AI skeptics may also be happy to hear that the company is putting the brakes on CoPilot, which has made its way into everything from keyboards to the generic Notepad.exe over the past few years (even though the appearance and capabilities of the standalone CoPilot app have changed quite dramatically from iteration to iteration). Davuluri said Microsoft will be “more intentional” about where Pilot appears and how it works and specifically promised to “[reduce]unnecessary Pilot entry points, starting with apps like the Snipping Tool photo widgets and Notepad.”[reduceunnecessaryCopilotentrypointsstartingwithappslikeSnippingToolPhotosWidgetsandNotepad”[अनावश्यककोपायलटप्रवेशबिंदुओंकोकमकरनेकावादाकियाहैजोस्निपिंगटूलफोटोविजेट्सऔरनोटपैडजैसेऐप्ससेशुरूहोताहै।”[reduceunnecessaryCopilotentrypointsstartingwithappslikeSnippingToolPhotosWidgetsandNotepad”
Davuluri also said that Microsoft would begin testing less-disruptive Windows updates that would give users more opportunities to (temporarily) skip them; “Faster and more reliable file explorer”, “cooler defaults” for the widgets pane, and better descriptions for the various Windows Insider Program channels and improved mechanisms for sending feedback to Microsoft.
In addition to these specific short-term changes, Davuluri also listed an extensive list of goals, including more reliable operation for Bluetooth and USB peripherals, faster and more accurate searches, lower memory usage, and response and performance improvements for base Windows components like the Start menu, taskbar, and File Explorer.
These are all nice-sounding promises, though the specifics will matter a lot – for example, being “more intentional” about Copilot still leaves room for Microsoft to intentionally implement it into every one of Windows’ built-in apps. And one big hassle, the mandatory Microsoft account sign-in requirement, is not mentioned anywhere in this post. But Microsoft at least seems to be moving in the right direction.
Windows 10 remains enduringly popular despite its end-of-support date in October 2025, and an additional year of free-ish security updates has given those who want Windows 10 a way to do so without being exposed to security flaws. But we’re already almost halfway through the year, which means a Windows 11 upgrade is probably in your future in some way or another. Hopefully Microsoft’s repeated commitment to quality means the OS will become more welcoming come October.
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