The Microsoft 365 Copilot app is installing itself on business PCs. You can turn that off.

If you run Microsoft 365 on business PCs, Microsoft is adding its Copilot app to eligible machines on its own between mid-June and mid-July 2026. The install runs quietly in the background, the app turns up in the Start menu, and it is switched on by default. If you would rather decide when, or whether, it lands, an administrator has to opt out before the rollout reaches your devices.

Who this affects

It targets Windows devices running the commercial Microsoft 365 desktop apps on the Current Channel or Monthly Enterprise Channel, on version 2511 or later. Machines on the Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel aren't included, and Microsoft isn't running the automatic install for customers in the European Economic Area at all. It arrives through Office's own updater rather than the Microsoft Store, and can take up to a week to appear after a machine updates.

It's the app, not the paid assistant

It helps to be clear on what this is. The Copilot app is a front door, a single place to reach chat, search and the AI features across Microsoft 365. Installing it doesn't hand your staff the paid Copilot that works inside Word, Excel and Outlook, and on its own it doesn't change what your data is exposed to. It is mostly a new icon and an easier way in. But an app appearing on staff machines with no warning still prompts questions, and 'why has this turned up?' is a support call you can avoid.

How to opt out

An administrator can stop the automatic install from the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center, under Customization, then Device Configuration, then Modern Apps settings, where there is a control for the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. Do it before the rollout reaches your machines and the app stays off until you choose otherwise. If it has already landed and someone uninstalls it, Microsoft says it won't reinstall itself.