Microsoft Rebrands Copilot Buttons

Microsoft is taking the Copilot name off some buttons in Windows 11, but it is not taking the artificial intelligence features away. In the latest Insider build, Notepad swapped its Copilot menu for a plain label called “Writing tools,” while keeping rewrite, tone-change, and prompt-based writing features. (cnet.com) The same early Windows 11 build also moved those Notepad features into an “Advanced features” area, which makes the artificial intelligence feel less like a permanent part of the app’s front page. CNET reported on April 10 that standard public versions of Notepad still showed Copilot, so this rollback has started with testers, not everyone. (cnet.com) This did not come out of nowhere. In late March, Microsoft executive vice president Pavan Davuluri said the company would be “more intentional” about where Copilot appears in Windows and would cut “unnecessary Copilot entry points” in apps including Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad. (theregister.com) Mozilla says Microsoft earned this retreat by pushing too hard. In a post published April 9, Mozilla said the Microsoft 365 Copilot app began auto-installing on Windows devices with Microsoft 365 desktop apps, Copilot was pinned to the taskbar by default on Windows 11 personal computers, and a new keyboard key launched Copilot with no simple remapping option. (blog.mozilla.org) Mozilla also said Microsoft planned to put Copilot into three of the busiest parts of Windows: the notification center, the Settings app, and File Explorer. Linda Griffin, Mozilla’s vice president of global policy, argued that Microsoft was not offering a choice so much as placing artificial intelligence in front of users until they had to deal with it. (blog.mozilla.org) (theregister.com) That complaint uses the phrase “dark patterns,” which means interface tricks that steer people toward the company’s preferred option instead of a neutral one. Mozilla tied Copilot to the same Windows habits it has criticized before, including Edge browser prompts, default-browser friction, and Microsoft apps opening links in Edge even when a different browser was chosen. (blog.mozilla.org) (theregister.com) At the same time, Microsoft got hit from a different angle over Copilot’s legal wording. TechCrunch reported on April 5 that Microsoft’s Copilot terms said the tool was “for entertainment purposes only” and told users not to rely on it for important advice, even as Microsoft sells Copilot as a workplace product. (techcrunch.com) Microsoft said that wording was old baggage from Bing. A company spokesperson said the “entertainment purposes” line was “legacy language” from when Copilot started as a search companion in Bing and would be changed in the next update because it no longer matched how people use Copilot today. (aol.com) (techcrunch.com) So the shift is not Microsoft abandoning artificial intelligence in Windows 11. It is Microsoft trying to keep the features while lowering the temperature around the Copilot name after months of complaints about auto-installs, forced placement, and legal fine print that sounded like a joke disclaimer on a psychic hotline. (cnet.com) (theregister.com) (techcrunch.com)