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Microsoft Copilot is set to start at the same time a Windows PC boots. The Windows OS maker had scaled back the push but appears to have made a U-turn.
Microsoft Copilot starts at Windows 11 boot
Microsoft may have “undocked” Copilot, but it is back to its tricks of subtly pushing its apps and services. The Copilot Generative AI assistant now starts at first boot, without needing any user intervention.
Several beta testers for Windows 10 and Windows 11 Operating System (OS) have observed Microsoft’s trickery. After starting up their computers, they were greeted by Microsoft Copilot.
It’s no secret, Microsoft intends to position Copilot as the go-to Gen AI assistant. Although Microsoft’s implementation of Speech Recognition technology has some concerning limitations, this hasn’t stopped the company from barreling ahead with Copilot.
Microsoft has been heavily promoting Copilot, a Gen AI that has the power of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Now, Microsoft appears to be forcing Copilot onto Windows 10 and Windows 11 users, some tech enthusiasts feel.
Has anyone noticed that Copilot is automatically being launched on 26100, despite not having changed any settings?
— Xeno (@XenoPanther) April 10, 2024
How to stop Microsoft Copilot from starting at boot?
Microsoft has been testing co-booting Copilot with Windows 11 for a few months now. The company first tweaked the boot process to include Copilot for certain beta testers of the operating system a few months ago.
We previously documented it back in Feb. in this blog post but temporarily disabled it – we're re-enabling it which is probably why you're seeing it now. https://t.co/y08M0uitHj
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) April 10, 2024
Presumably realizing this might not go down well with the general users, Microsoft had dropped Copilot from the first boot. However, last week’s Windows 11 Insider Build 26100 for both Dev & Canary channels, reportedly included Copilot during the booting process.
Microsoft has restricted Copilot to the primary screen. The company has even ensured the Gen AI assistant will be visible only on computers that have a 27” or bigger monitor with a pixel width of 1920 pixels.
In other words, Microsoft Copilot will start at Windows 11 boot only on big-screen monitors with a Full HD (1080p) or bigger resolution. This means that even if computers have multiple displays, if the primary monitor is small, Copilot won’t start at boot.
Although some limitations are preventing Copilot from hogging screen real estate, Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can prevent Copilot from opening at start-up. General Windows 10 and 11 users don’t have to worry yet. However, beta testers can head over to Settings > Personalization > Copilot, and toggle the autostart setting off.