Copilot buttons removed from Windows
Microsoft is removing Copilot buttons from several Windows 11 apps including Notepad, Snipping Tool, Photos and Widgets, changing how users access built‑in AI helpers. The report suggests Microsoft is reworking Copilot's placement and UI across the OS rather than leaving it as fixed app buttons. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
Microsoft has started stripping Copilot buttons out of Windows 11 apps, beginning with Notepad and Snipping Tool in new Insider releases. (blogs.windows.com) Microsoft said on March 20 that it would cut “unnecessary Copilot entry points” in Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad as part of a broader Windows 11 quality push led by Windows and Devices chief Pavan Davuluri. (blogs.windows.com) The first visible change is in Notepad: in version 11.2512.28.0 for Windows Insiders, the Copilot icon was replaced with a “Writing tools” button, while the write, rewrite and summarize features stayed in place. (windowslatest.com) In Snipping Tool, Microsoft has removed the Copilot button from the capture bar, and reports from April 10 said some of the app’s artificial intelligence shortcuts were also being pulled back in preview builds. (theverge.com) Microsoft spent 2023 through 2025 putting Copilot across Windows 11, from the taskbar to built-in apps, and those app-specific buttons were part of that push. In May 2025, Microsoft was still adding features such as a Sticker Generator in Paint through a Copilot menu. (blogs.windows.com) The company is not removing artificial intelligence from Windows 11 altogether. In the same March 20 post, Microsoft said it would be “more intentional” about where Copilot appears, while newer Windows features such as Click to Do still include an Ask Copilot action. (blogs.windows.com; support.microsoft.com) That leaves Microsoft shifting the branding more than the capability: Notepad still offers text-generation tools, but they now sit behind a generic pen icon instead of a Copilot badge. (windowslatest.com; engadget.com) The timing follows a stretch of Windows changes tied to user complaints about clutter, updates and privacy, including Microsoft’s effort to explain controls around Recall on Copilot Plus personal computers. (blogs.windows.com; support.microsoft.com) For now, the cleanup is showing up first in Insider builds, which Microsoft uses to test Windows changes before wider release. The message from this round is narrower than a retreat: fewer Copilot buttons, not a Copilot-free Windows. (blogs.windows.com; theverge.com)
