Windows Copilot, Microsoft’s new AI assistant, can assist you with a variety of tasks, such as answering questions, changing system settings, and creating AI images. However, if you’re not a fan of Copilot or simply don’t need it, you may remove its taskbar icon or disable it entirely on your Windows 11 PC. Here, we’ll show you how.
How to Remove the Copilot Icon From the Windows 11 Taskbar
By default, the Copilot icon appears in the Windows 11 taskbar. However, if you prefer not to have it there but still want to use it occasionally, it’s easy to hide the Copilot icon. Simply right-click anywhere on an empty spot on your taskbar and selectTaskbar settings. In the Settings window that appears, turn off the toggle next toCopilot.
This should remove the Copilot icon from the taskbar. You can still access Copilot by pressing theWin + Ckeyboard shortcut in Windows 11.
How to Completely Disable Copilot via Group Policy Settings
Although hiding the Copilot is quite easy, it does not turn it off completely, and you might inadvertently access it. Fortunately, you can turn off Copilot completely via the Local Group Policy Editor on PCs running the Professional, Education, or Enterprise edition of Windows 11.
If you are using Windows 11 Home, skip to the Registry Editor method below or use aworkaround to enable the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows Homebefore continuing.
Once you complete the above steps, Copilot will be disabled on your Windows 11 PC and you won’t be able to access it even with the keyboard shortcut. If you want to re-enable Copilot later, repeat the above steps and set theTurn off Windows Copilotpolicy toNot configuredorDisabled.
How to Completely Disable Copilot by Modifying Registry Files
Another way to disable Copilot on Windows 11 involves modifying registry files. However, since editing the registry can be risky, you should follow the steps carefully. Also, be sure toback up all the registry filesorcreate a restore point. This will allow you to restore the registry files in case something goes wrong.
Once you’ve done that, here’s what you need to do to disable Copilot via the Registry Editor:
And that’s about it. Windows Copilot will be disabled on your PC. To re-enable it in the future, repeat the above steps and set theTurnOffWindowsCopilotDWORD value to 0. You can also delete theTurnOffWindowsCopilotDWORD instead.
Get Rid of Copilot on Windows 11
While Windows Copilot is a powerful tool, not everyone may want to use it. Fortunately, it’s possible to get rid of it. The above steps will help you achieve your goal, whether you want to keep Copilot out of sight or turn it off entirely.
