Microsoft rolls back some of its Copilot AI bloat on Windows

Microsoft rolls back some of its Copilot AI bloat on Windows

Sarah Perez

1:53 PM PDT · March 20, 2026

Microsoft announced on Friday a series of changes focused on improving the quality of its Windows 11 operating system, which notably includes dialing back the number of entry points to its AI assistant, Copilot.

The company said it will reduce Copilot AI integrations in some apps, starting with Photos, Widgets, Notepad, and its Snipping Tool.

Under the heading of “integrating AI where it’s most meaningful,” Pavan Davuluri, EVP of Windows and Devices, wrote on the company’s blog that Microsoft is becoming more intentional about “how and where Copilot integrates across Windows.” Its goal, he explained, is to focus on AI experiences that are “genuinely useful.”

This “less-is-more” approach to integrating AI into existing platforms may reflect the growing consumer pushback against AI bloat. While many people today understand AI to be a useful tool, there are also concerns around trust and safety. For instance, a Pew Research study published this month noted that half of U.S. adults are now more concerned than excited about AI as of June 2025, up from 37% in 2021.

This is not the first time Microsoft has rethought its Copilot integrations. Earlier this month, the news site Windows Central said the company’s plan to ship Copilot-branded AI features across Windows 11 had been quietly shelved. This, the site said, included some system-level integrations within the Settings app, File Explorer, and elsewhere.

Before this, Microsoft had delayed the launch of its AI-powered memory feature, Windows Recall for Copilot + PCs, for over a year as it tried to address users’ privacy concerns. The Recall feature launched last April, but security vulnerabilities are still being discovered.

It’s clear that user feedback is influencing Microsoft’s moves around AI on Windows. Davuluri wrote that he and his team have spent the past several months listening to the community about how they’d like to see Windows improved.

The Copilot rollback is just one of the changes being made.

The company said it’s also introducing the ability to move the taskbar to the top or sides of the screen, giving users more control over system updates, speeding up File Explorer, improving the Widgets experience, updating the Feedback Hub, and making it easier to navigate its Windows Insider Program — a community that offers feedback about Windows’ future.

Sarah Perez

Consumer News Editor

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