Microsoft starts to scale back Copilot integration in Windows 11, starting with the Notepad app

Microsoft seems to be hard at work trying to (finally) improve Windows 11 for the end user. Granted, the move might be a bit late, and Microsoft seems to have already lost the trust of a large section of its user base, but it is still an appreciable step in the right direction. Microsoft has already laid out a major plan to improve Windows 11, and now it seems like the changes are rolling out slowly.

We apparently have some movement from Microsoft this week, with Copilot integration being removed from a bunch of Windows apps, such as Notepad, Snipping Tool, Photos, and Widgets. This aligns with Microsoft's earlier promise to scale back unnecessary Copilot integration in its native apps.

The change has been rolled out in the latest Notepad preview for Windows Insiders, version 11.2512.28.0. Users of the preview have noted that the Copilot icon has now been replaced with a new pen icon, labeled "Writing tools". Although earlier builds allowed users to disable the Copilot icon, they disliked its placement and wanted it removed altogether.

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It seems like the AI writing features are still available; however, you can access them from Settings under "Advanced Features". Therefore, this change seems more like a step to make AI features less "in your face", rather than removing them outright. A similar change has been observed in Snipping Tool, where a Copilot button appeared after selecting an area with Quick Markup. Now, it seems the integration has been silently removed from this feature.

While these are small changes in the grand scheme of things, it does give us confidence that Microsoft is working to improve the feel of Windows 11. They seem to have accepted that their integration of AI was too heavy-handed and are now working to dial it back. They have also made big promises regarding native apps and Windows Search, so we will be watching closely to see what they can deliver on that front.