Microsoft is removing most of the OneDrive Copilot shortcuts from the File Explorer right-click menu in Windows, according to a Microsoft 365 message center post (MC1515940). The rollout begins in mid-November and is expected to finish by early December. Only the "Ask Copilot" entry stays in the context menu.
The shortcuts being removed cover summarizing documents, generating FAQs, comparing files and images, explaining images, extracting text, and asking questions about a file.
Microsoft describes the change in a single line: "We're simplifying how people use Copilot with their OneDrive files in File Explorer."
Copilot Actions Move Out of the File Explorer Context Menu
Microsoft announced the OneDrive Copilot actions in September 2025 as a way to bring AI into daily file management for Microsoft 365 subscribers. The company said at the time that Copilot could summarize lengthy documents, generate an FAQ, compare files, or answer questions about a file "with just a few clicks."
Each action was added as a separate entry with an identical icon, which made an already crowded menu longer. After the change, the individual actions will not disappear from OneDrive completely. They remain available in the OneDrive activity center, and Copilot can still work with a file through a conversation.
The move fits a direction Microsoft has stated publicly. In March 2026, Windows boss Pavan Davuluri said: "We are reducing unnecessary Copilot entry points." Microsoft took a similar step earlier this month with the retirement of Themes by Copilot in Outlook.
How OneDrive Users Can Keep Using Copilot on Files
Users who relied on the dedicated shortcuts will need one extra step once the update reaches their PC. Microsoft lists these remaining routes:
- Right-click a OneDrive file in File Explorer and select "Ask Copilot" to start a Copilot conversation with that file attached.
- Use the Copilot icon in File Explorer Home to open Copilot from the main File Explorer view.
- Open the OneDrive activity center to reach the individual actions, such as summarizing a document or comparing files.
The trade-off is an extra click for anyone who used a specific action, such as summarizing a document, directly from the menu. In return, File Explorer's right-click menu loses a group of entries that all shared the same Copilot icon.
The File Explorer context menu itself is also being reworked. Microsoft has said it wants to make the menu less "cluttered and sluggish," and the overhaul includes an option for users to have it behave more like the Windows 10 version.
Organizations that documented the old Copilot shortcuts in internal guides can point users to Ask Copilot, the File Explorer Home icon, or the OneDrive activity center instead, since those are the routes Microsoft names in its message center post.
Microsoft has not given exact dates for individual devices, and the message center post only states that the removal starts in mid-November and should be complete by early December.
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