Windows 10: Microsoft Adds Policy to Let IT Admins Uninstall Copilot From Enterprise Windows 11 Devices

GHacks · Apr 27, 2026 at 2:57 AM

Microsoft has released a new policy setting that enables IT administrators to remove the Microsoft Copilot app from managed enterprise devices. "The Remove Microsoft Copilot App" policy is accessible as a Policy CSP and Group Policy once the April 2026 Windows security updates have been deployed on endpoints managed through Microsoft Intune or System Center Configuration Manager.

This policy applies only to Windows 11 devices running the 25H2 update and is limited to Enterprise, Professional, and Education editions.

When "the Remove Microsoft Copilot App Policy" Uninstalls Copilot

The Remove Microsoft Copilot App policy will uninstall Copilot only if specific conditions are met on a device: both Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft Copilot must be installed, the user must not have manually installed the Microsoft Copilot app, and the app must not have been launched in the past 28 days

Microsoft states that the removal process is non-disruptive and that users can reinstall the app if they choose to after it has been removed by the policy.

How to Enable It

Administrators can enable the policy via Group Policy Editor by navigating to User Configuration, then Administrative Templates, then Windows AI, and selecting Remove Microsoft Copilot App. The same policy can also be configured through Microsoft Intune and SCCM after installing the security updates released in April 2026.

How This Policy Fits Into Copilot Rollback on Windows 11

The availability of the policy reflects recent changes in how Microsoft is managing Copilot on Windows. Last month, Microsoft stopped automatically installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps, without giving an explanation for the pause.

The company is also said to have canceled plans to integrate Copilot into Windows 11 system notifications, the Settings app, and File Explorer, features that had been announced nearly two years ago. The Remove Microsoft Copilot App policy first appeared in January for Windows Insiders in the Dev and Beta channels and became generally available with the April 2026 Patch Tuesday updates.

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft Adds Policy to Let IT Admins Uninstall Copilot From Enterprise Windows 11 Devices appeared first on gHacks.

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Vigneshwaran V · Apr 27, 2026 at 2:59 AM

How to disable copilot in Windows 11 23H2?

There is a solution to keep Copilot out of your eyesight, it does not permanently remove or uninstall Copilot from your Windows 11 environment. Microsoft is persistent and Copilot is inevitable, not to mention the latest computers are equipped with a dedicated Copilot Key in the keyboard. Hence, it is up to us to get used to this feature, and also the field of AI is exponentially increasing, so it is better to get used to it. However, the simple solution is to disable copilot via Taskbar as you mentioned that Policy Editor didn't help. The following are the steps.

Go to Windows Settings.

Click on Personalization.

Under Taskbar, you can find Copilot (preview)

Toggle the switch to Off.

In this way, Copilot can be kept out of sight.

I hope the same works for you.

Brink · Apr 27, 2026 at 2:59 AM

Microsoft plans to bring Copilot to Windows 10

Microsoft began rolling out its new AI assistant for Windows earlier this year with the Windows 11 version 23H2 release, which adds a new Microsoft Copilot button directly to the Taskbar. Microsoft has been putting its Copilot in front of every user it can, but there's still a large chunk of PC users on the older Windows 10 OS which hasn't seen any of Microsoft's recent AI additions. That may soon be changing. According to my sources, Microsoft is planning to bring the same Microsoft Copilot to Windows 10 in an update coming soon. Just like Windows 11, this update to Windows 10 will place a Copilot button directly on the Windows 10 taskbar, which will open the exact same Copilot sidebar experience found on Windows 11. The main reason behind this decision is market share. Windows 10 is still in use on around 1 billion monthly active devices, compared to the 400 million monthly active devices on Windows 11. Microsoft views that additional 1 billion users as an untapped market for Copilot expansion, and so adding Copilot to Windows 10 is an obvious next step for the company.
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Read more: Exclusive: Microsoft will update Windows 10 with new AI Copilot soon | Windows Central See also: Announcing Microsoft Copilot, your everyday AI companion | Windows 11 Forum

Brink · Apr 27, 2026 at 2:59 AM

Copilot coming to Windows 10

Today, we start to roll out Copilot in Windows (in preview) [1] for Windows 10, version 22H2 to Windows Insiders in the Release Preview Channel. Bringing Copilot to Windows 10 [2] enables organizations managing both Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices to continue considering a rollout of Copilot in Windows and provide this powerful productivity experience to more of their workforce. Windows Update: KB5032278 Windows 10 Insider Release Preview Build 19045.3757 (22H2) Why you should try Copilot in Windows People who work with information daily are excited about the capabilities of generative AI to help them discover and create new content. They may already be using generative AI by accessing Microsoft Copilot (previously Bing Chat) or ChatGPT in the browser. Copilot in Windows powers the generative AI experience in managed Windows 10 and 11 PCs. As an IT professional, you want to help your organization be at the forefront of AI, but also hold the bar on protecting corporate data that employees may share with AI models. We are here to help you do both. With Copilot in Windows, you can offer a managed version of Copilot to Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices so employees do not accidentally share confidential or proprietary information. By using Copilot, employees can:

Save time and effort by prompting for information and services in one place by typing prompts in natural language or using their voice.

Explore new possibilities and ideas by generating creative and innovative content that includes both text and images.

Try Copilot in Windows today Copilot in Windows is turned on by default in Windows 11, version 23H2. If you are looking to try Copilot on Windows 10, version 22H2 devices today, you can do so through the Release Preview Channel in the Windows Insider Program for Business. This will help you understand what to expect and make an informed decision about when and how you will roll out Copilot in Windows to your employees. Availability of Copilot in Windows 10 Copilot will begin rolling out to devices running Home and unmanaged [3] Pro editions of Windows 10, version 22H2 in the near term. We will roll out this experience in phases using Controlled Feature Rollout (CFR) technology over several months. Devices running Enterprise or Education editions of Windows 10, version 22H2, or managed Pro devices, are not included in this initial rollout. Additionally, users with eligible non-managed devices running Windows 10, version 22H2 who are interested in experiencing Copilot in Windows as soon as possible can choose to do so by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and turning on ”Get the latest updates as soon as they’re available” and then selecting Check for updates. Copilot in Windows 10 will be released in preview to select global markets. The initial markets for the Copilot in Windows previews include North America and parts of Asia and South America. We intend to add additional markets over time, aligned with our release policy for Copilot in Windows 11.

Windows 10 desktop with the Copilot icon on the taskbar and Copilot open on the right side of the desktop. (Screen simulated, subject to change. Feature availability and rollout timing varies by market and device.) How to use Copilot in Windows 10 To use Copilot in Windows 10 (in preview), employees must click the Copilot icon on the taskbar to open a chat window to type queries or requests. Copilot will then respond with relevant information or suggestions that can help achieve the goals the employees are after. They can also use voice to interact with Copilot by clicking on the microphone icon in the chat window. The experience in Windows 10 is similar to the experience released for Windows 11. Tutorial: Add or Remove Copilot Button on Taskbar in Windows 10 In September 2023, we made Copilot in Windows available for Window 11, version 22H2 and then, in October, for version 23H2. Not all Copilot functionality for Windows 11 will initially be available for Windows 10. The core experience of discovering and creating content is the same, but employees will not be able to take actions such as customize preferences and settings or open applications by using simple commands in this initial release. How to manage Copilot in Windows 10 If you need to manage Copilot access in Windows 10 for certain groups in your organization, you can do so by using MDM or Group Policy settings. When you remove access to Copilot, the people in these groups will not be able to use it and the Copilot icon will not appear on the taskbar. Tutorial: Enable or Disable Windows Copilot in Windows 10 and Windows 11 Tutorial | Windows 11 Forum To learn more about how to manage Copilot in Windows, see Manage Copilot in Windows. When you enable Copilot in Windows for all or some of your Windows 10 users, we recommend that you ensure that Copilot with commercial data protection is enabled for the best experience. For guidance on how to do so, see the Copilot documentation. What about Windows 11? We want to make generative AI in Windows broadly available so all organizations and individuals can take advantage of this progress in productivity and creativity. However, Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14th, 2025. Many organizations have already started or completed their migration to Windows 11. Westpac, one of Australia’s largest financial services institutions, leveraged Windows Autopatch and App Assure when moving its 40,000 employees to Windows 11 to support both IT cost savings and employee accessibility initiatives. The Alabama Appellate Court System transitioned to Windows 11 to stay on the latest and most secure version of Windows, and to prepare for the new era of AI, with the goal of “harnessing the power of AI to discover and create in new ways” and to “integrate AI-driven solutions to enhance search capabilities and facilitate comprehensive legal research.” Moving your employees to Windows 11 brings you the most secure Windows yet, simplified IT management, and a modern user experience, including the full-fledged Copilot integrations. You can heighten your organization’s security and benefit from a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) with Windows 11. Next steps We encourage you to start your trial of Copilot in Windows today so you can validate what is available and what is coming. Learn more by reading our Copilot in Windows documentation. We also recommend that you continue your migration to Windows 11.

Use Windows Autopatch for in-place upgrades of eligible devices, for a less costly and smooth experience for your employees. Windows Autopatch is included with Windows Enterprise E3/E5 or Microsoft 365 E3, E5, or F3 subscriptions. Learn more about Windows Autopatch.

Enable the Windows 11 experience with Windows 365 in Microsoft Intune or via the web, delivering Cloud PCs on Windows 10 devices that are ineligible for the Windows 11 upgrade. Learn more about Windows 365.

Replace the ineligible Windows 10 devices with new Windows 11 Pro devices.

Continue the conversation. Find best practices. Bookmark the Windows Tech Community, then follow us @MSWindowsITPro on X/Twitter. Looking for support? Visit Windows on Microsoft Q&A. [1] Copilot is currently available in preview in select global markets. It is our intention to add additional markets over time. [2] Devices require > 4GB RAM and Display adapter that supports +720p resolution. If we detect that your device may have an issue, such as an application incompatibility, we may put a safeguard hold in place and not offer Copilot in Windows (in preview) until that issue is resolved. [3] Devices are considered managed if they are running Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions of Windows, and are managed by an MDM or Configuration Manager, or have their Windows Updates managed through Windows Update for Business, Windows Autopatch, or Windows Server Update Service (WSUS).
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Source: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/...0/ba-p/3984070

Windows 10: Microsoft Adds Policy to Let IT Admins Uninstall Copilot From Enterprise Windows 11 Devices

Microsoft Adds Policy to Let IT Admins Uninstall Copilot From Enterprise Windows 11 Devices

Microsoft Adds Policy to Let IT Admins Uninstall Copilot From Enterprise Windows 11 Devices

Microsoft Adds Policy to Let IT Admins Uninstall Copilot From Enterprise Windows 11 Devices

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