Microsoft pulls back Copilot AI from Windows 11 apps after users revolt over bloatware

Less AI? Microsoft Pledges to Focus on Windows 11 Updates You Actually Want

Frustrated by Windows 11? Microsoft is vowing to focus on quality in future OS releases, prioritizing performance and reining in Copilot. Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's President for Windows and Devices, announced this "commitment to quality" in a Friday blog post and email to users. The plan calls for bolstering the OS's "performance, reliability, and well-crafted experiences" this year, Davuluri says. "These areas have meaningful impact on how you experience Windows: how fast it starts and responds, how stable it is under real workloads, and how consistent and thoughtful the experience feels." PC users will be happy to know that one goal is to reduce Windows 11's resource usage to free up more capacity. Another priority is "less noise, less distraction, and more control across the OS." Surprisingly, the blog post makes little mention of AI. Instead, Davuluri merely says the company wants "to be thoughtful about how and where we bring AI into Windows." "You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted. As part of this, we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad," he said. Changes will roll out in preview for Windows Insiders in March and April. Davuluri made the announcement months after he faced backlash for tweeting that "Windows is evolving into an agentic OS." Users argued that the company was putting AI over basic Windows 11 performance. Not helping matters was a January Windows 11 release that prevented PCs from booting up or going to sleep. Last month, Davuluri indicated he was taking the criticism seriously. Microsoft is also facing increased competition from Apple; it recently released the affordable MacBook Neo, which has been a hit among consumers and reviewers. In his Friday blog post, Davuluri noted, "Over the past several months, the team and I have spent a great deal of time analyzing your feedback. What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better." In the near-term, Davuluri previewed several enhancements rolling out to beta users in the Windows Insider Program, which is open to anyone. They include a faster, more reliable File Explorer, the ability to reposition the Windows 11 taskbar to the top or sides of the screen, and greater control over widget customization in the OS.

Microsoft Realizes It's Epically Screwed Up Windows 11 as Users Rage at Copilot AI Crammed Everywhere

Can't-miss innovations from the bleeding edge of science and tech Microsoft's commitment to shoving its Copilot AI chatbot into every imaginable facet of its widely-used Windows operating system hasn't gone over well with users. Copilot feels like it's infiltrated everything, from a dedicated keyboard key to a thick coat of AI weighing down its otherwise lightweight text editor, Notepad. And that's not to mention years of annoying ads for its in-house services, like OneDrive and Microsoft 365. In short, it's no wonder users are desperately looking for greener pastures, from a growing exodus trying out the open source operating system Linux and Apple's aggressively priced MacBook Neo, which could be the non-Windows saving grace for many budget-conscious buyers looking for a basic machine. Microsoft seems to have finally noticed that its house is on fire, particularly following the heavy-handed embrace of AI garnering it the widely used pejorative of "Microslop." Unsubstantiated rumors over Windows 12 embracing AI even more triggered a massive uproar earlier this month, once again highlighting widespread disillusionment. In a Friday post titled "Our commitment to Windows quality," Windows VP Pavan Davuluri effectively admitted outright that the company has gone too far shoving AI down users' throats at all costs. "Every day, we hear from the community about how you experience Windows," he wrote, in gloriously euphemistic style. "And over the past several months, the team and I have spent a great deal of time analyzing your feedback. What came through was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better." Apart from announcing astonishingly basic functionality like allowing the taskbar to be pinned to the left or right of the screen -- something other operating systems have been capable of for decades -- Davuluri claimed that "you will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted." "As part of this, we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad," he wrote. The admission shows how companies are still desperately searching for meaningful ways to implement large language model-based tech in consumer products. As AI industry leaders continue to pour hundreds of billions of dollars into the tech, many attempts to embrace the tech are backfiring in spectacular fashion, leading to frustration and backlash among many who never asked for these changes. It's not just users becoming annoyed. Some implementations of AI could lead to real cybersecurity issues. Case in point, after Microsoft crammed its Copilot into the Notepad app, researchers discovered a major security failure that had to be patched. Davuluri also promised faster search, a more reliable File Explorer -- the app that allows users to access their files, which has slowed down significantly over the last couple of updates -- and reduced memory usage. But whether we should take him at his word will ultimately be up to the many disenfranchised Windows users who have had to deal with a lackluster experience for years now. For one, Davuluri's carefully worded promise of being "more intentional" about shoehorning Copilot into the software leaves plenty of opportunities for them to continue burdening the operating system with more AI. Meanwhile, the team continues to be forced to put out fires, like a widespread bug that caused major Microsoft account sign-in issues over the weekend following the rollout of a flawed update.

Microsoft Is Removing 'Unnecessary' Copilot Features in Windows

Microsoft is also making some key changes to Windows in response to user feedback. After years of integrating (read: shoving) Copilot into as many Windows apps as possible, Microsoft seems to have made a shocking discovery: users don't want Copilot crammed into as many Windows apps as possible. On Friday, Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's President of Windows & Devices, published a post on the official Windows Blog, walking readers through changes the company was making to Windows in response to user feedback. While Davuluri stopped short of saying the words "all this AI was a mistake," he did say, "What came through [from user feedback] was the voice of people who care deeply about Windows and want it to be better." So, now, we have a bunch of changes that, hopefully, make Windows better. Chief among those changes is an AI regression. In a bullet point titled "Integrating AI where it's most meaningful, with craft and focus," Davuluri says that Microsoft is going to be "more intentional" about where and how it puts Copilot throughout the operating system. The goal going forward will be on experiences that are "genuinely useful and well-crafted." Notably, Microsoft is now "reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points." While more changes could come in the future, the omissions start with Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets, and Notepad. Davuluri doesn't say how much Microsoft is pulling back Copilot from these apps, but with any luck, the company will at least make AI features a bit less prominent. This first round of changes might not be perfect, but it does seem to address the core complaints users have had about Copilot in Windows 11. Take a look at Windows and technology forums like Reddit, and you'll see plenty of criticisms here. This thread, for example, is full of them: One user posts "I hate the process by which they are cramming it into every single tool, changing it on an almost daily basis and leaving most of the features on by default," while another says "This reminds me of Windows 8, but on steroids." One even tried to use it in a technical way, to no avail: "I [set up] a Copilot agent as a supplemental training resource and it has a mind of its own. I give it instructions to not do something and it just does the opposite." While I'm sure there are Copilot features that some users find useful, the fact is that most of these functions just aren't necessary to do the things people want to do with their machines. If they were, Microsoft probably wouldn't need to cram Copilot into as many different corners of the OS as possible, to prove to the world (or investors) that it was taking AI seriously. The company made a dedicated Copilot key for PCs, and even went to extreme lengths to trick people into using Copilot. If you have to trick customers into using your product, that product probably isn't worth using. Too much Copilot isn't the only complaint that users have about Windows 11. In fact, people have been complaining about Windows 11 since its launch, well before the generative AI boon that kicked off in late 2022. As such, Davuluri's post is full of plans for improving Windows 11 for the better, supposedly in direct response to user feedback. That includes changes to taskbar customization, including the ability to move the taskbar to the top or to the sides of your screen. File Explorer will also launch faster, with reduced flicker and smoother navigation. Widgets will also be "quieter" by default, with new controls for when they appear. Updates are another major Windows 11 pain point which are getting addressed this year. Soon, you'll be able to skip updates when setting up a new device so you can start using it faster. You'll also be able to restart or shut down your PC without having to update, and you can pause updates for longer, if you don't feel like installing the latest software version. Windows Insiders will also note some changes: Davuluri says that Microsoft will make it easier to navigate the program, with clearer descriptions for each channel (so you know what you're signing up to test), easier access to new features (the thing most Insiders are there to test), higher quality updates, and more transparency into how user feedback impacts future Windows builds. To that point, the general Feedback Hub is getting redesigned, so Insiders can share their feedback (and see other users' feedback) easier. You can read Davuluri's full post to see all the details on Microsoft's plans for Windows 11, but, in my view, this is all a good sign. Microsoft seems to understand that its current OS is too busy and in your face, whether that involves its AI or its other features. By toning down the design across the board, Windows could be an OS that gives users more control over how it works and responds -- which is really what it should have been all along.

Windows 11 to cut out 'unnecessary' Copilot AI bloatware, Microsoft says

Windows 11 is trimming the AI fat by removing some Copilot integrations and promising only "meaningful" uses. About time. Microsoft has promised to trim the Copilot AI features from Windows 11 in a vow to double down on the operating system's quality. In a blog post written to the company's Windows Insider beta testers, in response to some less-than-complimentary feedback of the most loyal users. As a result of the community notes, the company says it is planning a host of changes to arrive in preview builds in the next few months. The headline-making change is a change in the blanket approach to shoving Copilot AI features into each and every facet of the operating system. Instead, Windows Insider Program Team member Pavan Davuluri says, Copilot will only be integrated where meaningful. The "unnecessary" - to use Microsoft's word - AI features will be pulled from a bunch of apps. Davuluri writes: "Integrating AI where it's most meaningful, with craft and focus: You will see us be more intentional about how and where Copilot integrates across Windows, focusing on experiences that are genuinely useful and well‑crafted. As part of this, we are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points, starting with apps like Snipping Tool, Photos, Widgets and Notepad." This is a welcome backpedal from Microsoft, but just part of the way Microsoft is tweaking Windows 11 to meet Insider feedback. Users will soon be able to reposition the task bar to the side or top of the screen, for the first time, making it easier to completely personalise their workspace. Microsoft is also promising to reduce the disruption from Windows Updates, giving users the opportunity to skip them and avoid automatic restarts. Microsoft is working on a faster and more dependable File Explorer, more control over widgets and feed experiences and an improved feedback hub.