I am on Windows 10 pro and have debloated and stripped as much tracking junk as I could from the OS, so Copilot had been long gone… until two days ago, when it reappeared on my start menu. I assumed it was sneakily reinstalled after an update so I uninstalled it.
Less than 30 minutes later, it was back. I uninstalled it again, and again it reinstalled after about an hour.
I’ve tried registry edits, I’ve tried changing the group policy, but it does nothing - Copilot keeps reinstalling itself in the time span of 20 minutes to an hour.
I know being on Lemmy I’m going to get a bunch of “Replace it with Linux!” replies so I’d like to preempt this by promising you that yes, that will happen eventually - there’s just some compatibility issues with a couple of my daily driver programs that are pending a resolution.
For now I must stay on Windows, but Microslops incredibly aggressive Copilot reinstalls are pissing me off and I was just wondering if there are any other means in which I can get rid of this program, or at least hide the stupid ugly thing from my sight?
Edit: I suppose it’s important to note that I am not nearly as tech-savvy as a lot of people here, but I try to get by. Please keep this in mind if I ask stupid questions.
ShutUp10++ or reinstall to Windows 10 alphabet soup edition (LTSC IoT)
if it gets desperate, add a cronjob that runs every 5 mins and checks for it and when found deletes it lol or see what network request is making exactly to download it and block it
Turn it off with the group policy editor
Have this happening on my work computer and the only way I found to stop it from reinstalling was to gut edge as much as possible. The new copilot is just edge but edge can’t be uninstalled so I deleted everything in the edge program files folder and it at least stops copilot from reinstalling every 30 minutes but I suspect next windows update will redownload all the edge files and start this process over.
You could try being sneaky and after uninstalling copilot, make an empty file named exactly what copilot binary is called say “Copilot.exe” and as administrator remove all permissions so that the system cannot remove it so sneaky reinstall fails.
Might give other persistent errors though. I don’t know. Been on linux for 25 years.
Which programs do you require as a daily driver?
debloated & stripped
How did you do that & what tools do you use to upkeep that?
Maybe try oo/shutup10 (it seems it now includes a Copilot removal tool + additionally hiding various icons of it … bcs it really is everywhere now?)?
I meant to say replace it with Linux!
(Who needs LoL & Adobe anyway? :P)Pretty much just manually uninstalling and disabling all of the unwanted stuff, and turning off all available telemetry settings. I used to think I was computer savvy, but in comparison to the folks on here I’m not all that knowledgeable at all. I do what I can. Thank you for the link, I’m going to try this. I’m at my wits end. I don’t play League of Legends, but I do use Photoshop. I’ve heard that it runs with Wine, but I need to look further into it.
Oh, so not debloated or stripped.
Afaik you can’t turn off telemetry without editing the register (“regedit”) and using group policy stuff. Maybe even using a custom install image.Doing it all manually & with each update is bonkers.
Just try that O&O tool (it’s very user friendly & can revert stuff) & leave on only settings you absolutely do use/need.
If you have never tried using GIMP as a replacement to Photoshop, I would suggest doing so depending on your specific needs. There is a learning curve, but nothing worse than Photoshop. There are also lots of online tutorials.
I hear the photogimp patch makes transitioning to gimp easier, I haven’t installed it yet, but it’s on my todo list, as I’m setting up to move my Win10 media server/manager to Linux.
Seconded. I always tell people to substitute their apps first.
Much harder to change everything at once.
I was gonna recommend O&O, glad to add it already mentioned. I run Win 11 and I’ve yet to have anything Copilot related. Tend to run it every few months to get the latest updates.
Open up local group policy and under Windows components Enable the setting to disable copilot.
I’ve done that, and even revisiting the group policy editor it says enabled, but Copilot still keeps coming back.
This feels like a bug then. Win10 was EoL/EoS last year. If you’re not going to Win11 then best to switch to a supported OS.
I’m sorry, but with windows, your computer is not yours.
One thing you could try is blocking all Microsoft ips on your firewall so that it cannot remotely install but that is a cat and mouse game where microslop has the advantage and it will break important functionality like security updates.
I would test running those programs in a windows VM within Linux on a different ssd/hdd. There are a few other ways to run a windows program on Linux too like winboat, bottles and wine.
‘with windows, your computer is not yours.’
You beat me to it.
I might bookmark this for future reference.
I built a new PC and installed Windows 11 Pro at the beginning of November 2025 and forced a local user account at installation.
After disabling all of the bloat, it has yet to return through every update.
I can’t wait to get away from Microslop permanently.
Okay, this one is kind of funny (Windows 11, but I ran into it when searching for an answer for OP, and chuckled):
Thomas4-N 13,070 Reputation points • Microsoft External Staff • Moderator
Nov 22, 2025, 12:47 AMHello Alex P, welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I understand how frustrating it feels when features you’ve opted out of keep showing up.
Copilot is now integrated into Windows and Microsoft Edge as part of the operating system design, so there isn’t a supported way to remove it completely. Even if you uninstall the app or hide the button, some components remain because they’re tied to system features and will return with updates.
Here’s some steps you can try to partially reduce its presence:
- Uninstall the Copilot app: Go to Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Copilot > Uninstall, or use PowerShell. This removes the app temporarily, but cumulative updates or the Microsoft Store can reinstall it.
- Hide the Copilot button and sidebar: Use Taskbar settings or apply Group Policy/Registry changes to turn it off. Keep in mind that updates may re-enable these settings.
- Disable Copilot in Microsoft Edge: Open Edge settings > Sidebar > Turn off Copilot. This is separate from the OS-level integration.
However, in the whole picture, there’s no supported method to permanently block Copilot. It’s treated as a protected system component and will reinstall with cumulative updates and Store auto-updates.
If you prefer an environment without these integrations, switching to Linux is a valid option.
Warm regards,
It’s Internet Explorer all over again.
On maybe a more-helpful note, I have no idea if it might have consequences for your system (spend time every reboot trying to reinstall?) but you might try doing something that’d cause the installer to fail. Whatever update mechanism they have might back off if the installer just can’t succeed. Maybe uninstall Copilot, then replace one of the files that’s associated with Copilot with a directory or something, and if the installer can’t handle replacing that directory with the file it tries to install next time it runs, it bails and backs out?
I’ve occasionally used that trick when some program writes massive log files and doesn’t have an explicit way to disable log file writing — just drop a directory in the way.
It may also help taking ownership of a folder and making everything read only. I slightly doubt there are checks for that scenario in the middle of the process.
Knowing microslop, it’d probably just bsod
its the microsoft tax. at some point, you get to just suck it up, bend over and let microsoft slide copilot right up your asshole.
theres like 14 different versions and youre not going to be able to hit them all at the same time with any reliability. just hold your nose until you can choose not to use it anymore
Yeah I generally dislike when people are like “switch to Linux lololol” on a support thread… But there legit isn’t really anything you can do. You may find some obscure hacks to disable it, but as you see microsoft will just undo th at the next mandatory update.
Then just like local accounts, one by one they’ll start removing workarounds and punishing you for doing them.
OP I hate to be that guy, but maybe a dual boot is the way to go for now. Microsoft is only going to make this harder.
According to the rules of this community it is allowed to propose you to install Linux. So there ya go
I recently switched to Temple OS and this, so far, seems devoid of any AI too. Would reccommend.
Would you please consider a post comparing and contrasting Temple vs Linux? Tyia.
Unfortunately here is where you hit the philosophical wall. You either accept windows for what it is or move to a different platform. Software available or not.
Linux isn’t your only option. Apple has recently released an affordable option. Maybe MacOS will have your daily driver hold ups.
I also want to point out that unless you are using the extended support version of windows 10, you are also risking your security.
Shit or get off the pot moment. Either it’s important enough for you to sacrifice or not. Only you decide that. But just know Microsoft isn’t stopping and it doesn’t care about you.
On a side note - which apps do you have problems with on Linux (either finding an alternative or running them on wine)? Maybe someone here can recommend/solve an issue on that front?
I use Adobe Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint and they are apparently incompatible with Linux. I’ve heard they may run on Wine but I need to look further into it.
The Affinity Suite is running well under wine now.
