Microsoft accidentally uninstalled Copilot in its latest Windows 11 update

Microsoft’s latest Windows 11 update, released as part of March’s Patch Tuesday on 11 March, has led to the unintended removal of the Copilot app from some devices. According to Microsoft, the update (KB5053598) has caused Copilot to be uninstalled and unpinned from the taskbar on certain Windows 11 systems.

Microsoft acknowledged the issue in a support document, as spotted by The Verge, stating that it is "working on a resolution to address the issue." In the meantime, all affected users can reinstall Copilot from the Microsoft Store and manually pin it to the taskbar. The issue appears to affect only the standard Copilot app and not the Microsoft 365 Copilot app available through a subscription.

Copilot was integrated into Windows 11 in mid-2023 and became a native app earlier this year, alongside the introduction of a dedicated Copilot key on Windows keyboards. As the AI revolution has been ramping up across the world, Copilot has since become an important tool for Microsoft.

The glitch comes as Microsoft is preparing to announce further updates to Copilot at a special event on 4 April, marking the company’s 50th anniversary. Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, is expected to unveil new Copilot features and discuss Microsoft’s broader AI strategy, including rumours that the company is developing its own AI reasoning models to compete with OpenAI.

This incident adds to a growing list of Windows 11 issues, particularly with version 24H2, which has faced multiple bugs introduced by recent updates. Microsoft has yet to confirm when a permanent fix for the Copilot issue will be available.