Hands-On Windows 183: You Can't Spell Windows With AI
Aired: April 2, 2026
Host: Paul Veratto
Podcast Network: TWiT.tv
Episode Overview
In this episode of "Hands-On Windows," Paul Veratto delves into the growing presence of AI within Windows 11, focusing on tools, utilities, and settings that allow users to reduce or remove AI features—particularly Microsoft Copilot. He provides a practical walkthrough of using the Win11 Debloat utility, explores manual removal methods, and discusses the pros and cons of purging or retaining certain AI elements. The episode strikes a balance between criticism of unnecessary AI integration and acknowledgment of genuinely useful features.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Context: AI Proliferation in Windows 11
- Paul reflects on the continual addition of AI features in Windows 11, noting that "there's more coming" and acknowledging user interest in controlling or removing such functions. (01:43)
- He connects these developments to his ongoing work (and a book-in-progress) on "deinsurdifying" (debloating) Windows 11.
2. Win11 Debloat Utility Breakdown
Demonstration and Walkthrough
- Paul demonstrates running Win11 Debloat as an administrator and explains the utility's interface:
- "As before, I'm going to go through the custom setup… And you should turn this on so it only shows the installed apps. You can use this to uninstall Copilot." (04:20)
- Details on removing both Copilot and, where present, Microsoft 365 Copilot, clarifying:
- "What you're looking for... is something called the Office Hub. That's the old Office app which became the Microsoft 365 Copilot app." (05:00)
- System Tweaks: The utility offers toggles for AI-related features, including:
- Disable Microsoft Copilot (removes app and background processes)
- Remove Windows Recall (for Copilot+ PCs)
- Remove Click to Do feature (which Paul admits is "really good," and doesn't recommend removing)
- Removing AI features in Microsoft Edge is also available, but Paul skips turning it off initially to demonstrate its effects later.
Notable Quote
"I'll also point out that there is no way using this utility or otherwise to remove the AI features in... the Photos app. And if you have a Copilot plus PC... some of those capabilities are fantastic. I don't know why anyone would want to remove those features, but if you wanted to use a different image viewer, image editor, you could do that and then just uninstall Photos." (06:45)
3. Limitations and Inconsistencies
- Paul highlights inconsistencies in AI feature management:
- Some features are easily removed, while others lack straightforward options.
- "It's a little irritating, frankly. I think you should do what you can do with win 11 debloat because it makes it easier." (09:29)
- Specifics on removing or disabling AI in individual apps:
- Windows Recall: Sometimes must be toggled via Windows features control panel.
- Click to Do: Disabled via Privacy & Security settings.
- AI Actions: Toggled in Settings, but if all options are off, the empty menu persists "for now."
- Paint/Photos/Notepad: No built-in removal for AI in Paint and Photos; features can be "hidden" by uninstalling the app.
- Notepad: AI features can be removed directly within the app.
4. Deep Dive: Microsoft Edge AI Settings
Settings Navigation
- Paul explores disabling AI integration in Edge:
- AI Innovations – Toggle off AI capabilities.
- Appearance > Copilot and Sidebar – "I could just… turn those off. I hate the sidebar. But you could turn on Copilot as a sidebar, right?" (11:45)
- Insight: Even without Edge's Copilot, users can access tools like ChatGPT or Gemini in-browser, and extensions by other AI companies are forthcoming.
- "If you do want to use Edge, but you don't want any of that… just turn all this stuff off. That's me, but obviously that's up to you." (13:20)
5. Broader AI Trends and Future Outlook
- Microsoft is poised to add even more AI and agentic functions in Windows 11, which Paul calls frankly worrisome.
- "There's more AI coming from Microsoft. That's just inevitable. There's that agentic functionality that is coming this year, which I'm borderline freaking out over, but you may or may not want that." (15:10)
- Paul predicts, "as AI gets worse in Windows 11… the utilities that remove that stuff will only get better." (15:30)
Memorable Quotes
- "Not that all of it is bad, we'll get to some of that... But just to give you a complete list of what you might want to uninstall, let you, you know, uninstall what you want to install. Right." — Paul Veratto (03:10)
- "Always create a system restore point. And generally speaking, I do recommend restarting Explorer. I'm not going to do that here because we're recording but apply changes and so this thing will run like it did before." (07:45)
- "If you have a Copilot plus PC, the options you see here are options that are available on all PCs… It doesn't actually remove all the features. You can see there were still three left. I've had mixed results with this. It removes some but not others." (06:15)
- "You could also just not use this damn thing. Right? So Microsoft Edge certainly has its problems." (13:10)
Detailed Section Timestamps
| Segment | Time | |------------------------------------------|--------------| | Introduction to topic | 01:43–03:20 | | Win11 Debloat setup and Copilot removal | 03:20–07:50 | | AI in individual apps (Photos, Notepad) | 06:15–07:45 | | Manual/Settings-based removal steps | 09:29–12:20 | | Microsoft Edge AI/Sidebar walkthrough | 11:45–13:40 | | Paul’s perspective on AI’s future in Windows | 15:10–15:40 |
Takeaways & Episode Tone
- Practical, Candid, and Slightly Sarcastic: The episode is hands-on, straightforward, and honest about both the annoyances and occasional benefits of Windows 11's AI features.
- User Empowerment: Paul provides clear, step-by-step recommendations for reclaiming control of one's system.
- Evolving Landscape: The overall message is that AI integration is accelerating, but so are the community-created tools to counter it—suggesting a cat-and-mouse dynamic for power users.