Don’t want AI Actions in File Explorer? Windows 11 will let you disable them
Image: Microsoft
Across the recent fall months, Microsoft added a number of AI features to Windows File Explorer, which not all users appreciated. We’re talking features like AI-powered file search, various AI Actions in the Context Menu, and even AI integrations with third-party apps.
Fortunately, it seems Microsoft has listened to the criticism—at least in part. In the latest beta version of Windows 11, it’s now possible to disable the “AI Actions” feature in File Explorer so that they’re no longer visible in the Context Menu. This is great if you never use them.
To switch off AI Actions, navigate to Settings in Windows 11 and select the “Apps” menu in the left panel, then select the “Actions” submenu in the main window. There you can uncheck the AI Actions associated with Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, Paint, and Photos, reports Windows Latest.
Microsoft goes into more detail on this—as well as other features and improvements in this Windows 11 beta build—in the recent Windows Insider blog post. Those new improvements include Quick Machine Recovery enabled by default on some PCs, the release of Windows MIDI Services, and native support for the Model Context Protocol that grants AI agents a standardized way to connect with apps and services.
Further reading: Sick of AI in Windows 11? Here’s how to get rid of it
This article originally appeared on our sister publication PC för Alla and was translated and localized from Swedish.
Author: Mikael Markander, Contributor, PCWorld
Mikael writes news across all our consumer tech categories. He has previously worked with Macworld, but today mainly writes for our sister sites PC för Alla and M3. Mikael has a firm grasp on which gadgets are released, and what is happening with the streaming services and the latest AI tools.
