore your computer in case of problems.

FAQ on disabling Microsoft Copilot

How can I disable Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11 24H2?

Navigate to Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Copilot, and uninstall it. Note that AI integration might still be present in other system areas.

How can I remove the Copilot button from the taskbar in Windows 11 23H2 or 22H2?

Go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and turn off the Copilot switch.

Is there a way to disable Copilot using Group Policy?

Yes, use the Group Policy Editor: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot, and enable the "Turn off Windows Copilot" policy.

How do I disable Copilot using the Registry?

Open Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows, create a new key named WindowsCopilot, and set the TurnOffWindowsCopilot value to 1.

Can I disable Copilot in Microsoft Edge?

Yes, go to Edge's Settings > Sidebar > Specific app settings, select Copilot, and turn off the "Show Copilot" switch.