Microsoft Is Removing ‘Unnecessary’ Copilot Features in Windows
After years of shoving (read: pushing) Copilot into as many Windows apps as possible, Microsoft appears to have made a shocking discovery: Users don’t want Copilot crammed into as many Windows apps as possible. On Friday, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft’s president of Windows and Devices, published a post on the official Windows blog, explaining to readers the changes the company was making to Windows in response to user feedback. Although Davuluri stopped short of saying the words “all this AI was a mistake,” he did say, “What happened through [from user feedback] was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better. “So now we have a bunch of changes that will hopefully make Windows better.
Copilot takes a step back in future versions of Windows 11
Chief among these changes is an AI regression. In a point titled “Integrate AI where it’s most meaningful, with expertise and focus,” Davuluri says Microsoft will be “more intentional” about where and how it places Copilot in the operating system. The goal going forward will be to create “genuinely useful and well-designed” experiences. Notably, Microsoft now “reduces unnecessary Copilot entry points.” While more changes may come in the future, the omissions start with the Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad. Davuluri doesn’t say how much Microsoft is removing Copilot from these apps, but hopefully the company will at least make the AI features a little less prominent.
This first round of changes may not be perfect, but it seems to address major user complaints about Copilot in Windows 11. Take a look at Windows and tech forums like Reddit, and you’ll see plenty of criticism here. This thread, for example, is full of them: one user posts “I hate the process where they cram it into every tool, change it almost daily, and leave most features enabled by default,” while another says “It reminds me of Windows 8, but on steroids.” We even tried to use it in a technical way, in vain: “I [set up] a Copilot agent as an additional training resource and it has a mind of its own. I order him not to do something and he does just the opposite.”
While I’m sure there are Copilot features that some users find useful, the fact is that most of these features simply aren’t necessary to do the things people want to do with their machines. If that were the case, Microsoft probably wouldn’t need to cram Copilot into as many different corners of the operating system as possible to prove to the world (or investors) that it was taking AI seriously. The company created a dedicated Copilot key for PCs and even went to extreme lengths to get people to use Copilot. If you have to get customers to use your product, that product is probably not worth using.
Other changes coming to Windows 11
Too much Copilot isn’t the only complaint users have about Windows 11. In fact, people have been complaining about Windows 11 since its launch, long before the advent of generative AI that began in late 2022. As such, Davuluri’s post is full of plans to improve Windows 11 for the better, supposedly in direct response to user feedback.
What do you think of it so far?
This includes changes to taskbar customization, including the ability to move the taskbar to the top or sides of your screen. File Explorer will also launch faster, with reduced flicker and smoother navigation. Widgets will also be “quieter” by default, with new controls for their appearance. Updates are another major Windows 11 issue that will be fixed this year. Soon you’ll be able to skip updates when setting up a new device so you can start using it faster. You’ll also be able to restart or shut down your PC without having to update, and you can pause updates for longer if you don’t feel like installing the latest version of the software.
Windows Insiders will also note some changes: Davuluri says Microsoft will make the program easier to navigate, with clearer descriptions for each channel (so you know what you’re signing up to test), easier access to new features (which is what most Insiders are there to test), higher quality updates, and more transparency about the impact of user feedback on future versions of Windows. At this point, the General Feedback Hub is being redesigned, so that Insiders can share their feedback (and see those of other users) more easily.
You can read Davuluri’s full article to see all the details about Microsoft’s plans for Windows 11, but, in my opinion, this is all a good sign. Microsoft seems to understand that its current operating system is too cluttered and in your face, whether it’s its AI or its other features. By toning down the design across the board, Windows could be an operating system that gives users more control over how it works and responds, which is really what it should have been all along.
