Microsoft Windows's Creepy Move to Spy on Everything You Do With AI

Computers
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I removed that Copilot and Cortana BS from my laptops. They were basically worthless anyway.

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Thanks Power…I am doing the same here.
TxRon…this creeped me out too. Thanks TXRon
Linux is looking better and better.

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Did you remove them or go into edit and disable?? Thanx

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Removed one disabled another but may go back into the registry and remove the other.

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Thanks @Powerfader,

Neither was installed on my android phone. Still need to check my desktop computer. Its still running on windows 10. These features might not be compatiable with my computer. My desktop operating system was to old to receive windows 11 update.

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I believe the copilot is a Windows 11 invention. Not certain if Cortana was around for Windows 10?

Tbh, both of them were more intrusive and annoying than they are worth.

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I am not liking how AI is being introduced. I believe the features will make us all more vulnerable to hackers. These installed features should not be enabled when updating your device.

Wow, its just too much for my old mind to keep up with.

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I agree 100%! At the very least give us the option to install it, or be able to delete/uninstall it without needing jump through hoops to do so.

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Yes copilot with windows 11. Can you delete both in registry edit

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I had to do a complete system install a couple of days ago and got rid of Cortana that way, but the Copilot still installed. I haven’t looked for it in registry yet but was able to just disable Copilot using settings.

Gotta run now.

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And no more win10 support (no virus updates) starting next year.

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Hi @Ellteejak,

I’m in the same boat. I will need to get a new desktop myself. However, not buy anything until next year. I need to decide what to buy desktop or laptop

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To Disable Copilot Completely:

Open the Group Policy Editor by searching for 'gpedit' and navigating to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot.
Double-click the “Turn off Windows Copilot” policy and set it to “Enabled” to disable Copilot.

To Disable Cortana Permanently:

Open the Group Policy Editor by searching for 'gpedit' and 
navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search, then double-click Allow Cortana in the right pane.
Select Disabled, then select OK.
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Get a mini pc or old pc and try Linuxmint. Mint is the (imho) the easiest way to transition to linux.

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@TXRon,

Thanks for the suggestion. I will read up on it. Mini PC, frist time hearing that term. I have alot of search to do in the upcoming months. I like having a desktop, so a Mini PC might be the right choice for me.

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I was just reading this procedure and Disabling recall too.
Thank you

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Group Policy Editor is available in Windows 11/10 Pro, Windows 11/10 Enterprise, and Windows 11/10 Education editions only, and not in Windows 11/10 Home.

Here are a few ways I found to disable it.

  1. The easiest way to disable Copilot is to hide it from the taskbar. To do this, right-click on the Copilot icon in the taskbar and uncheck the option ‘Show Copilot button’. This will remove the Copilot button from the taskbar, but you can still access Copilot by pressing the Windows + C shortcut key.

  2. To disable in the registry. Right click the start button and select Terminal. Copy and paste in the command below and press enter:

reg add HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot /v TurnOffWindowsCopilot /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

If it is successful, sign out of your account then back in for the change to take effect.

To reenable, use the command:

reg delete HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot /f
  1. To remove Copilot using the Registry Editor, you can use any edition of Windows 11. To access the Registry Editor, type regedit in the Start menu or the Run command and hit Enter. Then, navigate to the following key using the left panel: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. On the right-side pane, right-click on an empty space and select ‘New > DWORD (32-bit) Value’. Name it ‘ShowCopilotButton’ and set its value data to 0. Then, click ‘OK’. This will hide the Copilot button from the taskbar and disable its functionality. (Make sure you type the name EXACTLY as it shows here: ShowCopilotButton

I used the 2nd method, and it worked fine. I did go through the procedures for #3 and it worked just as good but when I got to the final step a popup displayed stating I already have done this.

Anyway, Copilot is now gone!

Note: if you are not certain whether you want to keep it or not. Then use procedure #1

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Registry editing is something I wouldn’t recommend to a newbie. But people with a little tinkering experience, yes.

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That why I suggest using #1

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