Microsoft is reducing the visibility of Copilot in core Windows 11 apps after strong negative sentiment from users. The company has updated apps including Notepad and Snipping Tool, removing the Copilot Artificial Intelligence icon from recent versions and restoring a more conventional interface. The rollback follows growing frustration over the continued push to place Artificial Intelligence features prominently across Windows.
In March 2025, Microsoft added Copilot to Notepad, updating the note-taking application to integrate Copilot Artificial Intelligence for rewrites, summaries, and other Artificial Intelligence-related text features. However, as users grew weary of the persistent Artificial Intelligence push, Microsoft put these integrations under review earlier this year. In response to strong backlash from the enthusiast community, Microsoft has removed the Copilot Artificial Intelligence icon from the latest versions of Notepad and Snipping Tool, restoring them to their regular look. However, Microsoft now calls these Notepad features like rewrite and summarize as ‘Writing tools.’
The broader effort to place a Copilot button in every application has also been paused, reflecting limited user interest in these features. Criticism has been especially visible among PC enthusiasts, including sustained opposition on the TechPowerUp Forums to Microsoft’s ‘Artificial Intelligence everywhere’ approach. Microsoft is also working on performance, security, and other Windows 11 improvements alongside these interface changes. Considering that Microsoft has 80 Copilot apps and services, the adjustment marks a notable shift in how aggressively the company is presenting Copilot across its software.
