Maria Sophia wrote on 1/15/2026 2:16 PM:

Original post didn't take for some reason so this is a repeat...
Third try.

In a recent thread, I posted my copilot information to help someone
asking how to remove Copilot AI/LLM permanently from Windows
<https://www.howtogeek.com/how-to-rip-out-copilot-from-windows-11/>
From: Stan Brown <someone@example.com>
Newsgroups: alt.comp.os.windows-10,alt.comp.os.windows-11
Subject: Rip Copilot out of Windows for good
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2026 05:59:07 -0800
Message-ID: <MPG.43d2928840522fe0990492@news.individual.net>

In trying to help him, I realized myself that just saying "copilot",
doesn't mean it's the "same copilot" as there are up to 5 copilots.

Apparently, there are 5 Win10 entries, but only 4 are Copilot variants.
1. Windows 10: Built-in sidebar Copilot
2. Windows 10: Edge Copilot
3. Windows 10: Copilot PWA
4. Windows 10: Copilot Store app
5. Windows 10: Copilot key (hardware trigger) <== just a trigger

Apparently, there are also 5 Win11 entries, but only 3 are consistent
Copilot variants by default (as far as I can tell anyway).
1. Windows 11: Built-in sidebar Copilot
2. Windows 11: Edge Copilot
3. Windows 11: Copilot PWA
4. Windows 11: Copilot Store app (optional, not always installed)
5. Windows 11: Copilot key (hardware trigger)

Note: I am using the term "Copilot variant" to describe a distinct way
that Copilot can exist on Windows as an entity in and of itself.

Variant 1: Built-in Windows Copilot (sidebar)
1a. Windows 10: Added by late Win10 updates. Opens a sidebar on the
right side of the screen. Has no exe, no Start Menu entry, and no
normal shortcut. Launched internally by the Windows shell.
1b. Windows 11: Integrated into Win11. Same behavior as Win10.
Opens a sidebar on the right side. No exe or Start Menu entry.

Variant 2: Edge Copilot (inside Microsoft Edge)
2a. Windows 10: Lives inside the Edge browser.
Uses internal ms-edge URLs.
Has no standalone exe and is not a Windows app.
2b. Windows 11: Same behavior as Win10. Opens inside Edge.
Uses internal ms-edge URLs. No standalone exe.

Variant 3: Copilot PWA (Progressive Web App)
3a. Windows 10: Installed through Edge using the menu for
"Install this site as an app".
Runs through msedge_proxy.exe with an app-id.
The shortcut is stored only in:
%AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User
Pinned\TaskBar
3b. Windows 11: Same behavior as Win10. Installed through Edge. Runs
through msedge_proxy.exe. Shortcut stored only in the pinned
taskbar folder.

Variant 4: Copilot Store app
4a. Windows 10: Installed from the Microsoft Store. Creates a real
Start Menu entry and a normal lnk file with a visible Target.
the Copilot Exe lives in WindowsApps.
4b. Windows 11: Optional. Some Win11 builds include it. Creates a real
Start Menu entry and a normal lnk file. Not present on all systems.

Variant 5: Copilot key (hardware trigger, not a variant)
5a. Windows 10: Some keyboards have a Copilot key. Pressing it
launches whichever Copilot variant Win10 is configured to use.
5b. Windows 11: Same behavior as Win10.
This is only a trigger, not a Copilot variant.

Summary: Windows 10 has four real Copilot variants AFAICT.
Summary: Windows 11 has three consistent Copilot variants AFAICT.
The Copilot key is only a trigger on both systems.

I'm using only 3a so that's what I mean when I speak about Copilot.
But others may be using the other Copilots when they speak of it.

This would make an excellent tutorial!



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