How to disable, uninstall and block Microsoft Copilot in Windows 11

ZDNET provides step-by-step instructions for disabling, uninstalling or blocking Microsoft Copilot on Windows 11, saying removal can improve performance and reduce resource use. To stop Copilot from starting automatically, the guide shows using Task Manager (right-click the taskbar → Task Manager → Startup → Disable) or Settings → Apps → Startup.

To fully close the app you must select Exit from its system tray icon, and Copilot can be removed by right‑clicking its Start menu entry and choosing Uninstall. The article explains that an uninstall may be reversed by a future Windows Update, and describes how to block reinstallations via Group Policy (Win+R → gpedit.msc; User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Copilot; set "Turn off Windows Copilot" to Enabled).

For Windows 11 Home, it gives a Registry alternative (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows: create key WindowsCopilot and DWORD TurnOffWindowsCopilot with value 1). ZDNET also notes additional AI components and hooks can remain and removing them typically requires further Group Policy or Registry edits.

ZDNET lists automated options such as the GitHub Remove Windows AI script (created by account zoicware) and the FlyOOBE tool to scan and turn off AI components, and recommends creating a system restore point before using such tools; the author says the script "seems to work" in test VMs but expresses caution about running it on production machines.

Key Topics

Tech, Windows Copilot, Group Policy, Windows Registry, Task Manager, Flyoobe