Microsoft Uninstalled Copilot From Your PC, but Now It’s Back

Microsoft's latest Patch Tuesday update is an important one, patching 57 security vulnerabilities (including seven zero-day flaws). It's an update I'd encourage all Windows users to install as soon as possible, especially as those zero-day vulnerabilities pose a serious security risk to anyone using a PC.

As it happens, the update came with an extra patch that Microsoft didn't initially disclose, or, for that matter, intend: removing Copilot from Windows.

Copilot disappeared in the latest Windows update

Some users, after installing KB5053598 (Windows 11) or KB5053606 (Windows 10) on their PCs, noticed the update not only unpinned Copilot from the taskbar, but uninstalled the Copilot app as well. Microsoft didn't disclose why this issue was present in the latest Windows updates, but said it hasn't seen the bug in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, the version of Copilot directly integrated into Microsoft's office suite.

Since then, however, Microsoft says it has solved the issue altogether. The support documents for both Windows 11 and Windows 10 read: "This issue has been fixed, and the affected devices are being returned to their original state. You can also reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store and pin it to the taskbar."

Whatever Microsoft patched on their end should bring back Copilot on your PC. However, as stated above, you can reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store and pin it back to your taskbar yourself if you don't see it right away. (This was also the workaround advice Microsoft offered while working on a fix over the past week.)

However, it's possible you don't want to reinstall Copilot. After all, there are a number of users out there who are searching for ways to disable Copilot, and there are even tools out there that help you remove it from Windows. Perhaps Microsoft actually did you a favor here. There is an irony to the situation, that the company pushing its AI tools so hard—whether you want them or not—just removed them on your behalf as part of a software patch.

That's not to say Copilot is useless: There are a number of potential benefits the AI tool offers Windows users (and, now, even Mac users). But if you haven't found any benefits to these tools in your work or personal life in the two-and-a-half years since ChatGPT launched this generative AI revolution, you might be content with Microsoft's inadvertent decision to remove its flagship assistant.