How to Turn Off Copilot in Outlook

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In this guide we will show how to disable Microsoft Copilot in Outlook and Windows 11. We will cover tutorials for mobile, web, classic Outlook, Group Policy, Registry, and Microsoft 365. The method for disabling Copilot depends on your Outlook client version.

Note that Copilot is not a single feature controlled by a single toggle. It is a distributed service spanning identity, backend provisioning, client apps, and Microsoft-controlled feature rollout systems.

So as a result, Copilot behavior may differ between users even in identical licensing conditions.

What Is Copilot in Outlook and How It Works?

Microsoft has added Copilot, an AI-powered virtual assistant, to supported versions of its Outlook email client (depending on subscription and update channel). Copilot helps Outlook users manage emails by summarizing long threads, drafting replies, scheduling meetings, and prioritizing important messages.

For example, by opening the most recent email in a long thread and clicking the Summarize button at the top, Copilot uses a large language model (LLM) to understand the email context and quickly generate a concise summary that highlights key points and decisions.

Note. The Chat with Copilot feature is only available in the new Outlook for Windows and in Outlook on the Web with the Microsoft 365 business subscription.

Why some users want to turn off Copilot?

Some users avoid AI-powered services that process organizational data because of concerns about data leakage in autogenerated content. These users can disable Copilot in Outlook.

Why Copilot Appears for a User (License & Deployment Check)

Step 1 — Check if Copilot is licensed (Microsoft 365/Entra ID)

First, you need to check if the user actually has a Copilot-related license assigned in the tenant. To do this, connect to Microsoft Graph:

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes User.Read.All, Directory.Read.All

Then check assigned licenses for a specific user:

Get-MgUserLicenseDetail -UserId cyril@theitbros.com

The command mentioned above returns all licenses assigned to the user, including Microsoft 365, Office 365, and Copilot-related SKUs (in case present).

In order to check Copilot availability at tenant level, you can list all subscribed SKUs with the command:

Get-MgSubscribedSku

Here you need to look for entries such as:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 add-on SKUs

In case the Copilot SKU is not present in the tenant, the feature cannot be assigned to any user.

Step 2 — Check if Copilot is enabled via service plan

Even in case a license is assigned, Copilot may still be disabled at the service plan level. You can check service plans for a user license with the command:

(Get-MgUserLicenseDetail -UserId user@contoso.com).ServicePlans

Here you need to look for service plans related to Copilot, such as:

• Copilot enabled service plans (state: Enabled)
• Disabled service plans (state: Suspended or Disabled)

Keep in mind that in case the Copilot service plan exists but is not enabled, the feature will not appear in client apps. Note that Copilot availability is not strictly binary (Enabled/Disabled), but depends on service provisioning state.

Note that Copilot service plans do not always reflect a strict enabled/disabled state. You may see feature is available depending on provisioning status and workload-specific activation.

Step 3 — Check if Copilot is showing due to rollout (no license scenario)

Note that in some cases, Copilot may appear even without a clearly assigned license due to staged rollout, preview features, or Microsoft-controlled feature exposure. This usually happens in the following cases:

• The tenant is enrolled in Targeted Release
• Microsoft enables temporary feature exposure for testing
• Copilot UI is visible but functionality is restricted/degraded

In order to validate this scenario:

• Compare behavior across multiple users in the same tenant
• Check if Copilot appears only in specific apps (e.g., Outlook but not Word)
• Check whether functionality is blocked/prompts for licensing

In case Copilot is visible without proper licensing, it is most likely a rollout/feature flag scenario rather than a licensing issue.

Step 4 — Check update channel/client version

Note that Copilot availability depends heavily on the Microsoft 365 Apps update channel and client version. You can check the version in Outlook by navigating to Outlook → File → Office Account → About Outlook.

You should also check:

• Whether user is on New Outlook/Classic Outlook
• Microsoft 365 Apps update channel:
  – Current Channel (recommended for Copilot)
  – Monthly Enterprise Channel
  – Semi-Annual Channel (may delay feature availability)

Usually on outdated builds/delayed update channels, you won’t find any Copilot features.

Step 5 — Check Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Finally, you need to confirm that Copilot is enabled from an admin perspective. To do this, go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center → Users → Active users → select user → Licenses and apps.

Here you need to check that:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot license is assigned
• Copilot-related service plans are toggled ON
• No policy is blocking the service at tenant level

In case everything appears correct in Graph but Copilot is missing in client apps, you should consider Admin Center as the final validation layer before investigating rollout/client problems.

Types of Copilot Covered in This Tutorial

Note that this guide refers to several different Copilot implementations:

• Windows Copilot (built into Windows 11)
• Microsoft 365 Copilot (AI features available with a Microsoft 365 subscription)
• Copilot in Outlook (application-level integration)

Keep in mind that disabling one of these does not necessarily disable the others.

Where Copilot Can Be Disabled?

Location	Can Disable UI	Can Disable Functionality
Outlook (new/web/mobile)	✅	✅
Classic Outlook	❌	❌
Windows 11	❌	Partial
Microsoft 365 Tenant	❌	✅

Turn Off Copilot in Outlook (Mobile, Web)

The Copilot option can be disabled using a separate toggle switch in the settings in the mobile and web versions of Outlook, and in the new Outlook for Windows.

1. Open the Outlook app on your device (iOS, Android, or macOS), or on your mobile browser.
2. Navigate:
   On iOS: tap your profile picture → Settings → scroll to Copilot.
   On Android: tap the menu icon → Settings → Copilot.
3. Find the Turn off Copilot toggle switch and turn it off.

   

This option to disable Copilot is also available in Outlook on the web (outlook.com) when using a mobile device.

Disabling Copilot in Classic Desktop Outlook Versions (2024, 2021, 2019)

Depending on licensing, update channel, and Outlook build, Copilot UI elements may appear in supported Outlook desktop clients. The button appears in both the Ribbon and the top right corner of Outlook.

A new option that allows disabling Copilot has appeared in desktop Office apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Go to File > Options > Copilot. Uncheck the Enable copilot box to disable the feature.

Note. The File > Options > Copilot path works in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote — but not in classic Outlook.

However, in the classic desktop Outlook, the menu section that allows disabling Copilot is missing.

Unfortunately, according to Microsoft, there are no plans to allow users to remove the Copilot button in classic Outlook versions (see this KB article):

There is currently no estimated date for when turning Copilot on or off will be available in classic Outlook on Windows.

Therefore, it is not possible to remove the Copilot button in classic Outlook using standard tools. The Copilot icon is part of the modernized interface and cannot be disabled in classic versions of Outlook.

How to Disable or Remove Copilot in Windows 11 (GPO, Registry, and Windows AI Policies)

In modern Windows 11 (2025–2026 builds), Copilot is no longer controlled by a single policy.
Microsoft now distributes Copilot through multiple components (including the Windows AI platform and separate Copilot apps).

As a result, you can only partially disable Copilot/only hide the UI using legacy Group Policy and registry settings (such as TurnOffWindowsCopilot), depending on OS version.

There are several ways to disable Microsoft Copilot in Windows 11:

• Using Group Policy (this is legacy method, it is still supported but limited):
  Run gpedit.msc, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot. Enable the Turn off Windows Copilot policy.
  Note that this method may not affect:
  – Copilot app installed from Microsoft Store
  – Microsoft 365 Copilot integration in Office apps
  – New Windows AI features introduced in Windows 11 24H2+ and later
  
• Or run this command to disable Copilot via the registry:
  reg add HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot /v TurnOffWindowsCopilot /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f
  

Important. In case you disable Windows Copilot, this won’t remove Copilot from Outlook or other Microsoft 365 apps (because they rely on separate cloud-based services).

Remove Copilot App (Windows AI Policy) in Windows 11 2026+

Remove Microsoft Copilot App is a new policy that may remove or hide Copilot app depending on Windows build and deployment state. You need to go to User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Windows AI → Remove Microsoft Copilot App.

What this policy does:

• Removes Copilot app from Windows UI
• Prevents reinstallation in supported scenarios
• Applies only on supported Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise/Education builds
• May require idle/reboot cycle to take effect

Keep in mind that Windows AI policies cover multiple AI-driven experiences (including Copilot and other system AI features).

Note that there are some important limitations. This policy does NOT disable Copilot inside Microsoft 365 apps (Outlook, Word, Excel), Copilot Chat cloud services and browser-based Copilot (Edge/Bing)

Modern registry-based equivalent (Windows 11 24H2+)

To turn off Windows Copilot on modern Windows 11 24H2+ builds, you should go to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI

Depending on Windows build and deployment method (GPO vs MDM), Copilot-related policy settings may appear under different registry locations and may use different value names. Microsoft continues to evolve the WindowsAI policy namespace, so you should always verify the current ADMX/CSP documentation for their Windows version.

Note. In Microsoft Intune/MDM-managed environments, Windows AI policies are delivered through Policy CSP and may be reflected in the Windows PolicyManager registry instead of the traditional HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies path. Therefore, the absence of a value under Policies does not necessarily mean that the policy has not been applied.

Important. In newer Windows builds, this registry key may only affect legacy Copilot UI. Microsoft is gradually moving Copilot controls to the WindowsAI policy namespace, and older registry paths may be ignored in future updates.

Disable Copilot at the Microsoft 365 Tenant Level

Microsoft 365 tenant administrators can disable Copilot organization-wide.

1. Log into Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
2. Navigate to Settings > Integrated apps.
3. Available Apps > find Copilot.
4. You can block the Copilot app for all users in the tenant by clicking Block App, which prevents users from accessing Copilot features.
5. Alternatively, go to the Assigned Users section and only grant Copilot access to the users/groups you want to retain the feature (by default, it’s allowed for everyone).

Keep in mind that this reduces/restricts Copilot availability at tenant level, but does not guarantee full removal of Copilot UI in all clients due to:

• cached UI components
• client-side feature rollout
• app-specific implementations

Disable Copilot via Modern Enterprise Management (Intune & Cloud Policy)

In enterprise environments, Copilot is often controlled not only by licenses/tenant settings, but also by modern device and app management policies. Note that in many cases, Intune and Office Cloud Policy override/complement Microsoft 365 Admin Center settings.

Disabling Copilot using Intune (Settings Catalog)

In Microsoft Intune, Copilot-related controls are available via the Settings Catalog. You should navigate to Intune Admin Center → Devices → Configuration profiles → Create profile → Windows 10/11 → Settings catalog.

Here you need to search for:

Copilot

or:

Windows AI

Availability of these settings depends on:

• Windows 11 build version
• Intune policy definitions update cycle
• Tenant targeting (preview vs stable features)

Note that Microsoft continuously changes Intune policy naming and availability. Some Copilot-related settings may appear only in preview builds/be renamed in different Windows versions.

Here is a recommended config:

• Set Copilot-related policies to Disabled
• Assign policy to:
  – User groups
  – Device groups (preferred for enterprise control)

Control Copilot via Microsoft 365 Apps policies (Office Cloud Policy Service)

You can manage Microsoft 365 Apps (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.) through Cloud Policy Service. Navigate to Microsoft 365 Apps admin center → Customization → Policy Management → Create policy.

Here you need to configure “Allow Copilot”/“Enable Copilot experiences”. Note that Office Cloud Policy Service does not provide a unified Copilot control. You can control Copilot behaviour through a combination of app-specific policies and Microsoft-managed feature flags.

Here is the typical enterprise use case:

• Disable Copilot for:
  – Finance department
  – Legal department
  – Regulated workloads
• Enable Copilot for:
  – Pilot groups
  – Power users

Control Copilot access via Entra ID (Licensing Groups)

Note that Copilot availability is ultimately controlled by license assignment in Entra ID groups. You can Control Copilot access via Entra ID, navigate to Entra Admin Center → Identity → Groups
→ Licenses.

Here is the recommended approach:

• Create dedicated security group:
  M365-Copilot-Enabled
• Assign Copilot license ONLY to this group (Entra ID licensing determines eligibility for Copilot services but does not guarantee suppression of UI elements/full feature removal due to staged rollout and client-side feature exposure).
• Remove direct user assignment of Copilot licenses

Here are the benefits of this approach:

• You have centralized control
• It’s easy to rollback
• Audit-friendly licensing model
• Prevents accidental Copilot exposure

Enterprise best practice: layered control model

In real-world environments, you should avoid situation when Copilot is being controlled from a single place. Instead, we recommend you layered enforcement:

• Layer Control Point
• Identity Entra ID licensing
• Device Intune policies
• App Office Cloud Policy
• Tenant Microsoft 365 Admin Center

Important. Even if Copilot is disabled in one layer, it may still appear if another layer allows it.

Note that in Windows 11 (2025–2026), Copilot cannot be fully disabled using a single method. You must consider three control layers:

1. Legacy policies (TurnOffWindowsCopilot)
2. Windows AI policies (Remove Copilot App)
3. Cloud-based Copilot services (Microsoft 365 Copilot)

Keep in mind that a failure to account for all layers may result in Copilot still appearing in:

• Outlook
• Edge
• Windows Search
• Microsoft 365 apps

Note. To audit Copilot usage in your organization, you need to review Microsoft Purview activity logs. To do this, go to Audit section, and search for “Copilot” activities.

Why Is Copilot Still Visible?

This can happen when:

• You are using classic Outlook app
• Your Outlook app has not been updated
• Copilot was disabled at tenant level but UI is static
• Feature flag rollout (A/B testing)
• Partial provisioning state
• Cached Office UI components
• Cross-service identity mismatch