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How to disable Copilot on Windows 11
Windows 11

How to disable Copilot on Windows 11

January 23, 2024

On Windows 11, you can fully disable the “Copilot,” and in this guide, you will learn how. Copilot is the AI-powered feature available since version 23H2. In simple terms, it’s a new digital assistant (that replaces Cortana) that can answer questions in natural language, summarize content, change system settings, take actions, and seamlessly connect across their favorite apps.

Although it’s a convenient feature, it’s not for everyone. If you’re among those people who don’t need it, on Windows 11, you have multiple ways to fully disable Copilot through the Group Policy Editor, Registry, and the open-source ViveTool. If you don’t want to turn off the feature, remove the Copilot button from the Taskbar instead.

In this guide, I will teach you how to disable the Copilot on Windows 11.

Disable Copilot from Taskbar on Windows 11

To remove the Copilot button from the Taskbar on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Click on Personalization.
  3. Click the Taskbar tab.
  4. Under the “Taskbar items” section, turn off the Copilot toggle switch to remove the icon from the Taskbar.

    Taskbar remove Copilot button

Once you complete the steps, the Copilot button will no longer appear in the Taskbar, but the chatbot will continue to be available using the “Windows key + C” keyboard shortcut.

Disable Copilot from Group Policy on Windows 11

If the device uses Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can use the Local Group Policy Editor to disable the Copilot feature. If the computer uses Windows 11 Home, you will have to use the Registry.

To disable Copilot from Group Policy on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start on Windows 11.
  2. Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.
  3. Open the following path: 
    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot
  4. Double-click the “Turn off Windows Copilot” policy.

    Turn off Windows Copilot policy

  5. Select the Enabled option to disable Copilot on Windows 11.

    Group Policy disable Copilot

  6. Click the Apply button.
  7. Click the OK button.
  8. Restart the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the Copilot button will no longer appear in the Taskbar, and users won’t even be able to open the chatbot with the “Windows key + C” keyboard shortcut. This action will remove the “Copilot” setting from the Taskbar settings page.

If you want to re-enable the feature, use the same instructions, but in step 4, choose the “Not Configured” option.

Disable Copilot from Registry on Windows 11

Windows 11 Home doesn’t include the Local Group Policy Editor, but it is still possible to disable the feature by modifying the Registry. This method also works for Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education.

Warning: Modifying the Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It is assumed you know what you are doing and have created a system backup before proceeding.

To fully disable Copilot from Windows 11 from the Registry, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search regedit and click the top result to open the Registry Editor.
  3. Open the following path: 
    HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows
  4. Right-click the Windows key, select New, and choose the Key option.
  5. Name the WindowsCopilot and press Enter.
  6. Double-click the TurnOffWindowsCopilot DWORD and change its value from 0 to 1 to disable Copilot through the Registry.

    Registry disable Copilot

  7. Click the OK button.
  8. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the Copilot will be disabled completely on Windows 11. This action will also remove the “Copilot” setting from the Taskbar settings page.

If you change your mind, you can always revert the settings using the same steps, but in step 3, set the “TurnOffWindowsCopilot” value to “0” (zero).

To disable Copilot on Windows 11 through the ViveTool, use these steps:

  1. Open GitHub website.
  2. Download the ViveTool-vx.x.x.zip file to disable the Copilot.
  3. Double-click the zip folder to open it with File Explorer.
  4. Click the Extract all button.

    Extract ViveTool files

  5. Click the Extract button.
  6. Copy the path to the folder.
  7. Open Start.
  8. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  9. Type the following command to navigate to the ViveTool folder and press Enter: 
    cd c:folderpathViveTool-v0.x.x

    In the command, remember to change the path to the folder with your path.

  10. Type the following command to disable the Copilot in the Taskbar and press Enter: 
    vivetool /disable /id:44774629,44776738,44850061,42105254,41655236
  11. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the system will disable Copilot on Windows 11.

If you want to enable the feature again, you can use the same instructions, but on step 10, run the vivetool /enable /id:44774629,44776738,44850061,42105254,41655236 command.

It’s worth noting that this method may or may not work for everyone since Microsoft usually blocks features from being disabled through this method after a new version is fully available. However, I tested this method again in 2024, and it’s still possible to use the ViveTool app to disable Copilot.

Update October 2, 2023: This guide has been updated to include the steps to disable the chatbot using the third-party tool known as ViveTool.

Update October 4, 2023: Added a new video with the instructions to disable the feature.

Update January 22, 2024: These instructions were updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.