Microsoft Excel Tutorial: Microsoft has a new Copilot icon that follows the active cell around Excel. It is super annoying. Here is how to get rid of it!
In yesterday’s video, DR Steele asked a great question: How do we remove this annoying Copilot icon that won’t go away? Microsoft doesn’t give us a global setting to turn it off, and every time you open a new workbook, it comes right back. Frustrating, right? Well, I’ve got a workaround!
Thanks to John Acampora, we found a way to manually hide the icon using a keyboard shortcut. But that’s not a permanent fix. So, I turned to my friend Suat, and together, we came up with a VBA solution that will hide the Copilot icon automatically whenever you open Excel. No more distractions—just a clean workspace!
In this video, I walk you through the VBA code you need to add to your Personal Macro Workbook (Personal.xlsb) to remove the Copilot icon every time Excel starts. If you don’t have a Personal.xlsb set up yet, watch this video:
Just copy and paste the code, and you’re good to go!
Hopefully, Microsoft will give us a proper toggle for this soon, but until then, this VBA trick will do the job. Let me know in the comments if you try it out, and don’t forget to subscribe for more Excel tips and tricks!
Copy and Paste this VBA Code:
For other languages, use this in the Immediate pane:
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Buy Bill Jelen's latest Excel book: MrExcel 2024 Igniting Excel
Table of Contents
(0:00) Why is the Copilot icon following my cursor
(0:38) Jon Acompora shortcut key Alt+Pgm H
(1:06) Not a permanent solution
(1:29) How many controls in the menu?
(1:44) What is the caption of the Hide control?
(2:04) Executing the Hide control
(2:18) Find your Personal Macro Workbook
(2:36) Paste code into a class module
(3:13) How to turn the Copilot chicklet back on
(3:44) Success! The icon is gone!
(4:14) Future video will look at the Copilot chicklet
(4:29) Wrap-up
(4:40) Thanks for watching
(4:50) Closing Theme
This video answers these search terms:
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Disable Copilot icon permanently in Excel
In yesterday’s video, DR Steele asked a great question: How do we remove this annoying Copilot icon that won’t go away? Microsoft doesn’t give us a global setting to turn it off, and every time you open a new workbook, it comes right back. Frustrating, right? Well, I’ve got a workaround!
Thanks to John Acampora, we found a way to manually hide the icon using a keyboard shortcut. But that’s not a permanent fix. So, I turned to my friend Suat, and together, we came up with a VBA solution that will hide the Copilot icon automatically whenever you open Excel. No more distractions—just a clean workspace!
In this video, I walk you through the VBA code you need to add to your Personal Macro Workbook (Personal.xlsb) to remove the Copilot icon every time Excel starts. If you don’t have a Personal.xlsb set up yet, watch this video:
Just copy and paste the code, and you’re good to go!
Hopefully, Microsoft will give us a proper toggle for this soon, but until then, this VBA trick will do the job. Let me know in the comments if you try it out, and don’t forget to subscribe for more Excel tips and tricks!
Copy and Paste this VBA Code:
VBA Code:
Private WithEvents app As Application
Private Sub Workbook_Open()
Set app = Application
End Sub
Private Sub app_NewWorkbook(ByVal Wb As Workbook)
Application.CommandBars("Copilot Menu").Controls("&Hide until I Reopen this Document").Execute
End Sub
Private Sub app_WorkbookOpen(ByVal Wb As Workbook)
If Not ActiveWindow Is Nothing Then
Application.CommandBars("Copilot Menu").Controls("&Hide until I Reopen this Document").Execute
End If
End Sub
For other languages, use this in the Immediate pane:
VBA Code:
? Application.CommandBars("Copilot Menu").Controls(14).Caption
Subscribe for More Excel Hacks!
Buy Bill Jelen's latest Excel book: MrExcel 2024 Igniting Excel
Table of Contents
(0:00) Why is the Copilot icon following my cursor
(0:38) Jon Acompora shortcut key Alt+Pgm H
(1:06) Not a permanent solution
(1:29) How many controls in the menu?
(1:44) What is the caption of the Hide control?
(2:04) Executing the Hide control
(2:18) Find your Personal Macro Workbook
(2:36) Paste code into a class module
(3:13) How to turn the Copilot chicklet back on
(3:44) Success! The icon is gone!
(4:14) Future video will look at the Copilot chicklet
(4:29) Wrap-up
(4:40) Thanks for watching
(4:50) Closing Theme
This video answers these search terms:
Remove Copilot icon Excel
Turn off Copilot Microsoft 365
Hide Copilot button in Excel
Stop Copilot icon from appearing in Excel
VBA to remove Copilot in Excel
Excel Copilot icon won’t go away
How to get rid of Copilot in Excel
Excel 365 remove Copilot menu
Disable Copilot icon permanently in Excel
Transcript of the video:
In a comment on my video yesterday, DR Steele asked the great question. What is up with this annoying Copilot icon that we cannot kill? Why is it there?
How do we get rid of it? This is one that's driving me crazy, but I've got a solution. This thing.
Are you getting this? Oh my God, everywhere we go, it's showing up.
This is a completely blank range. Why are you showing me this stuff?
Why do you think I need copilot right here? Where's the setting to get rid of it?
No, there is no global setting to turn it off. The only thing you can do is go back to, I don't know, perpetual Excel! Where you don't have 365 anymore.
Okay? Thanks to John Acampora for figuring out that the way to open that item is to hold down the alt key and then what is this?
The right click key? The context key?
The application key? The program key.
I have a million names for it. So this and then this.
Very quickly we'll open that item and then H. So bam, bam, h.
Alt, Program key. Let go of that and then press H.
Right? But this only hides for this workbook.
Until I reopen this document tomorrow. I'm going to need it.
I press control N and it's going to come back, right?
It is not a good solution at all. So I went to my good friend Suat this morning.
I said, Suat, there must be some way that we can do this with VBA?
Like Send Keys or something like that. Right?
Here I am in the immediate window. I'm going to ask for application dot command bars, copilot menu controls dot count. And it says that there are 14 controls in that little menu. They aren't showing them all to me right now.
There must be some that come and go. But now that I know how many there are.
And the one that I want is the 14th one. So I can ask for controls, 14, caption.
And learn, in my language, it's “Hide until I reopen this document”.
Now, if you're in some other language. You should go do this in VBA.
So that we can get that bit of text. Which then means that in VBA we can execute that item. So it finds a Copilot menu.
Finds the control called hide until I reopen this document.
And then clicks execute, right? Do you see where I'm going with this?
Oh my gosh. So we need a personal macro workbook.
Over here on the left hand side, personal XLSB. If you don't have one, I'll put a link down to the YouTube comments to how to create your own personal XLSB.
We don't want to put it in a module. We want to come here to Microsoft Excel objects.
We want to go to This Workbook. Right-click and say View Code.
We're going to set up a little class module here. And I'll put this code that I'm about to paste.
Down in the YouTube comments. So it's basically saying.
When this workbook opens. When personal XLSBS opens.
We're going to create something called a variable called App.
And anytime that we either do control N for New. Or open a workbook, it's going to go execute.
Hide Until I reopen this document. This is going to essentially kill this annoying thing that Microsoft will not give us a way to get rid of.
And we're going to get rid of it ourselves. Now, would it be nice to be able to turn it back on? Sure, you could do that.
Just come here and comment out this one line of code.
Close Excel. Re-open Excel, and then the thing comes back.
But let's just do a little test here. So I'm going to save my personal XLSB.
Close VBA. I'll save this workbook, exit Excel, and then reopen Excel. That'll reopen personal xlsb and run our new code.
The icon is gone. Thank God!
I open a workbook that exists. The icon is gone.
What was Microsoft thinking that they decided to put this in our face?
With no way for us to get rid of it. Thank God for my friend Suat who figured out some way to be able to get rid of this. Hopefully Microsoft will give us something easier than this code. So that way we can just turn it on and turn it off. I'll do a video later talking about what the chicklet does. And what it's good for.
And what it's not good for. And the bigger question of should it even be there? If it's not working well yet.
That'll be for another day. For today though, just copy this code.
Go to your personal xlsb. Find under Microsoft Excel objects, This workbook. Right click.
View code. Paste it.
Close Excel. Re-open Excel, and the thing will be gone.
Well, hey, I want to thank DR Steele for sending that question in.
And I want to thank Suat for giving us that awesome code.
I want to thank you for stopping by. We'll see you next time for another net cast from MrExcel. I open up Excel, just tryna get paid.
But there's a little icon in my way! Hoverin’, stalkin’, followin’ me.
Like Clippy's evil ghost, won’t let me be! Click a cell—there it goes, moves right along, Did I ask for help?! Man, you're so wrong!
Everywhere I look, it’s in my face. Microsoft, why you do me this way?!
I just wanna work, I just wanna grind, But this floating curse won’t leave my sight!
GO AWAY! GET OUT MY GRID! I never asked for this.
I never wanted it! SAY GOODBYE!
WE FOUND THE CODE! A tiny macro, now you're gone for good!
Clickety-clack, open VBA.
How do we get rid of it? This is one that's driving me crazy, but I've got a solution. This thing.
Are you getting this? Oh my God, everywhere we go, it's showing up.
This is a completely blank range. Why are you showing me this stuff?
Why do you think I need copilot right here? Where's the setting to get rid of it?
No, there is no global setting to turn it off. The only thing you can do is go back to, I don't know, perpetual Excel! Where you don't have 365 anymore.
Okay? Thanks to John Acampora for figuring out that the way to open that item is to hold down the alt key and then what is this?
The right click key? The context key?
The application key? The program key.
I have a million names for it. So this and then this.
Very quickly we'll open that item and then H. So bam, bam, h.
Alt, Program key. Let go of that and then press H.
Right? But this only hides for this workbook.
Until I reopen this document tomorrow. I'm going to need it.
I press control N and it's going to come back, right?
It is not a good solution at all. So I went to my good friend Suat this morning.
I said, Suat, there must be some way that we can do this with VBA?
Like Send Keys or something like that. Right?
Here I am in the immediate window. I'm going to ask for application dot command bars, copilot menu controls dot count. And it says that there are 14 controls in that little menu. They aren't showing them all to me right now.
There must be some that come and go. But now that I know how many there are.
And the one that I want is the 14th one. So I can ask for controls, 14, caption.
And learn, in my language, it's “Hide until I reopen this document”.
Now, if you're in some other language. You should go do this in VBA.
So that we can get that bit of text. Which then means that in VBA we can execute that item. So it finds a Copilot menu.
Finds the control called hide until I reopen this document.
And then clicks execute, right? Do you see where I'm going with this?
Oh my gosh. So we need a personal macro workbook.
Over here on the left hand side, personal XLSB. If you don't have one, I'll put a link down to the YouTube comments to how to create your own personal XLSB.
We don't want to put it in a module. We want to come here to Microsoft Excel objects.
We want to go to This Workbook. Right-click and say View Code.
We're going to set up a little class module here. And I'll put this code that I'm about to paste.
Down in the YouTube comments. So it's basically saying.
When this workbook opens. When personal XLSBS opens.
We're going to create something called a variable called App.
And anytime that we either do control N for New. Or open a workbook, it's going to go execute.
Hide Until I reopen this document. This is going to essentially kill this annoying thing that Microsoft will not give us a way to get rid of.
And we're going to get rid of it ourselves. Now, would it be nice to be able to turn it back on? Sure, you could do that.
Just come here and comment out this one line of code.
Close Excel. Re-open Excel, and then the thing comes back.
But let's just do a little test here. So I'm going to save my personal XLSB.
Close VBA. I'll save this workbook, exit Excel, and then reopen Excel. That'll reopen personal xlsb and run our new code.
The icon is gone. Thank God!
I open a workbook that exists. The icon is gone.
What was Microsoft thinking that they decided to put this in our face?
With no way for us to get rid of it. Thank God for my friend Suat who figured out some way to be able to get rid of this. Hopefully Microsoft will give us something easier than this code. So that way we can just turn it on and turn it off. I'll do a video later talking about what the chicklet does. And what it's good for.
And what it's not good for. And the bigger question of should it even be there? If it's not working well yet.
That'll be for another day. For today though, just copy this code.
Go to your personal xlsb. Find under Microsoft Excel objects, This workbook. Right click.
View code. Paste it.
Close Excel. Re-open Excel, and the thing will be gone.
Well, hey, I want to thank DR Steele for sending that question in.
And I want to thank Suat for giving us that awesome code.
I want to thank you for stopping by. We'll see you next time for another net cast from MrExcel. I open up Excel, just tryna get paid.
But there's a little icon in my way! Hoverin’, stalkin’, followin’ me.
Like Clippy's evil ghost, won’t let me be! Click a cell—there it goes, moves right along, Did I ask for help?! Man, you're so wrong!
Everywhere I look, it’s in my face. Microsoft, why you do me this way?!
I just wanna work, I just wanna grind, But this floating curse won’t leave my sight!
GO AWAY! GET OUT MY GRID! I never asked for this.
I never wanted it! SAY GOODBYE!
WE FOUND THE CODE! A tiny macro, now you're gone for good!
Clickety-clack, open VBA.
Last edited by a moderator: