top of page
Search

How to Disable Microsoft Copilot: Windows, Edge, Microsoft 365 apps, and org-wide controls

ree

Microsoft now ships Copilot everywhere: in Windows, in the Edge browser sidebar, and inside Microsoft 365 apps like Word and Excel. Turning it off depends on where it’s showing up. Below is a full guide to disabling or hiding Copilot in each major surface, with notes for home users, students, and IT admins. All details and policies are based on current Microsoft guidance and recent documentation.

·····

.....

1. Turn off Copilot in Windows (taskbar / hotkey level)

This is the “I don’t want the Copilot button on my PC” step.

Easiest method (when available in Settings)

  1. Open Settings.

  2. Go to Personalization → Taskbar.

  3. Find Copilot in the Taskbar items list.

  4. Toggle Off.

  5. Restart (on some builds you won’t see it fully disappear until after reboot).

Hiding it in Taskbar settings removes the Copilot icon, and Windows stops offering it as a one-click assistant. This works on many current Windows 11 builds and is the official first-line method.

Group Policy method (Windows 11 Pro / Education / Enterprise)

For machines with Group Policy Editor:

  1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, press Enter.

  2. Go to


    User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Copilot.

  3. Open Turn off Windows Copilot.

  4. Set it to Enabled.

  5. Apply, OK, sign out / sign back in.

Enabling “Turn off Windows Copilot” tells Windows to block Copilot. On current Windows 11 Pro / Enterprise builds, this policy prevents Copilot from launching and hides the integration beyond just the taskbar button.

Registry method (Windows 11 Home)

If you don’t have Group Policy:

Warning: editing the Registry incorrectly can break things. Only do this if you’re comfortable, or back up first.

  1. Open Start → type “regedit” → Registry Editor.

  2. Navigate to


    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows

  3. If it doesn’t exist, create a new key called WindowsCopilot.

  4. Inside WindowsCopilot, create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value named TurnOffWindowsCopilot.

  5. Set its value to 1.

  6. Reboot.

That flag corresponds to the same policy (“Turn off Windows Copilot”), but applied manually instead of via Group Policy. After reboot, Copilot won’t launch from the taskbar hotkey or shortcut.

Intune / org rollout (for IT admins)

In Microsoft Intune’s Settings Catalog you can now push Turn off Copilot in Windows (User) as a configuration profile. That disables Copilot for all targeted users and removes the icon entirely, no local tweaks required.

Important nuance

On some current builds, “Turn off Windows Copilot” only hides and blocks the taskbar entry point. Very determined users can still try to run the standalone Copilot app if it’s installed. Microsoft’s newer guidance for admins now includes removing the Copilot app itself (more on that below).

·····

.....

2. Remove / block the Copilot app in Windows (deeper cut)

Microsoft now ships Copilot as its own app package on newer Windows builds. Enterprises can fully remove or prevent it.

Manual uninstall (end user, if allowed)

  1. Settings → Apps → Installed apps.

  2. Find Copilot.

  3. Select the ... menu and choose Uninstall.

Microsoft confirms this removes the Copilot “consumer experience.”

PowerShell removal (admin or power user)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

$packageFullName = Get-AppxPackage -Name "Microsoft.Copilot" | Select-Object -ExpandProperty PackageFullName
Remove-AppxPackage -Package $packageFullName

This script finds the Copilot app bundle (Microsoft.Copilot) and removes it for that user context.

Blocking future install (admins)

Microsoft’s guidance to org IT is: instead of relying only on the legacy “Turn off Windows Copilot” policy, use AppLocker or Intune policy to prevent Microsoft.Copilot from installing in the first place. IT can target the package publisher “MICROSOFT.CORPORATION” and block MICROSOFT.COPILOT for student or regulated tenants.

Why this matters: otherwise, Copilot can quietly reappear after certain Windows Feature Updates.

·····

.....

3. Disable Copilot in Microsoft Edge (sidebar, “Ask Copilot,” Copilot Mode)

Edge now treats Copilot as an AI sidebar, an in-page assistant, and (in preview) a whole “Copilot Mode” that can summarize browsing history. You can turn it off at the browser level without touching Windows.

Turn off the Copilot button / sidebar

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.

  2. Click the ... menu (top-right) → Settings.

  3. Go to Sidebar (or search settings for “Copilot”).

  4. Under App specific settings → Copilot, toggle off Show Copilot (and also “Show shopping notifications,” if you see it).

  5. Restart Edge.

This removes the Copilot spark icon, stops the “Ask Copilot” nudge in PDFs/webpages, and hides Copilot from the sidebar UI.

Block Copilot Mode features

Edge is testing “Copilot Mode,” which can summarize your browsing activity and create “Journeys” from your history. These are opt-in and can be turned off in the same Sidebar / Copilot settings panel or disabled by policy in managed environments. If you never enable them, Copilot won’t analyze your history.

Admin / Intune approach for Edge

For schools and companies using Intune or Group Policy for Edge:

  • You can disable or hide the Edge sidebar entirely.

  • You can refuse installation of the Copilot sidebar app. That prevents Copilot from showing up for end users at all.

·····

.....

4. Turn off Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams)

In the newer Microsoft 365 clients, Copilot appears directly in the ribbon or as suggestions (“Draft with Copilot,” “Summarize with Copilot”). You can shut it off per-app.

Per-app toggle

  1. Open the app (for example, Excel).

  2. Go to File → Options → Copilot.

  3. Clear Enable Copilot.

  4. Click OK, close, and relaunch the app.

That hides Copilot in that Office application. Microsoft documents this approach as the standard user-level opt-out.

On Mac, it’s similar:

  • App menu → Preferences → Copilot (or Preferences → Authoring / Proofing Tools → Copilot).

  • Uncheck Enable Copilot.

  • Restart the app.

Privacy-based disable (classic Office behavior)

If your Copilot toggle is missing, you can still cut off AI assistance by disabling “connected experiences that analyze your content”:

  1. Go to File → Account → Account Privacy → Manage Settings.

  2. Turn off experiences that analyze your content.

  3. Restart the Office apps.

Microsoft notes that this stops Copilot-style features across the suite.

Org-level / EDU-level control

In schools and enterprises, IT can simply not assign (or revoke) the Copilot for Microsoft 365 license. No license = no in-app Copilot panel, even if users have normal Office access. This is often how K–12 admins keep AI off for under-13s while still letting older students or staff use it.

·····

.....

5. Which method should you use? (Quick reference)

Situation

Easiest path

Why

You just hate the Copilot button on your Windows taskbar

Taskbar toggle (Settings → Personalization → Taskbar → Copilot Off)

Fast, no registry risk

You’re on Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise and want it gone for your login

Group Policy “Turn off Windows Copilot”

Prevents launch + hides entry points

You’re on Windows 11 Home with no Group Policy

Registry edit (TurnOffWindowsCopilot=1) + reboot

Mimics the same policy setting

You’re in Edge and don’t want sidebar AI at all

Edge Settings → Sidebar → Copilot → “Show Copilot” Off → Restart

Removes Copilot button and nudges

You’re worried Copilot will summarize your browsing history

Don’t enable Copilot Mode / Copilot Journeys in Edge settings

Those features are opt-in, can be disabled

You want to stop Copilot in Word/Excel/etc.

File → Options → Copilot → uncheck Enable Copilot

Removes in-app AI suggestions

You’re an IT admin / school admin

Intune or license control

Disable Copilot tenant-wide, block app install, or withhold Copilot for M365 licenses

·····

.....

The bottom line.

There’s no single “master OFF switch,” because “Copilot” is really multiple surfaces:

  • Windows shell Copilot / Copilot app

  • Edge Copilot / Copilot Mode / sidebar

  • Copilot inside Microsoft 365 apps

You can fully hide it on the taskbar, block or uninstall the app, turn off the Edge sidebar integration, and disable it in Word/Excel/PowerPoint/Outlook — all without breaking Windows or losing Office. In managed environments, admins can do this centrally with Intune, AppLocker, licensing, or Group Policy, and can even keep it off for specific groups (like under-13 students) while leaving it on for staff.

.....

FOLLOW US FOR MORE.

DATA STUDIOS

bottom of page