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Disable Copilot in Windows 11 (updated June 2025)

Picture of CyberDuo
CyberDuo

1. Confirm your Windows edition

Run winver. Note whether you are on Home, Pro/Enterprise, or 24H2+ with the standalone Copilot app; the method you choose depends on this. lifewire.com

2. Quick cosmetic removal (all editions)

Open Settings → Personalization → Taskbar and turn the Copilot toggle off. This only hides the button; Win + C will still launch Copilot. lifewire.com

3. Local Group Policy (Pro, Education, Enterprise)

  1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
  2. Navigate to User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows Copilot.
  3. Double‑click Turn off Windows Copilot and set it to Enabled.
  4. Reboot. Copilot is blocked, and the Win + C shortcut is neutralized. lifewire.comanoopcnair.com

Microsoft has marked this policy “legacy” and plans to deprecate it; long‑term deployments should move to AppLocker (see section 5). learn.microsoft.com

4. Registry method (Home or when GPO is unavailable)

  1. Press Win + R, run regedit.
  2. Create the key CopyHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot
  3. Inside that key, create DWORD 32‑bit value TurnOffWindowsCopilot and set it to 1.
  4. Reboot. Copilot is disabled system‑wide. askwoody.com

For a per‑user tweak place the same key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot. lifewire.com

5. Future‑proof blocking with AppLocker (22H2 → 24H2 and later)

  1. Open Local Security Policy (secpol.msc) or your domain GPO.
  2. Create a new Packaged app rule that denies packages signed by yamlCopyPublisher: CN=MICROSOFT CORPORATION, O=MICROSOFT CORPORATION, L=REDMOND, S=WASHINGTON, C=US Package name: MICROSOFT.COPILOT Version: *
  3. Apply the rule and reboot or run gpupdate /force.
    This prevents installation or launch of the consumer Copilot app and is Microsoft’s recommended replacement for the legacy GPO. learn.microsoft.com

6. Uninstall the Copilot app (24H2+ only)

Open PowerShell as administrator and run:

powershellCopyGet-AppxPackage -Name "Microsoft.Copilot" | Remove-AppxPackage

The package is removed for the current user; add ‑AllUsers to purge it for everyone. learn.microsoft.com

7. Disable or remap the Copilot hardware key (new 2025 keyboards)

  • Group Policy: User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Copilot → Set Copilot Hardware Key; point it to Search or Custom.
  • MDM/Intune CSP: set ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/WindowsAI/SetCopilotHardwareKey.
    Changing this stops the key from opening Copilot. learn.microsoft.com

8. Intune / MDM deployment for fleets

Deploy OMA‑URI ./User/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/WindowsAI/TurnOffWindowsCopilot as Integer = 1 to disable Copilot on enrolled devices without touching on‑prem GPO. mdmandgpanswers.com

9. Verify success

  • Press Win + C; nothing should happen.
  • The Copilot icon and sidebar should be absent.
  • Settings → Personalization → Taskbar should no longer list Copilot. lifewire.com

10. Rollback

Reverse the registry value or set the GPO/OMA‑URI to Not Configured, run gpupdate, and reboot; Copilot returns immediately after the next cumulative update.

Key takeaways

  • Hide ≠ Disable; choose the right depth.
  • Legacy “Turn off Windows Copilot” GPO works today but will be retired.
  • AppLocker and package removal are the only methods guaranteed to survive future releases. learn.microsoft.com