Microsoft 365 Apps for People, Files, and Calendar Auto-Installing on Windows 11 Business PCs

In recent developments, Microsoft 365 Business and Enterprise users will notice the automatic installation of three new applications: People, Files, and Calendar. Microsoft announced that these apps will also be pinned to the taskbar on Windows 11. For those who prefer not to utilize these Microsoft 365 Companions, a solution exists in the form of a PowerShell script to block their auto-start feature.

When will you encounter Microsoft 365 Companions?

Your PC is part of an organization or enterprise using Microsoft 365 for business.
You have Microsoft 365 Business/Enterprise installed and are logged into a Business/Enterprise account, which will trigger these apps to appear.

According to a statement from Microsoft to Windows Latest, these Companion apps will not be available to consumer accounts at this time.

Microsoft began the rollout of these Companion apps in the last week of October, with a projected completion date set for December 2025, as indicated by the admin center updates.

Understanding the People, Files, and Calendar Apps

People Calendar and Files app on Windows 11 — Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

Microsoft claims that these mini applications are designed to enhance productivity and save time for users, which is why they are being automatically installed and made accessible from the taskbar.

As an example of their functionality, imagine you are in a meeting and need to quickly gather information about a colleague. By simply clicking on the People app, you will receive a flyout display containing relevant details.

People app on Windows 11 via Microsoft 365 Companions — Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

The People app provides valuable contact information and roles, contingent upon accurate data management within your organization. Misassignments may result in incomplete or incorrect details being displayed.

Additionally, the app integrates seamlessly with Teams, allowing you to send quick messages directly from the People app.

The Files app enables users to search for documents stored on their organization’s drive or OneDrive. Thanks to the integration with Copilot, this tool can even locate files based on intelligent queries, rather than requiring exact naming.

When accessing the Files mini app, you’ll find all recently opened documents listed for immediate convenience:

Files Microsoft 365 Companions on Windows 11 — Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

Finally, the Calendar app syncs with your Outlook Calendar to display all scheduled events and meetings succinctly.

Microsoft 365 Calendar Companion on Windows 11 — Image Courtesy: WindowsLatest.com

If you find the functionality of these Microsoft 365 Companions beneficial, they are ready for use. However, if you belong to the group that prefers not to have them integrated, there are steps you can follow to block their installation.

How to Disable Microsoft 365 Companions Installation on Windows 11

Access the Microsoft 365 Apps Admin Center (note: admin credentials are required).Contact your IT department if you lack the necessary permissions.
Navigate to Customization > Device Configuration > Modern Apps Settings.
Select Microsoft 365 companions apps (preview).
Uncheck the option titled Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 companion apps (preview).

It’s important to note that the “Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 companion apps (preview)” feature is enabled by default without user consent, which can lead to unexpected installations of the Companion apps.

Uninstalling Microsoft 365 Companions Using PowerShell

If the Microsoft 365 Companions are already installed and you wish to remove them, you can execute the following PowerShell commands:

To uninstall for a single user, employ this command:

powershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-AppxPackage Microsoft. M365Companions | Remove-AppxPackage"

To uninstall for all users on the computer, use the following command:

powershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-AppxPackage -AllUsers Microsoft. M365Companions | Remove-AppxPackage -AllUsers"

For cleaning up residual data, apply this command:

rmdir /s /q "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\Microsoft. M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState"

Be aware that these Companion apps will likely reappear unless the auto-install feature is disabled in the Admin Center.

PowerShell Script to Prevent Microsoft 365 Companions from Launching

I have created a PowerShell script that disables the auto-start feature of Microsoft 365 Companion apps (Calendar, Files, People) by modifying their registry keys. While this will not uninstall the applications, it will prevent them from launching automatically. Users can still search for these apps via the Start menu.

Registry path to control Microsoft 365 Companions:

HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\SystemAppData\Microsoft. M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe

The script outlines the processes to navigate through the CalendarStartupId, FilesStartupId, and PeopleStartupId subkeys, setting the DWORD value ‘State’ to 1 to disable startup for those apps.

To execute this, open PowerShell with administrator privileges and run the following command:

$CompanionRegRoot = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\SystemAppData\Microsoft. M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe"

$StartupSubKeys = @(‘CalendarStartupId’, ‘FilesStartupId’, ‘PeopleStartupId’) | ForEach-Object { Join-Path $CompanionRegRoot $_ }

foreach ($SubKey in $StartupSubKeys) { try { if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $SubKey) { $AppName = (Split-Path -Leaf $SubKey) -replace ‘StartupId$’, ” Write-Host (“Turning off startup for {0}”-f $AppName) -ForegroundColor Cyan Set-ItemProperty -Path $SubKey -Name ‘State’ -Value 1 -Type DWord -ErrorAction Stop } else { $MissingName = (Split-Path -Leaf $SubKey) -replace ‘StartupId$’, ” Write-Host (“Startup registry key not found for {0}”-f $MissingName) -ForegroundColor Yellow } } catch { Write-Error (“Failed to update ‘State’ at {0}: {1}”-f $SubKey, $_) } }

Do You Utilize Microsoft 365 Mini Apps?

While I personally do not find a use for these mini applications, I’m curious about your experience. Do you actively use the People, Files, and Calendar apps on Windows 11? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

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