Microsoft is infamous for force-installing stuff on everyone"s PCs, and needless to say, users are not fans of such an approach. However, sometimes complaints work, as the company decided to hit the pause button on the forced rollout of one of its AI apps on certain PCs.
In a recent update to a post on the Microsoft 365 Message Center, the software giant revealed that the rollout of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app had been paused. Initially, Microsoft planned to give a copy of Microsoft 365 Copilot to every PC user with Microsoft 365 apps, whether they liked it or not.
Here is what the updated message says:
Updated March 16, 2026: We have temporarily disabled the automatic installation of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app to eligible devices with the Microsoft 365 desktop apps. We will provide another update once we re-enable these installations.
Despite the forced rollout, Microsoft let IT admins opt out of this generous offer (users in the EEA region are exempt by default). On systems with no action taken, the Microsoft 365 Copilot app simply showed up in the list of all apps to provide a "centralized entry point for accessing Copilot experiences and AI-powered capabilities" and ensure "users can easily discover and engage with productivity-enhancing features."
If your system already has Microsoft 365 Copilot installed, the paused rollout won"t affect the installation. Microsoft is not going to delete the app from your PC, but you are always welcome to do it yourself.
Microsoft is not saying what the reason behind the decision was, but with the recent AI leadership shakeup and a promise to pay closer attention to user feedback about Windows 11, not forcing an AI app on everyone looks like a step in the right direction.