Microsoft is removing eight Copilot actions from File Explorer

Microsoft is removing eight ready-made Copilot actions from the OneDrive context menu in Windows 11 File Explorer, with the retirement beginning in mid-November and expected to finish worldwide by early December 2026, according to Microsoft’s Message Center notice as reported by Notebookcheck ¹.

What is changing

The shortcuts being removed are Summarize, Create FAQ, Compare Files, Ask a question, Explain image, Explain images, Compare images and Extract text. They currently appear when users right-click a OneDrive file and open the Copilot submenu. Microsoft has not published device-by-device dates, so the rollout window is the only timetable users can rely on ¹.

What remains available

The change does not remove Copilot from OneDrive. Microsoft is keeping Ask Copilot in the right-click menu, which opens a conversation with the selected file attached. Users can also reach Copilot from the icon on the File Explorer Home page, while the removed actions remain available in the OneDrive activity centre ¹. Microsoft’s OneDrive documentation continues to describe file questions, comparisons and summaries as supported Copilot workflows, although the precise entry points can change as the company simplifies the interface ².

Microsoft says the purpose of the retirement is to consolidate the actions into a simpler entry point. That means fewer one-click shortcuts, but not the loss of the underlying ability to work with files. Administrators do not need to change a setting, though organisations may need to update internal training or help-desk guidance that lists the retiring commands ¹.

Our opinion

This is a small interface change, but it says something useful about Microsoft’s Copilot strategy. Eight separate commands make a context menu look powerful until users have to remember which one does what. Moving towards one file-aware prompt should be easier to explain, provided the replacement is fast and predictable. The risk is that a single entry point hides useful capabilities from people who preferred an obvious action such as Compare Files or Extract text.

For now, the practical takeaway is simple: Windows 11 users should expect the shortcuts to disappear gradually from mid-November, while the files and Copilot features themselves remain available through the surviving menu entry, File Explorer Home and OneDrive’s activity centre. The hero is an abstract technology image, not Microsoft product artwork. Photo by The Six on Pexels ³.