Microsoft trims Copilot branding

Microsoft has started stripping the Copilot name from Windows 11 apps while leaving the underlying artificial intelligence features in place. (blogs.windows.com) The change is already showing up in Windows Insider builds of Notepad, where the Copilot menu has been renamed “Writing tools” and the Copilot icon has been replaced with a pen icon in version 11.2512.28.0. (windowslatest.com) Microsoft said on March 20 that it would reduce “unnecessary Copilot entry points” in Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad, part of a broader Windows cleanup announced by Windows and Devices chief Pavan Davuluri. (blogs.windows.com) In practice, Microsoft is keeping the features and changing the labels. Notepad still offers writing, rewrite, and summarize functions, and Snipping Tool still includes artificial intelligence-assisted features such as Perfect Screenshot on Copilot+ personal computers. (windowslatest.com; blogs.windows.com) At the same time, Microsoft has been cleaning up how it describes Copilot in legal documents. A Microsoft spokesperson said the “for entertainment purposes only” wording was legacy language from Copilot’s earlier life as a Bing search companion and said it would be changed in the next update. (aol.com) That wording had appeared in Copilot’s terms of use, which were marked effective October 24, 2025, and warned users not to rely on Copilot for important advice. (microsoft.com; techcrunch.com) Microsoft’s product push is also moving toward workplace bundles instead of stand-alone branding inside consumer apps. Microsoft Support says Copilot is included in Microsoft 365 Personal, Family, and Premium plans, while Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is positioned as the work assistant for users signed in with a work or school account. (support.microsoft.com; support.microsoft.com) On the enterprise side, Microsoft said this month that Copilot Studio is adding tools that combine agents, which handle open-ended reasoning, with workflows, which handle fixed business steps such as approvals and record updates. (microsoft.com) Microsoft’s 2026 release wave 1 plan says Copilot Studio will extend agents built with Agent Builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot and add more workflow actions between April 2026 and September 2026. (learn.microsoft.com) The result is a narrower use of the Copilot label inside Windows and a wider use of Copilot inside Microsoft’s paid work software. Microsoft is not pulling artificial intelligence out of its products; it is moving the branding closer to the places where it sells automation, subscriptions, and enterprise controls. (blogs.windows.com; microsoft.com)