# Microsoft Is Force-Installing Its Copilot App on Windows 11… Again > Source: > Published: 2026-06-23 19:03:13+00:00 Company laptops across commercial organizations sprout a new app nobody requested. No ticket, no approval, no heads-up from IT. That’s the reality rolling out right now across commercial [Windows 11 machines worldwide](https://www.techpowerup.com/350160/microsoft-will-again-force-install-microsoft-365-copilot-app-on-windows-11). Microsoft has resumed automatic installation of the [Microsoft 365 Copilot app](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot/deploy-microsoft-365-copilot-app) on devices running [Microsoft 365](https://www.gadgetreview.com/hackers-are-using-your-home-router-to-spy-on-microsoft-365-users) desktop software — **six months** after pausing the same plan due to what Microsoft described as a “technical issue.” The pause is over. The app is back. And unless an admin acts first, it’s arriving through the same updater that patches Word and Excel. ## What’s Actually Landing on Your Machine *The Microsoft 365 Copilot app is not what you think it is — and it’s already on the way.* This isn’t the “Copilot in Windows” sidebar ([Microsoft already removed that](https://www.gadgetreview.com/rare-win-microsoft-actually-reverses-course-starts-removing-copilot-from-windows)). It’s not the personal Copilot app tied to a Microsoft account. The **Microsoft 365 Copilot app** is the rebranded Office Hub — a desktop shell for Microsoft 365 content with [AI features](https://www.gadgetreview.com/ai-powered-websites-you-didnt-know-can-supercharge-your-productivity) welded on. It rides the Microsoft 365 Apps update mechanism, slipping onto machines like a roommate who moves in while you’re at work. What you need to know about the rollout: - Targets commercial Windows 11 devices with Microsoft 365 Apps installed - Delivered via the Office updater — not Windows Update, not the Microsoft Store - Phased rollout runs late June into early July 2026; **Semi-Annual Enterprise Channel** is excluded initially - Default setting is **ON**— admins must explicitly disable it **EEA** tenants are fully excluded; everyone else is opted in automatically ## How to Stop It Before It Arrives *The opt-out exists, but Microsoft made sure you have to go looking for it.* IT admins can block the install through the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center. In the left navigation, go to **Customization > Device configuration > Deployment configurations > Modern Apps settings**, select the Microsoft 365 Copilot app, uncheck Enable automatic installation, and save. Admin-focused communities at windowsforum.com recommend testing on pilot devices first to confirm the setting propagates correctly across the tenant, and completing these steps before the update wave hits. As one [discussion on windowsforum.com](https://windowsforum.com/threads/microsoft-defender-email-security-benchmark-platform-wins-on-pre-and-post-delivery.426380/) put it, Microsoft “deserves some credit” for providing the toggle, but making it default-on “still creates unnecessary work for organizations not ready to deploy Copilot at scale.” If an admin doesn’t act, the app can be removed through **Settings > Apps > Installed apps**. Here’s the catch: removing the hub app doesn’t disable Copilot inside Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. That requires opening each app individually — **File > Options > Copilot** — and unchecking **Enable Copilot**. Microsoft doesn’t make the multi-step cleanup obvious. ## The EEA Exception Says Everything *When Microsoft won’t auto-install something in Europe, that tells you plenty about the practice itself.* The **EEA** carve-out isn’t generosity. It’s compliance math. Commentators attribute the exclusion to GDPR and competition-law risk — the same regulatory muscle that once forced Microsoft to offer browser-choice screens across Europe. Meanwhile, [PCWorld notes](https://www.pcworld.com/article/3160796/microsoft-is-force-installing-m365-copilot-again-after-a-brief-pause.html) Microsoft is resuming forced installs “while simultaneously experimenting with tools to uninstall AI bloat.” The irony is difficult to miss. If admin frustration keeps building — and [regulators outside the EU](https://www.gadgetreview.com/europe-restricts-microsoft-amazon-and-google-from-handling-government-health-financial-and-legal-data) start paying attention — opt-in may eventually stop being optional.