The recent Windows 11 update from Microsoft introduces various new features, including an AI-powered assistant, Copilot. It's still unclear whether this particular feature will be deemed essential or superfluous by users.
The Windows Copilot, or simply Copilot, uses the same technology as ChatGPT and is powered by Bing Chat and several third-party plugins. It is an expanded version of Bing AI, offering a more traditional interactive experience.
Copilot's functionalities include summarizing web pages, generating content, creating graphic art, performing actions, customizing settings, and more. However, these tasks can also be executed using Bing Chat from the Edge browser, which could render Copilot somewhat redundant and potentially taxing on system resources.
For users who don't foresee utilizing Copilot, there are a few workarounds to disable or completely remove it from the Windows 11 PC.
Removing Copilot from Windows 11
Since there is no direct option to disable Copilot completely, the only choice you have is to hide it from the taskbar. However, it will still open up the Copilot interface if you press the Windows+C shortcut key.
Thankfully, there are some workarounds that involve tweaking the Group Policy Editor or Registry Editor to fully disable Windows Copilot.
Remove Copilot from Windows 11 using Group Policy Editor
If your computer has Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions, you can permanently disable Copilot from the Local Group Policy Editor. However, if you use Windows 11 Home Edition, you won't have GPE access on your system. You can skip to the next method – Registry Editor.
- Open Local Group Policy Editor from the Windows search or type
gpedit.mscin the Run command and hitEnter.
- Navigate to the following folder in the Group Policy Editor window using the left panel:
User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot
- On the right-side pane, double-click the 'Turn off Windows Copilot' policy.
- Select 'Enabled' and click 'Apply' and then 'OK'.
- To re-enable Windows Copilot, follow the same steps and select 'Not configured' or 'Disabled'. Then, click 'Apply' and 'OK'.
If the Copilot button is visible in the taskbar, it will disappear after you apply the policy. You do not need to restart your computer or enforce the Group Policies. The Copilot option will also disappear from the Settings app.
Remove Copilot from Windows 11 using Registry Editor
If you are using Windows Home Edition or the Group Policy Editor did not work for you, you can remove Copilot through the Windows Registry. Changing the wrong registry entry can damage your system beyond repair, so be sure to back up the registry or create a restore point before editing the registry. Follow these steps carefully:
- Type
regeditin the Start menu and select 'Registry Editor' from the results.
- In the Registry Editor, copy-paste the below path or navigate to the below location:
ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows- Find the 'WindowsCopilot' directory and double-click on it. If it's missing, then you need to manually create it as described in the next steps.
- To manually create the 'WindowsCopilot' directory, right-click on the 'Windows' directory in the left pane, click 'New', and select 'Key'.
- Then, rename the new directory to
WindowsCopilot.
- With the WindowsCopilot folder selected, right-click on the right pane and select 'New > DWORD (32-bit) Value'.
- Name the new DWORD registry as
TurnOffWindowsCopilot. Then, double-click on it, and set its value to1, and click 'OK'.
- After making modifications in the registry editor, restart your computer to apply the changes.
Microsoft Copilot will be removed from your computer, and the Copilot option will no longer be available in the Settings app and on the Taskbar.
To re-enable Copilot in the future, simply delete the TurnOffWindowsCopilot DWORD or change its Value Data to 0, and then restart your computer.
Hiding Windows Copilot from the Taskbar
If you simply wish to hide or disable the Copilot from the Taskbar, just follow these quick steps:
- Right-click on the Taskbar and select 'Taskbar settings'.
- Then, switch the 'Copilot' toggle to the off position under Taskbar items.
This will hide the Copilot button from the taskbar, but it will not disable or remove Copilot from your computer. Copilot will still be running in the background, and you can bring it up anytime by pressing the Windows+C shortcut keys.
