[German]Microsoft recently confirmed that Copilot can be uninstalled on some Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems as a result of the March 2025 updates. Those affected had to reinstall Copilot from the Store. Microsoft now claims to have fixed this bug for Windows.
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Windows Copilot uninstall error due to March 2025 updates
On March 11, 2025, Microsoft released various cumulative (security) updates for Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 22H2 to Windows 11 24H2 (see Patchday: Windows 10/11 Updates (March 11, 2025)). Cumulative update KB5053602 was also released for Windows 11 22H2 – 23H2 and cumulative update KB5053606 was released for Windows 10 22H2.
There were then user reports that Microsoft Copilot had been uninstalled in Windows 11 as a result of the March 2025 updates and that the icon had been removed from the taskbar. Microsoft itself has confirmed this for Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 22H2 – 24H2 in the Known Issues of the update descriptions (e.g. for update KB5053598).
I reported on this issue in the blog post Windows 10/11: March 2025 Update uninstalls Copilot. As a workaround, Microsoft suggests that anyone who has lost the Copilot app as a result of the March 2025 Patchday update should simply install a new app from the Microsoft Store and then pin it to the taskbar.
Incidentally, this problem only affected the Windows Copilot app and was not observed with the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. For users within the EU, I'm not sure if the Copilot app was even present on all systems there – I haven't noticed the app on a Windows 10 22H2 notebook so far.
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Some users scoffed that this was "the best update in a long time from Microsoft, as it removed Copilot" and hoped for a corresponding Edge update. Incidentally, this shows just how close Microsoft is now to users' wishes with its Windows 11
Windows Copilot uninstallation error fixed
Microsoft has now updated the Known Issues in the update descriptions (e.g. for update KB5053598) for Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 22H2 – 24H2. It simply states "This issue has been resolved and the affected devices will be restored to their original state. You can also reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store and pin it to the taskbar." How Microsoft corrected the bug was not revealed. (via)
Similar articles:
Microsoft Security Update Summary (March 11, 2025)
Patchday: Windows 10/11 Updates (March 11, 2025)
Patchday: Windows Server-Updates (March 11, 2025)
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