Microsoft won't force this Copilot app onto your PC's Start menu in Windows 11 — a temporary setback for Microsoft 365 plans

Microsoft is temporarily pausing automatic installations of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices that have the Microsoft 365 desktop client. The company hasn't explained why, and if it ever decides to move forward, the app will still be added to the Windows 11 Start menu and enabled by default.

"Automatic installation of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps, planned for December 2025, is temporarily disabled," it indicated in a Microsoft 365 message center update. "Existing installations remain unaffected." Admins can opt out of this experience via the Apps Admin Center.

Last September, the software giant announced that it would begin a forced rollout of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app across Windows devices in early December, further indicating that the process was slated to be complete by mid-December. However, Microsoft indicated that the change would not impact customers in the EEA (via Bleeping Computer).

As you may know, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app brings Copilot's AI-powered capabilities to the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint — intending to help users draft reports, presentations, and emails by generating content and offering editing suggestions.

Microsoft touted the Microsoft 365 Copilot app as "a centralized entry point for accessing Copilot experiences and AI-powered capabilities across Microsoft 365" when it announced its automatic installation on Windows devices.

💬 Is Microsoft subtly moving away from too many Copilot integrations?

Yesterday, we learned about Copilot's leadership shake‑up with Microsoft splitting it into four pillars: Copilot experience, Copilot platform, Microsoft 365 apps, and AI models.

Related: Microsoft 365 is paywalling most of Copilot in Office apps

Ex-Snap exec Jacob Andreou will lead Copilot experiences, both consumer and commercial, as an executive vice president reporting to Nadella, freeing up Microsoft's AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, to focus on developing new AI models.

Elsewhere, Microsoft also scrapped its plans to integrate Copilot into notifications and Settings on Windows 11 as part of its broader strategy to reduce AI bloatware and improve general user sentiment about the operating system in 2026.

Do you support Microsoft’s decision to pause automatic installs of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows 11? Share your thoughts with me in the comments.

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