Share via

How to remove annoying FLOATING COPILOT ICON from my desktop apps

AW Vancouver 85 Reputation points
2026-05-11T15:52:21.9933333+00:00

A recent update seems to have brought the virus-like copilot back to torture me.

Now all my programs have a stupid floating copilot icon in bottom corner. WHY? I HAVE UNINSTALLED COPILOT. I DON'T WANT IT. Now it's just a adding distraction to my daily work life.

I have no 'copilot' option in my settings menu; I have tried the privacy 'fix' recommended in a thread somewhere - that also didn't work; there is no copilot tool bar customization available (again, i have UNINSTALLED THIS VIRUS, i mean, copilot); right clicking on it does not provide an 'exit/close' option.

I don't want this stupid thing disrupting my work life. I don't want this virus 'learning' from my work. I don't want anything to do with it.

So, how do i turn this annoying and not-at-all-helpful 'function' off permanently?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For business | Other
0 comments

2 answers

Sort by: Most helpful
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Alina Le 1,860 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-05-12T09:07:55.5566667+00:00

    Hello @AW Vancouver

    I deeply understand your uncomfortable feeling about this issue due to the AI concerns that all of us are facing in recent time.

    However, as you can see, this is a change from Microsoft. As a user-to-user forum, in this conversation, we cannot intervene or have any direct solutions except for the Microsoft Production team who has rolled out these features. That does not mean your posting here is meaningless, I am just clarifying so you do not have overestimated expectations when reading this answer. On the contrary, I appreciate that you raised this issue along with many other users so that it gains awareness and can lead to a consideration that Microsoft may provide to better support users' needs.

    However, to raise the issue with the production team, I encourage you to raise the issue here in the Microsoft Official Feedback portal -Microsoft 365 Feedback Hub

    17785780094036142482886139229813

    If you've already submitted feedback, please "share the link" here, so not only me, but others can also vote it up.  

    Besides, you can also vote for similar feedbacks that I have collected here: Copilot Icon cannot be Removed

    About the Copilot icon displayed at the bottom right of Excel

    Not only you, but I and many other users also look forward to a change regarding this issue, and I hope it will be considered soon so that we can have a better working and learning experience, and so that concerns from users will be listened to and considered more carefully.

    If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".  

    Note: Please follow the steps in "our documentation" to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

    Was this answer helpful?

    2 people found this answer helpful.

  2. AI answer

    2026-05-11T15:52:33.0966667+00:00

    The floating Copilot icon in desktop apps and the Copilot app itself are controlled in different places. To remove Copilot and stop its features from running, use these steps depending on where it appears.

    1. Uninstall the Copilot app from Windows
      • On Windows 11:
        • Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
        • Search for Copilot.
        • Select the … menu next to it and choose Uninstall.
      • On Windows 10:
        • Open Settings > Apps.
        • Search for Copilot.
        • Select Uninstall.
      This removes the Copilot app from the device. If needed later, it can be reinstalled from Microsoft Store.
    2. Turn off Copilot features in Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote) If the floating icon is coming from Office apps, turn off Copilot or the connected experiences that power it. A. Use the “Enable Copilot” checkbox (where available)
      • In each app (for example, Word or Excel) on Windows or Mac, locate the Enable Copilot checkbox in that app’s settings and clear it.
      • The checkbox is per app and per device. If Copilot appears in multiple apps or on multiple devices, repeat this in each app on each device.
      • If the checkbox is not visible, verify the app version and update if necessary as described in the article.
      B. Change privacy settings to turn off Copilot (Windows)
      • In an Office app (for example, PowerPoint), go to File > Account > Account Privacy > Manage Settings.
      • Under Connected experiences, clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content.
      • Select OK, then close and restart the app.
      • This only needs to be done once; the change applies to other Office apps the next time they are opened.
      C. Change privacy settings to turn off Copilot (Mac)
      • In an Office app (for example, Word), open the app menu and go to Preferences > Personal Settings > Privacy.
      • In Connected Experiences, select Manage Connected Experiences.
      • Clear Turn on experiences that analyze your content.
      • Select OK, then close and restart the app.
      • This only needs to be done once; the change applies to other Office apps the next time they are opened.
    3. If the in-document Copilot logo in Word persists Some recent Word builds showed an in-document Copilot logo even when Copilot was disabled. An update (for example, version 16.103.1 on the Current Channel (Preview)) removed this intrusive logo. If the logo remains after disabling Copilot and changing privacy settings, update Office to the latest build available on the update channel in use.
    4. For enterprise/IT-managed environments If the device is managed by an organization and the Copilot app keeps reappearing, IT administrators can prevent installation or remove the Microsoft Copilot app using AppLocker policy as described in the Windows client management guidance. This blocks the Copilot app package (MICROSOFT.COPILOT) from running.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.