If you’ve been keeping up with your Windows software updates, you probably noticed Microsoft’s Copilot AI made an appearance in the Taskbar—and in apps including Word and Excel if you use the Microsoft 365 suite. If you’re unhappy with that, you may be able to disable it.
You can disable Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps (unless you’re on a work computer, in which case you may need to contact a systems administrator).
If you’ve got Windows 11 Home (the free version of the operating system that comes standard with most PCs), uninstalling Copilot is easy. But if you have Windows 11 Pro or your own special Copilot+ PC, you can’t get rid of the AI without editing the operating system’s configuration. That’s an arduous, complicated process most people won’t want to attempt.
But at the very least, you can still hide Copilot from the Taskbar and Start menu. Just find the Copilot icon, right-click, and hit “Unpin.”
To uninstall Copilot in Windows 11 Home: Open the Start menu > Type “Copilot” in the search bar > Right-click on Copilot > Uninstall. Then do the same for the Microsoft 365 Copilot app if you see it listed.
It’s confusing, but Copilot will still show up in apps such as Word or Excel even if you uninstall the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. You need to disable it in each individual app as well.
To disable Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps on a PC: Open the app (Microsoft Word, for example) > File > Options > Copilot > Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox > OK > Restart the app.
To disable Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps on a Mac: Open the app (Microsoft Word, for example) > Preferences > Authoring and Proofing Tools > Copilot > Clear the Enable Copilot checkbox > OK > Restart the app.
