Microsoft isn't removing Copilot from Windows 11, it's just renaming it

At the start of the year, Microsoft generated a lot of goodwill among Windows 11 fans when it announced its big plan to fix the operating system in 2026. It highlighted numerous ways to approach and remediate user concerns such as giving them more control over Windows Update and adding back some highly requested features. Another key point in the company's announcement was pulling back on inserting Copilot everywhere, and being more mindful about how AI features are integrated into the OS. Microsoft began rolling out some changes in this regard a couple of days ago, and unfortunately, people are a little underwhelmed.

Microsoft seems to have stripped away mentions of the "Copilot" brand in the Windows Insider version of the Notepad app. The Copilot button in the toolbar is gone, and instead, you'll find a writing icon which will present you AI-powered writing assistance, such as rewrite, summarize, tone modification, format configuration, and more. Additionally, "AI features" in Notepad settings has been renamed to "Advanced features" and it allows users to toggle off AI capabilities within the app.

As is evident from the changes mentioned above, Microsoft is not doing away with AI capabilities completely in Windows 11. At least, not right now. This has led to complaints from Windows 11 users on public forums who feel like they've been hoodwinked by Microsoft into believing that the firm is getting rid of AI integrations in Windows 11 altogether.

To be fair to Microsoft, if you check out our coverage of this topic, you'll notice that Redmond did not claim that it will eradicate AI from Windows 11. In fact, its wording was more around the idea that it would be more "intentional" about how and where the Copilot branding shows up, while also ensuring that AI capabilities are actually useful. It also emphasized its intention to get rid of unnecessary Copilot entry points in Windows 11 apps. Looking at the latest Insider update for Notepad, it can be argued that Microsoft did exactly all that.

The problem once again seem to lie in the huge gap between what users actually want versus how Microsoft responds to customer feedback. Looking at the vocal backlash around "microslop" online, it would seem rather obvious that customers don't want "AI slop" in their desktop OS. But, of course, Microsoft can't get rid of AI features entirely and get left behind in the latest race involving big tech. So, in the company's eyes, a middle ground would be to erase references to the Copilot brand and continue integrating AI capabilities that it deems useful.

At this point, Microsoft is walking a tightrope. It cannot appease everyone since it also has its shareholders and investors to think about, but then there's also a rather large Windows 11 user base which really is fed up of AI experiences being shoved down its throats. Looking ahead, it seems unlikely that Microsoft will be able to "fix" Windows 11 in this regard in 2026, because it seems like simply rebranding Copilot to something generic just isn't good enough for many.