Windows 11 Copilot: Open, Set Up, Control or Remove It

Windows 11 Copilot is Microsoft’s AI assistant built into the PC as an app: you can ask it questions, have it summarise or draft text, help with Windows settings, or look at what is on your screen if you allow it. It changes more often than almost anything else in Windows, so this guide sticks to what Microsoft currently documents: how to open the app, which account to use, the privacy controls worth checking, and how to remove it if you do not want it.

Everything here applies to Windows 11 version 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2. Because Copilot is a Microsoft Store app, it updates separately from Windows; if your screens look different, update the app first.

What Copilot on Windows is

Copilot on Windows 11 is the Microsoft Copilot app. Microsoft says new Windows 11 PCs should include it by default and that you can download it from the Microsoft Store if it is missing. Microsoft’s support article for the app covers personal accounts, work or school accounts and free Copilot Chat.

Three names cause confusion:

Name	What it is
Microsoft Copilot app	The Copilot app on Windows that this guide covers
Microsoft 365 Copilot	Copilot features inside Microsoft 365 apps such as Word and Outlook, depending on your account and plan
Copilot+ PC	A category of PCs with a neural processing unit (NPU) that run some extra on-device AI features

You do not need a Copilot+ PC to use the Copilot app. Some extra features are limited to those PCs; for example, Microsoft documents a Fluid dictation option for voice typing that only Copilot+ PCs get.

How to open Copilot in Windows 11

Microsoft lists these ways:

• Copilot key: many newer keyboards have a dedicated Copilot key, usually next to the right Alt key.
• Windows key + C: Microsoft’s keyboard shortcut list says it opens Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot.
• Taskbar or Start: select the Copilot icon pinned to the taskbar or in the Start menu.

In the app, under Account > Settings > Copilot Keyboard Shortcuts, you can choose whether the shortcut opens the full app or a smaller quick view. On some pens, Microsoft notes you can set the pen’s shortcut button to Same as Copilot key in Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Pen & Windows Ink.

Sign in: which account to use

You can sign in with a personal Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 work or school account. According to Microsoft, a personal account unlocks chat history, image creation, longer conversations, voice interactions and other features.

Use the account that matches what you are doing. On a work laptop, sign in with your work account so your organisation’s data rules apply. On a family PC, each person should use their own Windows account and Copilot sign-in so chat histories stay separate; see Windows 11 PIN and password for setting up separate sign-ins.

What Copilot can do on Windows

Microsoft’s support page describes several Windows-specific features alongside normal chat:

• Help with Windows settings: ask how to change something and Copilot can point you to the setting.
• File search: find and work with files on your PC, if you grant permission.
• Copilot Vision and screenshots: share what is on screen so Copilot can help with it, only when you choose to.
• Web pages in a side pane: view web content alongside the conversation.
• “Hey, Copilot” wake word: an opt-in voice activation, off unless you turn it on.

Copilot can be wrong. Treat it as a quick starting point and check anything important, such as steps that change system settings, against a trusted guide. Our Windows 11 settings guide lists where the main settings live.

Privacy controls to check

Take two minutes to review these after you first sign in:

1. File access: in the app, open Account > Settings and review File Search and File Read. Leave them off if you do not want Copilot to look at local files.
2. Wake word: “Hey, Copilot” is opt-in; turn it on only if you want hands-free use, and remember it relies on your microphone.
3. Browser tabs: Microsoft says Copilot can use the context of tabs you open in a conversation only with your permission, and those tabs are saved with that conversation.
4. Windows-wide privacy: microphone, camera and diagnostic data are controlled in Windows itself. Our Windows 11 privacy settings guide walks through them.

On a work or school account, your organisation may control what Copilot can do and may be able to collect feedback you submit, as Microsoft notes on its feedback form.

How to remove or hide Copilot

If you do not use Copilot, you have options:

• Unpin it: right-click the Copilot icon on the taskbar and select Unpin from taskbar. It stays installed but out of sight.
• Uninstall it: like other Store apps, it can usually be removed. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find Copilot, select the three dots and choose Uninstall, or right-click it in Start and select Uninstall. Microsoft’s general guide to removing apps covers the same steps, and our uninstall apps in Windows 11 guide adds tips.
• Reinstall later: get it again from the Microsoft Store.

Removing the Copilot app does not remove Copilot features built into other products such as Microsoft 365 apps or Microsoft Edge; those have their own settings. On a work PC, removal may be blocked or handled by your IT team.

If Copilot will not open

1. Update the app: open the Microsoft Store, select Library > Get updates. Our Microsoft Store guide explains updates in detail.
2. Install pending Windows updates and restart.
3. Check you are signed in and online; Copilot works online.
4. If the Copilot key does nothing, try Windows key + C. If that works, check the keyboard maker’s software for remapped keys.

For a broader comparison of AI features across platforms, and for other built-in tools, see the Windows 11 features guide.