Microsoft stops force-installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app

Microsoft has stopped automatically installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices that have the Microsoft 365 desktop client apps.

The Microsoft 365 Copilot app integrates the AI-powered Copilot assistant with Microsoft 365 suite apps, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as other features like AI agents and Notebooks.

The forced rollout began in early December and was scheduled to be completed in mid-December for devices outside the European Economic Area (EEA), as the company announced in September.

"This app provides a centralized entry point for accessing Copilot experiences and AI-powered capabilities across Microsoft 365. This change simplifies access to Copilot and ensures users can easily discover and engage with productivity-enhancing features," Microsoft explained at the time.

However, Microsoft has now temporarily scrapped these plans but has yet to share why the rollout has been stopped.

"Automatic installation of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps, planned for December 2025, is temporarily disabled," the company said in a Microsoft 365 message center update.

"Existing installations remain unaffected. Admins can deploy the app via other methods and should await further updates. The change excludes EEA customers."

When and if the Microsoft 365 Copilot app begins rolling out automatically to eligible devices, it will be added to the Windows Start Menu and enabled by default. However, IT administrators responsible for managing Microsoft 365 app deployments will be able to opt out via the Apps Admin Center:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center with an admin account.
2. Go to Customization > Device Configuration > Modern App Settings.
3. Select the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, then clear the Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 Copilot appcheck box.

As part of an effort to increase the Copilot AI assistant's user base, Microsoft also announced in late September 2025 that it will integrate Microsoft 365 Copilot agents into the Edge sidebar and added a new setting allowing Microsoft 365 admins to pin the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to the Windows taskbar.

Around the same time last year, the company also started rolling out the content-aware Copilot Chat to Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote for paying Microsoft 365 business customers and the Gaming Copilot "personal gaming sidekick" on Windows 11 PCs for users aged 18 or older.

However, in January, Microsoft also began testing a new policy (RemoveMicrosoftCopilotApp) that would allow IT admins to uninstall Copilot from devices managed via Microsoft Intune or System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM).

Over the weekend, Windows Central also reported that Microsoft might be quietly canceling plans to ship several other Copilot-powered features introduced by Microsoft EVP Yusef Mehdi almost two years ago, which would have embedded Copilot into the Windows 11 Settings app, system notifications, and the File Explorer.

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