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Less clickbait coverage from ghacks: Copilot App will install automatically on Windows for many users, but there are exceptions https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/1

Less clickbait coverage from ghacks: Copilot App will install automatically on Windows for many users, but there are exceptions https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/15/copilot-app-will-install-automatically-on-windows-for-many-users-but-there-are-exceptions/ https://www.ghacks.net/2025/09/15/copilot-app-will-install-a... (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45249782 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45249782) Notably: - You can opt out (Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot > Enable the "Turn off Windows Copilot" policy) - You won't get it if you're in the EU - You'll only get it if you have an M365 app installed (not all windows users)

RajT88 1y ago
A clean windows install these days comes with those apps. It is there by default. I would swear I removed copilot from a Dell laptop I just purchased for my father, and it came back after a major update. I could be wrong.
- WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
  > I would swear I removed copilot from a Dell laptop I just purchased for my father, and it came back after a major update. I could be wrong. I've had feature-update crapware get reinstalled twice, some reinsallations happen only after a reboot and/or 5-10min delay. So upgrade, clean. Reboot, clean again. Reboot, wait 10 min, clean again. This during the last year and for dozens of machines.
  - RajT88 1y ago
    OneDrive is very persistent. Every major upgrade seems like. Didn't they get hauled in front of congress for stuff like this back in the 90's? I feel like they are playing with fire. Once anti-trust comes back into vogue, this is going to be big trouble for them.
    - dabockster 1y ago
      OneDrive is a love/hate relationship for me. Yeah, it’s invasive. But it’s private [1], secure, and cheap (relatively) file storage. And very few of its competitors integrate into Windows Explorer in the way OneDrive does (even though the APIs are all there for everyone to use). [1] OneDrive privacy confirmed by my own consumer complaint to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General over ambiguities related to AI training and general privacy in Microsoft’s documentation. Both my complaint and Microsoft’s official response are subject to public record and can be legally actionable in the future.
      - RajT88 1y ago
        I'd love to read more about it - I have privacy concerns about ever giving anything personal over to Microsoft. Can you link those?
        dabockster 1y ago
        The WA AG's office doesn't typically post that stuff in a searchable format online. You'd have to run a public records request. But I guarantee it's there in some form.
sherburt3 1y ago
4 levels of nesting is pretty low compared to the average windows setting
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
ndiddy 1y ago
I don’t think it’s clickbait to say that Microsoft is forcing Copilot onto people’s computers just because they let you opt out if you know exactly where to go in the group policy editor, or that they know they can’t get away with pushing their AI service over Windows Update to force adoption in areas that actually bother regulating tech companies. I’m tired of Microsoft pulling bullshit like this and then people say “oh but you can turn it off if you dig through the group policy editor” or “you can opt out if you make this specific registry key”. Maybe I don’t enjoy having an adversarial relationship with my computer.
- _j87n 1y ago
  It's only "your" computer insofar that you're the only person using it.
  - IAmBroom 1y ago
    Well, assuming your AV software is updated and active.
- scuff3d 1y ago
  Microsoft is constantly trying to push the envelope to see what they can get away with. Anyone defending this kind of crap hasn't been paying attention for the last 20 friggin years
- ThrowawayR2 1y ago
  It's "your computer" but it's "their OS". Go ahead and switch to Linux but the "systemd / snap packages / telementry etc. is being forced on my distro" complaints is exactly the same "adversarial relationship with my computer"(sic). If you want things exactly your way, there's the Gentoo route if you don't mind supporting it yourself.
  - KronisLV 1y ago
    I feel like one could imagine some hypothetical Linux distro that works out of the box, has some baseline level of coherency and polish without you having to get your hands dirty, and also hasn’t been enshittified. I have no idea what distro fits the bill the best, but surely it’s not like the only two options are: “be treated with no respect as the user” and “sink all of your time into into fixing things up” Like how Linux Mint doesn’t force snaps on you like Ubuntu does. Probably not it, but one step of many in the right direction. Plain Debian is probably pretty close.
currency 1y ago
That setting is under User Configuration on my Win11 Pro PC, so look in both.
oeitho 1y ago
Quick correction: You won't get it if you're in the EEA, which the EU is a subset of. Sincerely, a Norwegian guy who thinks the difference is important.
croes 1y ago
It’s not you can opt-out, it‘s you have to opt-out. Imagine every software vendor would install its software as a opt-out. MS abuses its power over the OS
sorokod 1y ago
"The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must."
redbell 1y ago
> You won't get it if you're in the EU I'm dreaming of a day to come where all people on earth get a bare minimum of freedom to install, remove and disable whatever piece of software on their devices. As a non-EU citizen, I have to confess I'm having some jealous feeling of European citizens because they have a superior authority fighting big companies on behalf of them.
- eastbound 1y ago
  You may benefit from a non-socialist economy. I pay my best engineer 60k€, so 39.9 after tax, total cost 90k€ for me, and he couldn’t find an MD (the dedicated family doctor - so he has to pay any doctor with a 15€ surplus). In exchange, we go to the Theater (classic, not movies) for 30€ and we don’t have Copilot on our computer. We don’t have the translation on Airpods, and we have to click all cookie banners. If I had a visa for the USA, I’d be there.
  - IAmBroom 1y ago
    > he has to pay any doctor with a 15€ surplus That's the fee charged for giving you aspirin in a US hospital. I can't imagine why you think his US medical access would be better.
  - sillyfluke 1y ago
    >we go to the Theater (classic, not movies) for 30€ Now do broadway in New York. Hell, do off-broadway in new york and it's either barely the same price or even more expensive. Are you sarcastically making the opposite point, I can't tell.
  - mrguyorama 1y ago
    >he has to pay any doctor with a 15€ surplus Which is less than the co-pay you pay on good US insurance. >I pay my best engineer 60k€ Why don't you pay them more?
    - netdevphoenix 1y ago
      Is that not relative? You could also ask Meta why they don't pay all the top engineers 100 times more. And the reason in both cases would be the same, it's not sustainable for the business. I often find Americans on here judging salaries from the point of view of an American economy which to me makes no sense. You can't expect an economy 100 times smaller than yours to pay its workers the same salary that you pay yours.

RajT88 1y ago

A clean windows install these days comes with those apps. It is there by default. I would swear I removed copilot from a Dell laptop I just purchased for my father, and it came back after a major update. I could be wrong.

WarOnPrivacy 1y ago
> I would swear I removed copilot from a Dell laptop I just purchased for my father, and it came back after a major update. I could be wrong. I've had feature-update crapware get reinstalled twice, some reinsallations happen only after a reboot and/or 5-10min delay. So upgrade, clean. Reboot, clean again. Reboot, wait 10 min, clean again. This during the last year and for dozens of machines.
- RajT88 1y ago
  OneDrive is very persistent. Every major upgrade seems like. Didn't they get hauled in front of congress for stuff like this back in the 90's? I feel like they are playing with fire. Once anti-trust comes back into vogue, this is going to be big trouble for them.
  - dabockster 1y ago
    OneDrive is a love/hate relationship for me. Yeah, it’s invasive. But it’s private [1], secure, and cheap (relatively) file storage. And very few of its competitors integrate into Windows Explorer in the way OneDrive does (even though the APIs are all there for everyone to use). [1] OneDrive privacy confirmed by my own consumer complaint to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General over ambiguities related to AI training and general privacy in Microsoft’s documentation. Both my complaint and Microsoft’s official response are subject to public record and can be legally actionable in the future.
    - RajT88 1y ago
      I'd love to read more about it - I have privacy concerns about ever giving anything personal over to Microsoft. Can you link those?
      - dabockster 1y ago
        The WA AG's office doesn't typically post that stuff in a searchable format online. You'd have to run a public records request. But I guarantee it's there in some form.

sherburt3 1y ago

4 levels of nesting is pretty low compared to the average windows setting

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

ndiddy 1y ago

I don’t think it’s clickbait to say that Microsoft is forcing Copilot onto people’s computers just because they let you opt out if you know exactly where to go in the group policy editor, or that they know they can’t get away with pushing their AI service over Windows Update to force adoption in areas that actually bother regulating tech companies. I’m tired of Microsoft pulling bullshit like this and then people say “oh but you can turn it off if you dig through the group policy editor” or “you can opt out if you make this specific registry key”. Maybe I don’t enjoy having an adversarial relationship with my computer.

_j87n 1y ago
It's only "your" computer insofar that you're the only person using it.
- IAmBroom 1y ago
  Well, assuming your AV software is updated and active.
scuff3d 1y ago
Microsoft is constantly trying to push the envelope to see what they can get away with. Anyone defending this kind of crap hasn't been paying attention for the last 20 friggin years
ThrowawayR2 1y ago
It's "your computer" but it's "their OS". Go ahead and switch to Linux but the "systemd / snap packages / telementry etc. is being forced on my distro" complaints is exactly the same "adversarial relationship with my computer"(sic). If you want things exactly your way, there's the Gentoo route if you don't mind supporting it yourself.
- KronisLV 1y ago
  I feel like one could imagine some hypothetical Linux distro that works out of the box, has some baseline level of coherency and polish without you having to get your hands dirty, and also hasn’t been enshittified. I have no idea what distro fits the bill the best, but surely it’s not like the only two options are: “be treated with no respect as the user” and “sink all of your time into into fixing things up” Like how Linux Mint doesn’t force snaps on you like Ubuntu does. Probably not it, but one step of many in the right direction. Plain Debian is probably pretty close.

currency 1y ago

That setting is under User Configuration on my Win11 Pro PC, so look in both.

oeitho 1y ago

Quick correction: You won't get it if you're in the EEA, which the EU is a subset of. Sincerely, a Norwegian guy who thinks the difference is important.

croes 1y ago

It’s not you can opt-out, it‘s you have to opt-out. Imagine every software vendor would install its software as a opt-out. MS abuses its power over the OS

sorokod 1y ago

"The strong do what they can, the weak suffer what they must."

redbell 1y ago

> You won't get it if you're in the EU I'm dreaming of a day to come where all people on earth get a bare minimum of freedom to install, remove and disable whatever piece of software on their devices. As a non-EU citizen, I have to confess I'm having some jealous feeling of European citizens because they have a superior authority fighting big companies on behalf of them.

eastbound 1y ago
You may benefit from a non-socialist economy. I pay my best engineer 60k€, so 39.9 after tax, total cost 90k€ for me, and he couldn’t find an MD (the dedicated family doctor - so he has to pay any doctor with a 15€ surplus). In exchange, we go to the Theater (classic, not movies) for 30€ and we don’t have Copilot on our computer. We don’t have the translation on Airpods, and we have to click all cookie banners. If I had a visa for the USA, I’d be there.
- IAmBroom 1y ago
  > he has to pay any doctor with a 15€ surplus That's the fee charged for giving you aspirin in a US hospital. I can't imagine why you think his US medical access would be better.
- sillyfluke 1y ago
  >we go to the Theater (classic, not movies) for 30€ Now do broadway in New York. Hell, do off-broadway in new york and it's either barely the same price or even more expensive. Are you sarcastically making the opposite point, I can't tell.
- mrguyorama 1y ago
  >he has to pay any doctor with a 15€ surplus Which is less than the co-pay you pay on good US insurance. >I pay my best engineer 60k€ Why don't you pay them more?
  - netdevphoenix 1y ago
    Is that not relative? You could also ask Meta why they don't pay all the top engineers 100 times more. And the reason in both cases would be the same, it's not sustainable for the business. I often find Americans on here judging salaries from the point of view of an American economy which to me makes no sense. You can't expect an economy 100 times smaller than yours to pay its workers the same salary that you pay yours.