Microsoft says the new Copilot app, mistakenly added to the list of installed Windows apps by recent Edge updates, does not collect or transmit data to its servers.
The company began testing Microsoft Copilot in pre-release versions of Windows Server 2025 earlier this year. However, after facing backlash from Windows administrators, Microsoft removed Copilot from these versions.
For this reason, they were surprised to see a new 8KB Microsoft Copilot application added to the list of installed programs on live production builds of Windows Server 2022.
As the company revealed on Tuesday, this known issue also affected systems running Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 21H2 or later.
“Edge browser updates version 123.0.2420.65, released on March 28, 2024 and later, may incorrectly install a new package (MSIX) called “Microsoft Chat Provider for Copilot in Windows” on Windows devices. As a result, the Microsoft Copilot app might appear in installed apps in the Settings menu,” Redmond said.
Microsoft also says that the Copilot app added by these recent Edge updates on affected devices cannot actually be used to launch Copilot and does not collect any user or system data.
“It is important to note that the Microsoft Chat Provider for Copilot on Windows does not execute any code or processes, and does not acquire, analyze, or transmit data on the device or environment in any capacity. either,” Microsoft explains.
The package is only intended to prepare certain Windows devices for future activation of Windows Copilot and will not be visible on all Windows devices.
Additionally, according to Microsoft, even if the installed component causes a Copilot application to show as installed on the system, it will not fully install or activate Windows Copilot.
“As part of the upcoming resolution of this issue, the chat provider for the Copilot component in Windows will be removed from devices on which Microsoft Copilot is not intended to be enabled or installed. This includes most Windows Server devices” , Microsoft said.
“We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in a future release of Microsoft Edge.”
The company is now also testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu as part of a new experience aimed at helping users “discover great apps from the Microsoft Store.”
This is part of a trial rolling out in the beta channel to a “small group of Insiders” who have installed Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3495.
Two years ago, Redmond promoted its Edge web browser in the Windows 10 Start menu and accidentally broke the taskbar and Start menu while testing Microsoft Teams ads on some Windows Insider builds.
