New setting to pin Microsoft 365 Copilot and Companion apps to the Windows taskbar

Originally posted by Microsoft Oct 9, 2025 Uncategorized 0 Comments

Admins can now pin Microsoft 365 Copilot and companion apps (People, File, Calendar) to the Windows taskbar via a new setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Rollout starts October 2025, with the toggle off by default. Pinning applies only if apps are installed and can be managed by admins.

Introduction

To improve access to Microsoft 365 Copilot and its productivity-enhancing companion apps, we’re introducing an update to the existing setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center. Admins can now pin the companion apps — People, File, and Calendar— to the Windows taskbar, along with the Microsoft 365 Copilot app. This update helps users quickly access Copilot’s capabilities — Chat, Search, Agents, Notebooks, and Create — alongside key productivity tools.

When this will happen:

How this affects your organization:

• Who is affected:
  • Admins managing Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.
  • Users on Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices with Microsoft 365 Copilot and companion apps installed.
• What will happen:
  • The Copilot + Companion toggle is off by default.
  • When enabled:
    • Microsoft 365 Copilot will be pinned to the taskbar on both Windows 10 and Windows 11 devices.
    • People, File, and Calendar apps will be pinned only on Windows 11 Intune-managed devices where the apps are installed.
    • When the setting is enabled, the companion apps (People, File, Calendar) are pre-selected in the admin UI for pinning. Admins can manually deselect any of these apps before applying the setting.
    • Pinned apps will appear to the right of existing taskbar apps.
    • Users who manually pinned these apps will see no change.
    • Users can unpin apps from the taskbar at any time.
    • This setting does not install the apps; it only pins them if already installed.

What you can do to prepare:

Compliance considerations:

• Manage the setting in the Microsoft 365 admin center:Copilot > Settings > User access > Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot app to the Windows taskbar
• Ensure Microsoft 365 Copilot is installed on Windows 10/11 devices.
• Ensure People, File, and Calendar apps are installed on Windows 11 devices.
• You can enable the pinning policy even if apps are not yet installed; they will be pinned once installed.
• Notify users about this change and update internal documentation.
• Learn more: Pin Microsoft 365 Copilot and Companion apps to the Windows taskbar
• This MC post is related to messages posts MC1160180 and MC 1115982 respectively 

Message ID: MC1168292