Remove Copilot from Outlook: Classic, New Outlook, Outlook Mobile App

“How to remove Copilot from Outlook?” If you’re also actively seeking the precise solution to this query, you must be:

• An Individual user who is frustrated with forced integration of Copilot
• Or an IT Admin tasked to disable Copilot across the tenant to maintain data privacy & compliance

If we have guessed it right, let’s get started with this comprehensive guide to remove Copilot from Outlook. This all-encompassing guide is specifically optimized to assist individual users and IT administrators in disabling Copilot in Classic Outlook, New Outlook/ Outlook on the Web, and the Outlook mobile app.

So, stay stunned till the end!

Why Users Want to Disable Copilot in Outlook?

Many professional and enterprise leaders are actively seeking ways to disable Copilot in Outlook primarily due to the following reasons:

• Strict data privacy requirements
• Intrusive interface updates
• System performance issues

#1: Data Privacy and “Connected Experiences” Concerns

Organizational data leakage is one of the primary reasons why many organizations actively want to remove Copilot in Outlook.

• According to the Concentric AI report, Microsoft Copilot has accessed nearly 3 million confidential and sensitive records per organization during the first half of the year.
• Even on a Reddit post, users thoroughly discussed a Microsoft 365 service bug where Copilot bypassed data protection policy (DLP) parameters to show restricted email data.
• Furthermore, on Microsoft Community Hub (Outlook and Microsoft 365 Copilot Group) and other IT forums, users have expressed intense frustration over AI tools reading their emails
• Additionally, users are forced to block “content analysis” completely in order to disable certain Copilot features. Also, disabling this connected experience can cause basic yet high-dependency tools such as spell check to stop working.

#2: Search Interference and Interface Clutter

The aggressive integration of Copilot into Outlook is another chief reason why Outlook users want to disable Copilot from Outlook 365. It dramatically disrupted the traditional email workflow and led to severe backlash on different forums.

• In mid-2026, Microsoft tried to add Copilot directly into the Outlook search menu. Yes, they added AI-generated suggestions directly above actual search results.
• This key update made users scroll past AI summaries each time. Just to access regular emails and calendar events.
• This Microsoft AI interference made users frustrated and ignited critical discussions all over the web. Resulting in officially canceling the Outlook Search Integration in late July 2026.

#3: Forced Compliance and Continuous Toggles

Many organizations and individual users are seeking ways to turn off Copilot from Outlook to get rid of forced visual toggles and floating Copilot buttons.

• These visual toggles for Outlook in the New Outlook automatically re-enable themselves after every restart. Prompting users to turn them off every time just to access a clutter-free inbox.
• Microsoft has even tested always-visible floating Copilot buttons that are designed to remain visible on the screen all times. Simply ignoring the preference of users who want to keep it out of their workspace.
• Also, disabling these simple local settings in Outlook does not permanently disable the feature on the server side because Copilot is deeply integrated into the Outlook backend service.
• Outlook users view this forced integration as unagreed-upon compliance and want to remove Copilot from Outlook.

#4: System Resources and Performance Depletion

Advanced AI tools like Copilot require more computing power to execute the tasks effectively, which can significantly affect everyday tasks. Unintentionally, prompting users to remove Copilot from Outlook.

• Copilot runs continuously in the background and consumes system resources to be robust -slowing down devices (especially users with more modest hardware).
• Also, users reported that they want to turn off these AI features to stop unnecessary data sharing with Microsoft’s servers.

People Find Helpful: How to Use Microsoft 365 Copilot Like a Pro? A Beginner-Friendly Guide!

How to Remove Copilot from Outlook? (Outlook Classic and New Outlook)

Here’s how are the two proven methods to remove Copilot from:

• Outlook Classic 
• New Outlook or Outlook on the Web
• Outlook Mobile App

Must Check Out: Find Out What Outlook Version You’re Using In A Few Seconds

Method #1: The Standard Settings Toggle (For New Outlook and Outlook on the Web)

To change the settings for the Copilot button in New Outlook/Outlook on the Web, Microsoft has recently introduced a dedicated menu. It allows Outlook users to easily access the Copilot button. And turn off the drafting features directly from the main Outlook interface.

Turning off this toggle hides Copilot and its entry points across all Outlook clients. This includes the large Copilot picture that appears when signing in. To fix Outlook UI clutter in Outlook, this method works like a charm.

So, let’s move to the steps to disable it:

• Open the New Outlook for Windows desktop application.
• Right-click the Outlook settings gear icon (on the top right corner of the window).
• Select the newly added Copilot tab (in the left-hand navigation pane).
• Find the Turn on Copilot Switch >> toggle it “Off”.

Additionally, many users have claimed on different IT forums that this toggle happens to turn back “On” automatically. This usually happens due to the following reasons:

• Background updates
• Application restarts, 
• Or simple software glitches.

So, if you are experiencing the same issue, pivot to method no. 2.

Method #2: The Privacy Block Method (For Outlook Classic)

Are you frustrated that Copilot keeps turning back on? Then choose this account-wide privacy block method. It ensures no data is being sent to Microsoft’s AI servers -an ideal solution for forced compliance.

To use this method, you are required to disable the “Connected Experiences” at the account level. This is because the New Outlook and  Classic Outlook architecture differ.

Important Note: If you disable Connected Experience, it will remove daily-use features across the entire Microsoft 365 suite. This includes text predictions, basic suggested replies, PowerPoint designer, and automatic alt text for images.

• Open Classic Outlook 
• Go to File >> click Account (or Office Account).
• Select Account Privacy and click on Manage Settings.
• Scroll down to the Connected experience section.
• Uncheck Turn on experiences that analyze your content.
• Lastly, hit OK >> restart the Outlook application. It will sync the changes.

How to Turn off Copilot in the Outlook Mobile App? (iOS and Android)

Android and iOS users can remove Copilot from Outlook directly from their smartphone. Simply configure the Outlook mobile Copilot settings menu. To do so, follow the given steps: 

Steps to remove Copilot from the Outlook mobile app:

• Open the Outlook mobile app.
• Next:
  • On iOS: Tap the profile picture (in the top-left corner) >> in the side panel, tap the gear icon (Settings).
  • On Android: Select the menu icon (in the top-left corner) >> go to the Quick Settings menu >> select the gear icon.
• Scroll down through the account preferences and find the Copilot menu option.
• Finally, tap the Copilot menu >> toggle off the “Turn on Copilot” switch.

Note: If you disable Copilot on your iPhone or Android device, it will update across new Outlook automatically. But the changes don’t show in Classic Outlook on Windows. This is because it relies on old architecture that doesn’t support enabling/ disabling Copilot via this newly synchronized toggle.

Protect Your Data Truly: The Ultimate Security Step 

Undeniably, disabling Copilot is an excellent first step to prevent Copilot from exposing your company’s sensitive data. Even setting up Microsoft’s native retention policies is helpful. But if your main motivation is data privacy, security, and strict compliance, these standard security steps are not enough! You need an ultimate security strategy to protect your enterprise’s decades of privileged data.

The reason is simple: Depending completely on a cloud service provider for your organization’s data security is deemed as an unhealthy practice. It leaves your business-critical data defenseless to:

• Accidental Deletion
• Malicious Ransomware
• Complex compliance audits

The Takeaway

“How to remove Copilot from Outlook?” is a major concern of many IT admins and individual users who are dealing with:  

• Data Privacy & Compliance
• Interface Clutter
• System Resource and Performance Depletion

So, check out the easy steps to remove Copilot from Outlook in this practical guide. It will help you customize your workspace to your preferences. For any technical support or queries, contact us at [email protected] and [email protected].

Helpful Reads:

• 5 Easy Methods to Fix Microsoft 365 Copilot GPT-5.5 Thinking Errors
• What is the Microsoft 365 Shared Responsibility Model? (Hidden Gaps, Impact of Copilot, and More)
• How to Fix Outlook Sync Issues? (Windows, Mac, and Android)
• Microsoft 365 Copilot Optimization Assessment Checklist: Protect Your Sensitive Data

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q.1: How do I turn off Copilot in the New Outlook?
To turn off Copilot in the New Outlook or Outlook on the Web:
Open the New Outlook for Windows desktop application.
Click the Outlook settings gear icon (on the top right corner of the window).
Select the newly added Copilot tab (in the left-hand navigation pane).
Find the Turn on Copilot Switch >> toggle it “Off”.

Q.2: Why does Copilot keep turning back on in Outlook?
This happens when Microsoft pushes major background updates to Office 365. This update resets the personalized ribbon settings or toggles AI preference back to its default “On” position. If you’re not an admin, you may have to repeat the steps each time a significant background update rolls out.

Q.3: Can I disable Copilot for my entire company in Office 365?

Absolutely, yes! As an IT administrator, you can disable Copilot at the tenant level by removing the license. Once it’s removed, the server entirely revokes access from all connected endpoints, immediately removing Copilot from Outlook.

• Log into the Microsoft 365 admin center.
• Go to Billing >> Licenses (or Users >> Active Users).
• Choose the targeted users or groups to restrict.
• Under the “Licenses and apps” tab, locate Entra ID Copilot Licenses or the specific Microsoft 365 Copilot Add-on.
• Uncheck the Copilot app license >> save changes.

Q.4: How do I remove the Copilot button from the desktop ribbon?
To remove the Copilot button from the desktop ribbon:

• Open Outlook >> click on the top ribbon.
• Right-click Customize the Ribbon.
• In the right-hand column (Main Tabs), expand the Home or Message tab.
• Find and select the Copilot group >> click the Remove button (in the middle column).
• Hit OK.

Q.5: Where is the Copilot toggle in the Outlook mobile app?
Follow the given steps to find and remove Copilot from the Outlook mobile app:

• Open the Outlook app on iOS or Android
• In the top-left corner, tap the profile picture.
• Tap the Settings gear icon (at the bottom of the menu).
• Scroll down to the Outlook mobile Copilot settings (under Account Settings or Preferences ).
• Toggle “Off” the Copilot features.