Microsoft to Force Its Software Install on Eligible Windows PCs

Microsoft is set to force-install additional software on Windows this October. The Copilot app will automatically install on PCs that already have the Microsoft 365 desktop apps. Apps for People, File Search, and Calendar will be pushed to Windows 11 Enterprise devices with startup by default.

Microsoft will automatically install the Copilot AI app on Windows devices that already have the Microsoft 365 (formerly Office) desktop applications (Word, Excel, etc.). The rollout begins in October 2025, with installations occurring in the background, and is disabled for customers in the European Economic Area.

Separately, Microsoft is deploying three taskbar Microsoft 365 companion apps for Windows 11 to enhance user productivity. People, File Search, and Calendar will be forced on enterprise-managed (so, work or study) devices that have the Microsoft 365 desktop apps, at least for now. The rollout is scheduled for late October through December 2025, and the apps launch at sign-in by default.

For users concerned about performance, particularly gamers, this won’t affect the average FPS, but it will add startup items and background activity. As a result, booting and logging in will take slightly longer, RAM usage increases by a bit, while update bursts can cause small CPU spikes. Battery life on laptops will drop very slightly.

Steam’s September 2025 hardware survey shows that Windows 11 accounts for 63.04% of Steam PCs, while Windows 10 remains at 32.18%, roughly a third of the platform.

As Microsoft forces its software on Windows 11, Windows 10 reaches the end of support on October 14, 2025. The shift to Windows 11 and its hardware requirements has driven upgrade activity, with Jon Peddie Research projecting that the PC hardware market will grow 35% in 2025 to $44.5 billion, primarily due to migration-driven sales.