Microsoft removes Copilot features from File Explorer

Microsoft is removing eight Copilot actions from the right-click menu in File Explorer on Windows 11. These actions, which were linked to OneDrive, included features like summarizing documents, creating FAQs, and comparing files. The changes are part of a gradual phase-out that will begin in mid-November and be fully completed by December 2026.

Microsoft aims to simplify Copilot's role

The company stated it wants to "simplify" the role of Copilot in File Explorer. The removal of these features reflects Microsoft's broader strategy to reduce "unnecessary" access to Copilot, as outlined by Pavan Davuluri, head of Windows at Microsoft, in a blog post earlier this year.

Copilot is being rebranded and restricted

Since March 2026, Copilot has been renamed "Writing Tools" in Notepad, and the Photos app has lost its Copilot button. The "Ask Copilot" button remains in the right-click menu, and the removed functions are still available in the Copilot and OneDrive applications.

Users can disable Copilot manually

Users who want to remove the Copilot button can uninstall the Copilot application or follow methods to disable it in Windows 11. Microsoft had previously taken steps back from Copilot, including renaming it in Notepad and pausing the Copilot button on the taskbar at the beginning of October.

Internet users criticize Copilot with a new term

Internet users have used the term "Microslop," combining Microsoft and "slop," the English word for poorly made AI content, on Microsoft's Discord server. This led the company to lock the server to prevent further discussion of the term.