It's no secret that Microsoft is all-in on AI for Windows 11. Copilot has been central to that push, positioned as an all-in-one assistant baked into the OS in various forms or additions — whether users asked for it or not.
Recently, Copilot shed its web app skin and became a fully native app, embedding itself into Windows more deeply. However, Microsoft isn't stopping there. Copilot is creeping its way into even more corners of the Windows ecosystem, with Copilot for Gaming (which promises game-aware guidance and assistance in popular titles) set to roll out to Xbox insiders in April, before finding a home on Microsoft's operating system.
Microsoft's position is clear: unlike Cortana, Copilot isn't a feature or a gimmick — it's the core of Microsoft's AI-driven vision for personal computing, which makes the fallout of a recent Windows Update all the more amusing.
Despite Microsoft's best efforts to minimize the chaos of regular Windows Updates through its Dev and Canary channels, problems inevitably slip through the cracks. The latest Windows 11 24H2 update is another prime example of that.
But, this time, some users might actually be grateful, as reports indicate that update KB5053598, released last week, is unintentionally removing portions of Copilot from Windows entirely — undoing Microsoft's hard (and controversial) work to revamp the operating system.
Windows Update 24H2 (KB5053598: Bugs and blessings in disguise
Microsoft's latest Windows 11 update (KB5053598) was meant to offer several miscellaneous security improvements to internal OS functionality. Instead, it's unintentionally offering users a glimpse at the alternate reality in which Microsoft doesn't so heavily pursue AI for its flagship operating system, by deleting Copilot entirely.
According to Windows Latest's reports, the bug uninstalls and unpins Copilot from the taskbar, effectively removing the AI assistant's primary stand on the operating system, with no obvious way to bring it back.
While Microsoft will no doubt see this as a disaster, some users who have been asking for a way to remove Copilot from Windows for many months now will surely see this as an unintended win — with one Reddit user hailing it as "The greatest bug in recent memory."
Sadly, this Windows Update presents several other bugs of the less amusing variety, including the usual litany of hardware-dependent BSoD errors (it just wouldn't be a Windows Update otherwise) and reports of failed installations on various systems.
Microsoft is investigating, but not all users want them to rush
Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and is currently "working on a resolution to address this issue," but for some, this is one bug that doesn't require a speedy fix.
With Windows 10's end-of-support date rapidly approaching and many users still reluctant to upgrade to Windows 11 (with Microsoft's full-scale push into AI being the cause for some), ironically, Copilot's vanishing act may have made that upgrade more tempting than ever to AI skeptics.
Unfortunately, Copilot's absence is likely to be a brief stop-gap more than a fork in the road ahead for Windows. A new fix will undoubtedly bring the AI assistant back into the fold. Still, in the meantime, should Microsoft pay attention to the reaction of its users, it may serve the company well to consider why so many have celebrated this bug.
