Microsoft says the March 2025 Windows cumulative updates automatically and mistakenly remove the AI-powered Copilot digital assistant from some Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems.
The warning was added to updated support documents days after Redmond released this month’s Patch Tuesday security updates.
As Microsoft explains, the update applies to all users who install the KB5053598 (Windows 24H2) and KB5053606(Windows 10 22H2) cumulative updates issued last week, on March 11th.
“We’re aware of an issue with the Microsoft Copilot app affecting some devices. The app is unintentionally uninstalled and unpinned from the taskbar,” the company explains. “This issue has not been observed with the Microsoft 365 Copilot app.”
Redmond has yet to explain why Copilot is automatically removed and has yet to add this known issue to its Windows release health dashboard, which is usually used to notify customers of ongoing problems affecting supported Windows versions.
Microsoft is currently working on a fix for this bug and advises affected customers to reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store and manually add it back to the taskbar until a solution is found and shipped to affected computers—although some might not want to do that, seeing that not all Microsoft customers are Copilot fans.
“In the meantime, affected users can reinstall the app from the Microsoft Store and manually pin it to the taskbar,” Redmond said.
This comes after Microsoft had to remove a Copilot app from Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems in June 2024, an app that was “incorrectly” added in April by buggy Microsoft Edge updates.
The company clarified then that the accidentally installed Copilot app didn’t collect or relay any data to Microsoft servers, as it was only designed to prepare some devices for the future enablement of Copilot.
Months earlier, Microsoft Copilot was also added to some Windows Server 2025 preview builds, but the company removed it after widespread backlash from Windows admins.
More recently, Microsoft announced that it’s rolling out a new native Copilot app to Windows Insiders via the Microsoft Store and a press-to-talk feature that allows users to interact with Copilot using their voice by holding the Alt + Spacebar for 2 seconds.
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