Microsoft to auto‑install 365 Copilot in Windows 11, EU users exempt

Microsoft announced that it will automatically install the Microsoft 365 Copilot AI assistant on qualifying Windows 11 computers from mid‑June to mid‑July 2026. The rollout targets devices that have the desktop Microsoft 365 apps such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint and will occur without any user interaction.

The company said the automatic installation will not be applied to devices in the European Economic Area, where EU regulations deem forced installation without consent a violation. Users in those regions will have to install Copilot manually or opt‑out. Administrators can also block the deployment through the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center or by disabling “connected experiences” in Windows settings. Earlier this year Microsoft had paused a similar initiative, but the policy has now been reinstated for non‑EU markets.