Microsoft removes 'harmless' Copilot app that was quietly installed on your Windows PCs

Wolfzz · Jun 14, 2024

I would personally never use it. It should have always been an option.

Microsoft removes 'harmless' Copilot app that was quietly installed on your Windows PCs

Around three months ago, users started reporting about a new Copilot app that had been quietly installed on Windows PCs. Microsoft declared that the app was harmless and now it has been removed.

www.neowin.net

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

Maybe we should remind Microsoft of the Windows 7 GUI, which was pretty much, a whole lot easier to use.

1. File Explorer that... just worked.
2. Control Panel that... just worked.
3. START Menu and Taskbar that... just worked.
4. Windows Updates that... just worked.
5. No UWP weirdness that... mostly doesn't work.
6. Security shenanigans that... are extraordinarily difficult and don't really work.
7. In fact, the "only" really improvement I've seen is the excellent "Driver Store", of Win 10 and Win 11.
8. Etc., etc., etc.

In short... maybe MS should just stop trying to turn Windows into a phone OS.

antspants · Jun 14, 2024

I think Windows 11 is pretty awesome. If there’s something there I don’t like, I don’t use it.

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

antspants said:
I think Windows 11 is pretty awesome. If there’s something there I don’t like, I don’t use it.

I'd rather have things the old way. Where I can choose to download and use programs or not.
The MS Store is a good idea, so we really don't need MS to dump 100 Apps on Windows, most of which aren't even finished or working properly.

Browsers (excluding EDGE), don't come with ALL the extensions included.
They are "optional" download and install things.
That's the way Windows should be.

That's the way ALL software should be. You get the basic program, then the option to download and install.... plugins.

antspants · Jun 14, 2024

Ghot said:
I'd rather have things the old way. Where I can choose to download and use programs or not.

Sure, it is much nicer that way, but they aren’t providing that freedom anymore so I ignore anything I don’t want to use. Things like Edge.

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

antspants said:
Sure, it is much nicer that way, but they aren’t providing that freedom anymore so I ignore anything I don’t want to use. Things like Edge.

Well I do that as well.
To be honest though... I'm getting tired of doing things that way.

Remember when Windows used to fit on a... CD?
Because of the awesome Driver Store... I could even deal with a "single sided" DVD.

I'm just getting tired of "fighting" with MS... but the other choice (go with the flow), isn't really working.
The Apps they are forcing on us, are mostly unfinished, unpolished.
They shouldn't even appear in the MS store like that.... let alone welded into the OS.

andrew129260 · Jun 14, 2024

antspants said:
Sure, it is much nicer that way, but they aren’t providing that freedom anymore so I ignore anything I don’t want to use. Things like Edge.

yeah, If windows 11 was super slow or something I would look into stripping things out, but windows 11 seems pretty fast to me at doing everything I ask it to, even on 8th gen intel. But all my pc's use nvme ssd with 12GB ram minimum so that's probably another reason.

I understand people wanting a light version of windows, and it would be cool if there was an option during installation to have no apps other than the basics.

Brink · Jun 14, 2024

UPDATE 6/13:

New resolved issue.

Edge updates might cause Microsoft Copilot app to show up in Installed apps
Edge updates might install a new package and users might see Microsoft Copilot app among the device's Installed apps

Known and Resolved issues for Windows 11 version 23H2

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/windows-11-version-23h2-end-of-servicing-on-november-11-2025.33180/ Windows message center: Current status as of May 2, 2025 Devices running Home and Pro editions of Windows 11, versions 23H2 and 22H2 that are not managed by IT departments will receive the Windows...

www.elevenforum.com

Josey Wales · Jun 14, 2024

Wolfzz said:
I would personally never use it. It should have always been an option.

Microsoft removes 'harmless' Copilot app that was quietly installed on your Windows PCs

Around three months ago, users started reporting about a new Copilot app that had been quietly installed on Windows PCs. Microsoft declared that the app was harmless and now it has been removed.

www.neowin.net

I still have it installed after the update? Telling The Hub would be like Telling it to The Rain!

Hence, all you have to do is update to the latest Edge release and you should be good. If you still find the Copilot app on your Installed apps list even after restarting the browser after the update, make sure to restart your Windows as well. If it persists, you should probably file the bug on Feedback Hub

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

andrew129260 said:
I understand people wanting a light version of windows, and it would be cool if there was an option during installation to have no apps other than the basics.

That's my point, pretty much.
ALL software should be like that... you get the basic software and then have the option to "add" plugins.

MS is trying to beat the old saying:
"You can please some of the people, some of the time, but can't please all of the people, all of the time".

They are trying to "please all of the people, all of the time", and that just can't be done.

The solution to that age old conundrum is... plugins.

=============================================================

And it's not just Microsoft. Bitdefender, Macrium, Image editors... etc., are ALL overloaded with "things" that most people will never use.

Wisewiz · Jun 14, 2024

(I hope this isn't off-topic. Our beloved mods will move it if it is, anyway.)

I still have Copilot (Preview) on 23H2 3807. It's not in Installed Apps, and it's not in the Start menu, but it's in the Taskbar Settings list, and if I turn that setting ON and click the required "Select the far corner" setting, it shows up in the far right corner of my Notification tray. And it works (well, as well as it ever did). I would dearly love to uninstall it, but I can't find a way (so far).
The one thing I CAN do to hide it completely is alter the settings in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Copilot. If I set IsCopilotAvailable to 0 and IsUserEligible to 0, it's gone from the Taskbar settings list, but it's obviously still installed on the computer.
I'm sure there's a way to get rid of it completely, and updating Edge this morning didn't do it. That fix is for the Copilot that installed itself as an app and was listed in the All apps list and in Installed Apps. That version, however, had an Uninstall switch, and I used that successfully. The Copilot (Preview) component has no switches anywhere except the registry.
I would appreciate suggestions and/or solutions. Thanks.

Dan

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

Wisewiz said:
I would appreciate suggestions and/or solutions. Thanks.

All I did was this...

I did the same to Cortana (which IIIIIIIIIII believe is connected, somehow).

...and I've not seen Copilot... anywhere on my comp.

Here's the link at the top in the Winaero (Copilot section), which I think is pretty much the same as the remove Copilot tutorial...

How to Disable Copilot in Windows 11 and 10

You may want to disable Windows Copilot if you find no use for the AI-powered assistant for your daily tasks and online activities. Copilot is now

winaero.com

Completely Disable and Remove Copilot in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to completely disable the Windows Copilot preview feature and remove Copilot from the taskbar, Windows Search, and Microsoft Edge for all users in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Copilot in Windows provides centralized generative AI assistance to your users right from...

www.elevenforum.com

I don't know if it matters, but I'm on a "local" Administrators account, and here are my BD firewall settings...
The "blue toggle" items are the only things allowed. Otherwise the firewall is set to "block all".

000000 Bitdefender firewall - JUL 2023.png

The only toggles I have to change (occasionally), are msedge.exe (if I want to use Edge), and winstore.app.exe (if I want to use the MS Store.

Wisewiz · Jun 14, 2024

@Ghot

Many thanks. I chose to use the gpedit.msc method, and what it did is exactly what I talked about in the registry in post #11. Yes, that hides Copilot (Preview), but it doesn't remove it from the computer. If I reverse this, I get it back after a restart.

I'm stll seeking a way to remove it, not just disable it.

OTOH, out-of-sight-out-of-mind works pretty well.

Josey Wales · Jun 14, 2024

Ghot said:
All I did was this...

View attachment 99153

I did the same to Cortana (which IIIIIIIIIII believe is connected, somehow).

...and I've not seen Copilot... anywhere on my comp.

Here's the link at the top in the Winaero (Copilot section), which I think is pretty much the same as the remove Copilot tutorial...

How to Disable Copilot in Windows 11 and 10

You may want to disable Windows Copilot if you find no use for the AI-powered assistant for your daily tasks and online activities. Copilot is now

winaero.com

Completely Disable and Remove Copilot in Windows 11

This tutorial will show you how to completely disable the Windows Copilot preview feature and remove Copilot from the taskbar, Windows Search, and Microsoft Edge for all users in Windows 11 and Windows 10. Copilot in Windows provides centralized generative AI assistance to your users right from...

www.elevenforum.com

I don't know if it matters, but I'm on a "local" Administrators account, and here are my BD firewall settings...
The "blue toggle" items are the only things allowed. Otherwise the firewall is set to "block all".

View attachment 99155

The only toggles I have to change (occasionally), are msedge.exe (if I want to use Edge), and winstore.app.exe (if I want to use the MS Store.

I tried WinAero but it did nothing.

Josey Wales · Jun 14, 2024

It is because I am on 24H2. I just will not use it.

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

Josey Wales said:
I tried WinAero but it did nothing.

You might have to reboot?

All I know is.... I've NOT seen Copilot on my computer....ever.

Josey Wales · Jun 14, 2024

Ghot said:
You might have to reboot?

All I know is.... I've NOT seen Copilot on my computer....ever.

I did that and it was still there, then I made it normal again by resenting that Winaero page to default, rebooted then opened Copilot in EDGE clicked on the 3 dots, it took me to settings where I terminated it, and then uninstalled it all by using MS's own methods. No more AI for me. :thumbsup:

NormanF · Jun 14, 2024

Copilot is installed as a web app.

It used to run as a windows sidebar, which was removed in 26100.712.

Ghot · Jun 14, 2024

Josey Wales said:
I did that and it was still there, then I made it normal again by resenting that Winaero page to default, rebooted then opened Copilot in EDGE clicked on the 3 dots, it took me to settings where I terminated it, and then uninstalled it all by using MS's own methods. No more AI for me.

That kind of makes sense.
I don't use EDGE and have it and it's updater... blocked in my firewall.

Maybe that is why I've never had Copilot on this machine?

I have a suspicion only... that EDGE (among other things), is one MS's backdoors into Windows.
It does update quite a bit more often than other browsers... it seems to me.

Josey Wales · Jun 14, 2024

NormanF said:
Copilot is installed as a web app.

It used to run as a windows sidebar, which was removed in 26100.712.

No it was not, it still ran in the sidebar, but it ran as an app.

Microsoft removes 'harmless' Copilot app that was quietly installed on your Windows PCs

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