How to turn off Copilot, Recall and Gemini on Windows (free)
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Run the free Human Override for Windows and type 3: it switches off Copilot, Recall, Click to Do, the AI in Paint, the Copilot sidebar in Edge and Gemini in Chrome with Microsoft's and Google's official policy settings. Type 4 to undo it exactly.
Windows 11 and the big browsers now come with AI built in. Some of it watches your screen (Recall), some of it sits in every toolbar (Copilot, Gemini). If you do not want it, you can switch it off. You do not need to be an IT expert.
The quick way (1 minute)
- Download Human Override for Windows from the Human Override page and unzip it.
- Double-click Start-HumanOverride.bat and click Yes for administrator rights.
- Type Y to accept the terms, then 3. Restart Edge and Chrome, and sign out and in again for Windows.
- Edge and Chrome now show "Managed by your organisation". That is normal: it means the setting is locked.
By hand
- Copilot app: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Copilot → Uninstall (it can come back with updates).
- Recall: Settings → Privacy & security → Recall & snapshots → switch off saving snapshots (on Copilot+ PCs).
- Edge: Settings → Copilot and sidebar → switch off Copilot.
- Chrome: Settings → AI innovations → switch off the AI features.
- Doing it by hand works per user and can be switched back by anyone on the PC. The policy settings of the quick way apply to the whole PC.
Undo
Run Human Override again and type 4. It restores exactly the settings that were there before, so settings from your IT department stay intact.
Download Human Override for Windows
Questions
Is it safe?
It only sets official policy settings documented by Microsoft and Google, and it saves the previous values so they can be restored.
Does it also block ChatGPT websites?
Yes: type 1 to block 150+ AI websites for every browser and app on the PC.
Will Windows updates undo it?
Policy settings normally survive updates. If a feature comes back, run option 3 again.