Summary

  • Microsoft pulled back Copilot in 2026 after weak user uptake, shifting from an aggressive rollout.
  • New Windows 11 Group Policy "Remove Microsoft Copilot app" deletes Copilot and keeps it off.
  • Windows Home lacks Group Policy, but Registry edits achieve a similar effect.

Microsoft has been approaching 2026 with a very different mindset than it did the year before. 2025 was packed full of instances where Microsoft rolled out its AI assistant, Copilot, into as many apps and services as possible. However, after the Windows user base failed to meet Microsoft's enthusiasm for Copilot (going so far as to coin the term 'Microslop' around the turn of the new year), the company has been pulling back its efforts.

We've seen Copilot in Notepad and Paint get a revision, and the tech has allowed people to hide the Copilot button in Microsoft 365 in the ribbon if they want. Now, someone has spotted a new entry in the Windows 11 Group Policy that not only disables Copilot but also keeps it off your PC for good.

A new Windows 11 Group Policy lets you get rid of Copilot

It's not a great fix, but it'll do

Windows Latest spotted the new entry in the Group Policy, and believes that it was added sometime in the April 2026 update. While you can manually uninstall Copilot, you may notice it reappearing after an update. Windows Latest claims that this Group Policy will delete Copilot and prevent it from popping back up.

If you're using a version of Windows 11 that isn't the Home edition, you can open Group Policy and go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI. You'll then see a policy titled "Remove Microsoft Copilot app" that not only removes the desktop version, but also Microsoft 365's Copilot.

Unfortunately, if you're using a Windows Home edition, you won't have the Group Policy tool on your system. However, Windows Latest says you can achieve a similar goal using the Registry editor:

  • Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows in the Registry editor.
  • Right-click the Windows key and pick New > Key, then call the new key WindowsAI.
  • Now go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI, right-click on the right side, and pick New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  • Double-click it, set it to 1, then either restart Windows or sign out.

While neither of these methods is as useful as Microsoft giving us an in-system toggle, it's a step in the right direction.