Microsoft is beginning to clean up Windows 11 by removing what many users saw as unnecessary Copilot buttons scattered across its built-in apps.
In the latest updates rolling out to Windows Insiders, the Copilot button has disappeared from Notepad and been replaced by a simpler “writing tools” menu. A similar change is happening in the Snipping Tool, where the Copilot option no longer shows up when selecting an area to capture.
This move is part of Microsoft’s broader effort to streamline Windows 11 by reducing the number of Copilot entry points. The company had previously hinted at reducing these integrations across apps like Photos, Widgets, Snipping Tool, and Notepad. While the visible Copilot buttons are being removed, the AI-powered features themselves are not going anywhere. They’re still embedded within the apps, just presented in a less intrusive way.
In Notepad, for example, the new writing tools menu still offers the same AI capabilities as before, only without the Copilot branding taking center stage. It’s essentially the same functionality packaged more subtly, which aligns better with the app’s original purpose as a lightweight text editor. The shift suggests Microsoft is trying to strike a balance between integrating AI and keeping core apps simple and uncluttered.
There’s still a bigger question hanging over this change, though. Microsoft has been pushing Copilot heavily, even going as far as adding dedicated buttons on laptop keyboards. Whether the company will reconsider those hardware-level decisions or continue scaling back Copilot’s visibility across Windows remains to be seen.
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