Does uninstalling Copilot remove it permanently?

Not necessarily. Uninstalling the Copilot app takes it off the machine, but because Copilot is a standard app in the Microsoft Store, you or another user can reinstall it, and a future Windows or Store update can bring it back. To keep it off for good you need a policy that blocks it, such as the Remove Microsoft Copilot app Group Policy on Pro and Enterprise, combined with an app control tool like AppLocker or WDAC if you must stop reinstalls entirely.

What happened to the "Turn off Windows Copilot" group policy?

That policy was written for the original Copilot sidebar that docked to the side of the screen. When Microsoft rebuilt Copilot as a normal Store app, the old Turn off Windows Copilot policy stopped being the reliable switch. On current Windows 11 you should uninstall the Copilot app instead, and on Pro or Enterprise use the newer Remove Microsoft Copilot app policy under Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows AI.

Can I remove Copilot on Windows 11 Home?

Yes. Windows 11 Home does not include the Group Policy Editor, but you can still uninstall the Copilot app from Settings, Apps, Installed apps, or by right-clicking Copilot in the Start menu and choosing Uninstall. You can also apply the same removal setting by adding the RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp value in the registry, though Home is not an officially supported edition for that policy.

How to Disable or Remove Copilot in Windows 11

Q: Will unpinning Copilot stop the Copilot key on my keyboard?

No. Unpinning only hides the taskbar button; the dedicated Copilot key still tries to open the app. To change what the key does, go to Settings, Personalization, Text input, and set the Copilot key to open a different app or search. If you have uninstalled Copilot entirely, the key has nothing to launch and simply does nothing.

This matters because Copilot changed shape. It began life as a docked sidebar controlled by a policy called Turn off Windows Copilot. Microsoft then rebuilt it as an ordinary Microsoft Store app that pins to the taskbar like any other program. That single change is why older tutorials no longer match what you see, and why the reliable way to remove Copilot today is to treat it as an app, not as a system toggle.

Which method should I use?

Just want it out of the way? Use Method 1 (unpin). Want it off the machine for one user? Use Method 2 (uninstall). Managing a fleet or a family PC and need it to stay gone? Use Method 3 (Group Policy / registry).

Method 1 — Unpin Copilot from the taskbar (hide it)

This is the fastest option and it is fully reversible. It leaves the app installed but takes the button off your taskbar.

Find the Copilot icon on the taskbar.
Right-click it and choose Unpin from taskbar. The button disappears immediately.

Prefer to manage it from Settings? You can also turn taskbar items on and off here:

Open Settings (press Windows + I).
Go to Personalization → Taskbar.
Under Taskbar items, switch off the Copilot entry if one is shown.

Tip — the Copilot key

Unpinning does not disable the dedicated Copilot key on newer keyboards. To repurpose it, open Settings → Personalization → Text input and set the Copilot key to open a different app, search, or nothing useful to you — Microsoft Learn documents this as the Customize Copilot key on keyboard setting under Personalization → Text input.

Method 2 — Uninstall the Copilot app (remove it)

Because Copilot is now a standard app, you can uninstall it the same way you would remove any other program. This removes it for the current user.

Open Settings (Windows + I).
Go to Apps → Installed apps.
In the search box type Copilot.
Click the … (three dots) next to Copilot and choose Uninstall, then confirm.

The quickest shortcut of all is from the Start menu:

Click Start and type Copilot.
Right-click the Copilot result and choose Uninstall.

You can do the same job from PowerShell if you prefer the command line — Microsoft's own guidance on removing the Microsoft Copilot app lists both the Installed Apps route and a Get-AppxPackage/Remove-AppxPackage script. Open Terminal (PowerShell) and run:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Copilot* | Remove-AppxPackage

If your device also has the separate Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly the Microsoft 365 / Office app), it is listed under Installed apps as well and can be removed the same way if you do not want it.

Caution — it can come back

Uninstalling removes Copilot now, but it does not block it. Anyone can reinstall it from the Microsoft Store, and a future Windows or Store update may re-add it. If you need it gone and staying gone, use Method 3 and, on business devices, pair it with an app-control tool such as AppLocker or Windows Defender Application Control (WDAC).

Method 3 — Turn off Copilot with Group Policy or the registry (keep it off)

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, Education and IoT Enterprise, Microsoft provides a policy that removes the Copilot app: Remove Microsoft Copilot app. This is the modern replacement for the old Turn off Windows Copilot setting, which was built for the retired sidebar and no longer reliably controls the app-based Copilot.

Using Group Policy (Pro, Enterprise, Education)

Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter.

Navigate to:

User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows AI

Double-click Remove Microsoft Copilot app.
Select Enabled, click OK, then close the editor.
Open an elevated Command Prompt or Terminal and run gpupdate /force, or restart the PC.

Using the registry (all editions, including Home)

Windows 11 Home has no Group Policy Editor, but the same setting can be written directly to the registry.

Back up the registry first

Editing the registry incorrectly can cause problems. In Registry Editor choose File → Export to save a backup before you make changes.

Press Windows + R, type regedit and press Enter.

Go to (create any missing keys):

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI

Right-click in the right pane, choose New → DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp.
Double-click it and set the value data to 1, then click OK.
Sign out and back in, or restart, for the change to take effect.

To reverse it later, set RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp back to 0 or delete the value. You can also apply the same change in one line from an elevated Terminal:

reg add "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI" /v RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Caution — the 28-day catch

The Remove Microsoft Copilot app policy performs a one-time uninstall, and Microsoft's implementation only removes the app once it has gone unused for about 28 days — the WindowsAI Policy CSP reference for RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp states it applies only where the Copilot app "wasn't launched in the last 28 days" and that users can still reinstall afterwards. Because Copilot can auto-start and can be triggered by the Copilot key, many PCs never hit that window on their own. To make removal actually happen, stop Copilot auto-starting (Task Manager → Startup apps) and avoid launching it while you wait. It is also a removal, not a permanent block — users can reinstall from the Store unless you add AppLocker, WDAC or an Intune uninstall profile.

What about the old "Turn off Windows Copilot" policy?

You will still find references to a policy named Turn off Windows Copilot (and a matching TurnOffWindowsCopilot registry value under ...\Windows\WindowsCopilot) — Microsoft's policy reference now marks that setting deprecated. That switch targeted the original docked sidebar. Now that Copilot ships as a Store app, uninstalling the app (Method 2) and applying Remove Microsoft Copilot app (Method 3) are the current, supported approach. If a machine still runs a build where the old policy has any effect, enabling it does no harm — but do not rely on it as your only step.

Whichever route you take, remember that Copilot on Windows and Copilot inside Microsoft 365 are separate things. If you only want to stop the taskbar assistant, the steps above are enough. For the bigger picture of what the assistant does before you decide, see our guide to Copilot in Windows 11, and if privacy is your real concern, read how to use and disable Windows Recall.