Copilot Everything
A few weeks ago, I tried to explain to someone what Microsoft Copilot is. I couldn’t… because the name ‘Copilot’ now refers to at least 75 different things.
Apps, features, platforms, a keyboard key, an entire category of laptops - and a tool for building more Copilots. All named ‘Copilot’.
Microsoft is now beginning its effort to reduce and remove Copilot branding across Windows 11, with the latest Notepad update for Insiders outright removing the Copilot icon and phrasing. Now, the AI menu is simply called “writing tools,” and maintains the same functionality as before.
Microsoft is ‘removing Copilot’ from its system apps, but it’s not removing the AI features, just taking away the branding, which brings it closer in line with how Apple Intelligence works across macOS and iOS.
At the start of the year, Microsoft generated a lot of goodwill among Windows 11 fans when it announced its big plan to fix the operating system in 2026. It highlighted numerous ways to approach and remediate user concerns such as giving them more control over Windows Update and adding back some highly requested features. Another key point in the company’s announcement was pulling back on inserting Copilot everywhere, and being more mindful about how AI features are integrated into the OS. Microsoft began rolling out some changes in this regard a couple of days ago, and unfortunately, people are a little underwhelmed.
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To be fair to Microsoft, if you check out our coverage of this topic, you’ll notice that Redmond did not claim that it will eradicate AI from Windows 11. In fact, its wording was more around the idea that it would be more “intentional” about how and where the Copilot branding shows up, while also ensuring that AI capabilities are actually useful.
Previously:
- Microsoft Rust and Copilot
- Forcing Copilot AI
- Opting Out of Microsoft 365’s Copilot AI
- GitHub Copilot for Xcode
- Privacy of Windows Copilot+ Recall
- Windows Copilot+ AI Features
- Microsoft’s Copilot+ PCs
- Microsoft 365 Copilot
