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CoPilot interface roll back

Gillespie, John (gillesjj) 100 Reputation points
2026-05-11T12:35:12.0833333+00:00

Hello.

I have some users in China who are having a lot of trouble using the chat feature in copilot. When prompted, Copilot says the following as to why chat was changed.

What you’re seeing is due to a recent interface update/feature change in Copilot.

Previously, your view prioritized Search, Create, and Apps. Now, the experience has shifted to open directly into the chat/message window, which is becoming the default starting point. This is part of a broader move toward a more conversational, AI-first interface (instead of task-specific entry points).

Why this changed

·         Chat-first design: Microsoft is standardizing Copilot so you can immediately start typing instead of choosing a mode first.

·         Unified experience: Search, Create, and Apps are still available, but they’re being integrated within chat rather than as primary tabs.

·         Experimentation / rollout: Changes like this are often rolled out gradually, so your experience may differ from what you had before.

Is there anyway to roll it back? Having lost access to chat features has impacted their ability to teach for the semester. Thanks!

Microsoft Copilot | Microsoft 365 Copilot | Development
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  1. Q&A Assist
    2026-05-11T12:35:29.1866667+00:00
    AI generated content. This question contains an answer created with AI from Q&A Assist. Learn more

    The chat-first Copilot interface is part of a broader, permanent update and there is no supported way to roll it back to the previous Search/Create/Apps–first layout.

    Key points from the current design and rollout:

    • The legacy “Copilot in Windows” sidebar and older experiences are being replaced by the Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat experience with enterprise data protection.
    • On Windows 10 and 11, this new Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat experience has been rolling out via Windows updates (September–November 2024 for managed PCs) and replaces the legacy Copilot in Windows experience.
    • The Microsoft 365 Copilot app (formerly the Microsoft 365/Office app) is now the primary entry point for Copilot, including chat, and is pinned by default for many Entra-based sign-ins.
    • The new experience is explicitly designed to be chat-first and conversational, with other capabilities (like web/work scopes and apps) integrated into that chat experience rather than separate primary tabs.

    Admin controls that still exist are about availability and entry points, not reverting the UI:

    • Admins can control whether the Microsoft 365 Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat are pinned or exposed in Windows, Outlook, and Teams using pinning policies in the Microsoft 365 admin center.
    • Admins can also control installation and launch of the Microsoft 365 Copilot app via AppLocker or group policy/CSP, and can remap the Copilot hardware key to other apps or behaviors.
    • If Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is not pinned or is blocked, users can still access it via the web endpoint (unless that URL is blocked by IT), but this is the same new chat-first experience.

    Because this is a service-wide UI and behavior change, there is no configuration or policy in the provided documentation that restores the older Search/Create/Apps–first interface. The only supported levers are:

    1. Controlling whether Copilot/Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is available at all (via AppLocker, blocking URLs, or not pinning), and
    2. Controlling how users access it (taskbar pinning, Copilot key remapping, etc.).

    For teaching scenarios, the practical options are therefore:

    • Keep using the new chat-first Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat experience and adjust workflows around it.
    • If necessary for compliance or pedagogy, restrict or disable Copilot access via the admin controls mentioned above, but this will remove access rather than restore the previous interface.

    References:

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