Microsoft starts testing Copilot auto-launch at Windows 11 startup again

Microsoft Copilot, a generative AI tool, comes as a built-in feature on Windows 11. But it seems that not many users know about it, which is why the company wants to ensure you're greeted by the assistant every time you boot up your computer. In all seriousness, this is a very weird move, which will definitely annoy many people.

The good part is that the auto-launch feature of Copilot on Windows 11 appears to be in the test phase and hasn't made its way to the stable releases yet. Reportedly, it was first tested weeks before on the Preview Build 23615. Now, Microsoft has again enabled the feature on the Insider Build 26100, and it's available on both the Dev and Canary channels.

After seeing the user reports, Brandon LeBlanc, the Windows Insider Program's senior program manager, confirmed that the feature was turned off temporarily after Build 23615. But now, Microsoft has decided to expand the rollout and introduce auto-launch of the AI assistant in both channels.

However, not all the users running the latest Windows Insider build see Copilot pop up after every Windows 11 startup. As Microsoft notes, the auto-launch won't work on monitors that are smaller than 27 inches in size and have a pixel width lower than 1920 pixels (Samsung 34" ViewFinity S50GC curr. $249.99 on Amazon). Also, the AI assistant will only pop up on the primary screen if you have a multi-monitor setup.

When it comes to disabling Copilot's auto-launch at startup, you can do it by heading over to Settings, then Personalization, and clicking on Copilot. You can also turn it off from the Windows Task Manager through the Startup Apps section.