New Windows 11 Policy to Let Admins Remove Microsoft Copilot Automatically
New Windows 11 policy gives IT admins more control over Microsoft Copilot on managed devices.
Key Takeaways:
- IT admins can now automatically uninstall Microsoft Copilot on managed Windows 11 devices.
- The policy works only under certain conditions.
- Users can still reinstall Copilot even after the policy removes it.
Microsoft is giving IT administrators more control over AI on corporate devices with a new policy that lets them automatically uninstall the Microsoft Copilot app under specific conditions. This policy, called RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp, is currently available to Windows 11 Insiders on the Dev and Beta Channels.
Up until now, Microsoft has allowed administrators to remove Microsoft Copilot through Intune or other management tools. This new policy enables IT admins to automatically uninstall this app under specific conditions. First of all, both Microsoft 365 Copilot and the standalone Copilot app are installed on the Windows 11 PCs. Moreover, the Copilot app wasn’t manually installed by the user. The Copilot app hasn’t been launched in the last 28 days.
“Admins can now uninstall Microsoft Copilot for a user in a targeted way by enabling a new policy titled RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp,” the Windows Insider team explained. “If this policy is enabled, the Microsoft Copilot app will be uninstalled, once. Users can still re-install if they choose to. This policy is available on Enterprise, Pro, and EDU SKUs.”
The 28-day inactivity rule is tough to meet because Microsoft Copilot launches automatically at sign-in and can be triggered by shortcuts like Win+C or Alt+Space, even if users don’t actively use it. This means the Copilot app rarely stays dormant for a full month. To keep it inactive, admins or users would need to disable auto-start and remove these shortcuts.
How to enable the policy in Windows 11?
To remove the Microsoft Copilot app in the Group Policy Editor, administrators will need to go to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows AI, and then select the “Remove Microsoft Copilot App” option. However, users will be able to reinstall the Copilot app later without requiring the IT admins to reverse the changes.
The consumer version of Microsoft Copilot doesn’t include enterprise-grade protections, which raises concerns for organizations handling sensitive data. In contrast, Microsoft 365 Copilot integrates with Enterprise Data Protection (EDP) to ensure compliance and protect corporate information. This new uninstall policy helps IT teams remove the less secure consumer version and maintain a controlled, secure AI environment.
The latest Windows Insider Build also brings other Copilot capabilities for Windows 11 devices. These include AI-generated descriptions of images, charts, and graphs for Copilot via Narrator on all Windows 11 devices. There is also a new option that lets developers use the Windows Notification System (WNS) to add the ability to seamlessly resume using their apps from an Android phone on a Windows 11 device.
Rabia has a master's degree in Software Engineering and she has years of experience writing professionally about Microsoft products and other technologies. Rabia has also written for OnMSFT.com as well as Windows Report. She is always up to date on t...
