Windows Copilot, a new AI assistant that was introduced in the latest Windows 11 update was designed to help with tasks like finding information, scheduling events, and managing files. Some usersmay not want to use Copilot, or they may simply want to disable it for certain tasks.
To disable Copilot, users should remove the icon from the taskbar. This will simply hide the Copilot icon from the taskbar, but Copilot will still be running in the background. To do this, open the Settings app and go to Personalization > Taskbar. Under “Taskbar items”, toggle off the switch for “Copilot”.
Users can also disable Copilot entirely. This will stop Copilot from running at all. To do this, you will need to use the Group Policy Editor. To open the Group Policy Editor, press Windows+R to open the Run dialog box and type “gpedit.msc”. Then, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot. Double-click on the “Turn Off Windows Copilot” policy and select “Enabled”.
Those using Windows 11 Home will not be able to disable Copilot using the Group Policy Editor. However, there are a number of third-party tools that can be used to disable Copilot in Windows 11 Home. One popular tool is DoNotSpy11.
To disable Copilot using DoNotSpy11, users should download and install DoNotSpy11. Then open DoNotSpy11 and search for “copilot”. They can now check the box next to “Privacy: Disable Copilot”. Click “Apply” and then “Reboot”.
The sources for this piece include an article in PCGamer.
