Microsoft: Forced default installation of Copilot is coming for Windows PCs on Office apps

The hype around AI is something almost every tech company is on board with and Microsoft is no different. Under the brand of Copilot, the tech giant has been busy integrating AI features into every aspect of Windows and Office, so much so that the development of minor tweaks is also priortized.

Microsoft also understands that to get more users on Copilot, more affordable pricing is key and as such, it recently reduced subscription prices for the feature. If that is not enough, the company has now confirmed that it will begin automatically installing the Microsoft 365 Copilot app on Windows systems.

The company has informed about the change via a new message on the Microsoft 365 Admin portal. Microsoft notes that the rollout will start in early October 2025, so less than a month away, and the deployment is expected to be completed by mid-November 2025.

If you are wondering why Microsoft thinks this is necessary, the company says that it "helps Microsoft 365 users be more productive by providing a single place to access Microsoft 365 Copilot features and capabilities, including search, chat, agents, and more."

Following the rollout of this update here is what will happen:

  • The Microsoft 365 Copilot app will be automatically installed on Windows devices that have Microsoft 365 desktop apps, unless administrators opt out.

  • The app will appear in the Start menu as a new entry point for accessing Copilot experiences across Microsoft 365.

  • On devices where the app is already installed, no visible change will occur.

  • The app installation is enabled by default and does not require user interaction.

Microsoft notes however that this change does not apply to customers in the EEA (European Economic Area).

The company has also added that administrators can choose to opt out of this deployment, and to do so they will need to clear the "Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 Copilot app" check box from within the Microsoft 365 Copilot app settings. This option can be found by signing into the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center > Customization > Device Configuration > Modern App Settings.

You can find the M365 message under ID MC1152323 if you have access to the M365 admin center portal.

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