How to Disable Recall, Copilot, and AI Bloat in Windows 11

What you’ll need

#

• Windows 11 version 23H2 or later (build 22631+)
• Administrator privileges on your Windows account
• PowerShell 5.1 or later (built into Windows 11)
• Basic familiarity with PowerShell and Windows Registry
• Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise for Group Policy features (Home users can use Registry edits)

Overview

#

This guide disables Windows 11’s AI-powered features including Recall snapshots, Copilot assistant, and background telemetry services. You’ll reduce resource usage, improve privacy, and remove taskbar clutter while maintaining system stability.

Step 1 — Disable Windows Recall via Registry

#

Windows Recall periodically captures screen snapshots. Disable it by modifying the registry. Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click Start > Terminal Admin).

New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI" -Force
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI" -Name "DisableAIDataAnalysis" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

This creates the policy key and sets DisableAIDataAnalysis to 1, preventing Recall from capturing screen data.

Step 2 — Remove Copilot from Taskbar and System

#

Copilot appears in the taskbar by default on Copilot+ PCs. Disable it system-wide using both registry and AppX package removal.

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "ShowCopilotButton" -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force
Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.Windows.Ai.Copilot* | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers

The first command hides the taskbar button. The second removes the Copilot app package for all users on the system.

Step 3 — Disable AI Background Services

#

Windows 11 runs several AI-related services that consume CPU and memory. Stop and disable these services to prevent automatic startup.

$services = @("AiShell", "AIXDiagnostics", "AIXPlatform")
foreach ($service in $services) {
    Stop-Service -Name $service -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    Set-Service -Name $service -StartupType Disabled -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
}

This loops through AI services, stops them immediately, and sets them to never start automatically.

Step 4 — Block Copilot via Group Policy

#

For Windows 11 Pro/Enterprise, use Group Policy for more robust blocking. Press Win+R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Copilot. Enable “Turn off Windows Copilot”. Alternatively, set the policy via PowerShell:

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsCopilot" -Name "TurnOffWindowsCopilot" -Value 1 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

Step 5 — Disable AI-Powered Search Suggestions

#

Windows Search integrates Bing AI suggestions. Disable this feature to prevent background web queries and reduce network activity.

New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Search" -Name "BingSearchEnabled" -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force
New-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SearchSettings" -Name "IsAADCloudSearchEnabled" -Value 0 -PropertyType DWORD -Force

This disables Bing integration and cloud-connected search features in the Windows search box.

Step 6 — Restart and Apply Changes

#

Most registry changes require a restart to take full effect. Before restarting, force a Group Policy update if you used gpedit.

gpupdate /force
Restart-Computer -Force

The gpupdate command applies policy changes immediately. The restart ensures all services and registry modifications are active.

Testing it works

#

After reboot, verify services are disabled and Copilot is removed using PowerShell as Administrator:

Get-Service AiShell, AIXDiagnostics, AIXPlatform | Select Name, Status, StartType
Get-AppxPackage *Copilot* | Select Name, Version

Expected output:

Name              Status  StartType
----              ------  ---------
AiShell           Stopped  Disabled
AIXDiagnostics    Stopped  Disabled
AIXPlatform       Stopped  Disabled

(No output for Copilot packages - means removal succeeded)

Check the taskbar—the Copilot icon should be gone. Search for “Recall” in Settings; the option should be greyed out or missing.

Common issues

#

• Error: “Cannot find path” when creating registry keys This occurs when the parent registry path doesn’t exist. Run New-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows" -Force first to create the parent structure, then retry the original command.

• Services not found or already removed Windows 11 Home editions and older builds (pre-23H2) may not include all AI services. The -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue flag prevents errors, but verify your build number with winver. Update to 23H2 or later for complete feature coverage.

• Copilot reappears after Windows Update Feature updates can reinstall Copilot and reset registry values. Create a scheduled task to re-run the removal script monthly: Register-ScheduledTask -TaskName "DisableAI" -Trigger (New-ScheduledTaskTrigger -Weekly) -Action (New-ScheduledTaskAction -Execute "powershell.exe" -Argument "-File C:\Scripts\disable-ai.ps1") -RunLevel Highest.

Next steps

#

Consider disabling additional telemetry using O&O ShutUp10++ (compatible with Windows 11) or Chris Titus Tech’s Windows Utility. Explore HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\DataCollection registry keys to limit diagnostic data. For network-level blocking, configure Pi-hole to filter Microsoft telemetry domains. Check Windows debloat scripts on GitHub like “Win11Debloat” for automated removal of other preinstalled apps.