Introduction

Microsoft is introducing new Microsoft 365 companion apps to Windows 11 devices as part of a broader integration effort. These apps may be installed automatically unless you opt out, but you can also choose to install them early for testing.

In this post, I’ll walk through how to manage the rollout: opting out of auto-installation, installing manually, uninstalling if needed, disabling automatic startup, and pinning the apps to your taskbar for quick access.

Manual installation

If you want to test the Microsoft 365 companion apps before they roll out automatically, you can deploy them manually by downloading and running the setup binary provided by Microsoft.

• Find the download available via the official learn page: Microsoft 365 companions apps overview – Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn

Intune deployment

To deploy the Microsoft 365 companion apps via Intune, you can package the setup binary (M365CompanionSetup.exe) using the IntuneWinAppUtil.exe tool provided by Microsoft.

Run the following command to create the .intunewin package: IntuneWinAppUtil.exe -c "C:\Path\To\SourceFolder" -s "M365CompanionSetup.exe" -o "C:\Path\To\OutputFolder"

Once you’ve packaged the M365CompanionSetup.exe using IntuneWinAppUtil.exe, you can upload and configure it in Intune:

• Go to the Intune Admin Center
• Navigate to Apps > Windows > Add
• Select Windows app (Win32) and upload the .intunewin file
• Fill in the app details and requirements as needed
  • Uninstall command: powershell.exe -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -NoProfile -WindowStyle Hidden -Command “Get-AppxPackage -Name ‘Microsoft.M365Companions’ | Remove-AppxPackage -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue”

• Under Detection Rules, choose Use a custom script and upload a script containing below PowerShell code:

# Check for Microsoft 365 companion apps package
$package = Get-AppxPackage -Name "Microsoft.M365Companions" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

if ($package) {
    Write-Output "Microsoft 365 companion apps detected."
    exit 0 # Package found, indicates app is present
} else {
    Write-Output "Microsoft 365 companion apps not detected."
    exit 1 # Package not found, indicates app is not present
}

Automatic startup

According to Microsoft documentation, the Microsoft 365 companion apps are configured to start automatically with Windows. If this behavior doesn’t align with your environment or preferences, you can manage it via the Windows Registry.

Use the following PowerShell script to disable automatic startup for the Calendar, Files, and People components of the Microsoft 365 companion apps:

# Script to disable specific Microsoft 365 Companion Apps startup by setting State DWORD to 1
# Targets Calendar, Files, and People registry paths for Microsoft.M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe
# Requires user context for HKCU registry access

$baseRegPath = "HKCU:\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AppModel\SystemAppData\Microsoft.M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe"
$startupPaths = @(
    "$baseRegPath\CalendarStartupId",
    "$baseRegPath\FilesStartupId",
    "$baseRegPath\PeopleStartupId"
)

foreach ($path in $startupPaths) {
    try {
        # Check if the registry path exists
        if (Test-Path $path) {
            # Set State DWORD to 1 (disabled)
            Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name "State" -Value 1 -Type DWord -ErrorAction Stop
            Write-Output "Disabled startup for $path"
        } else {
            Write-Output "Registry path not found: $path"
        }
    } catch {
        Write-Error "Failed to set State for $path : $_"
    }
}

Write-Output "Completed processing specified Microsoft 365 Companion Apps startup settings."

Pin to Taskbar

If you want to pin the Microsoft 365 companion apps to the taskbar automatically across devices, you can use Intune in combination with a Taskbar layout XML file.

Deploy via Intune Settings Catalog

1. Go to Intune Admin Center
2. Navigate to Devices > Configuration profiles
3. Create a new profile:
   • Platform: Windows 10 and later
   • Profile type: Settings catalog
4. In Settings picker, search for and select:
   • Start > Start Menu Layout
5. Paste the XML content into the Start Menu Layout field

This method applies the layout proactively to users, even on existing profiles, making it ideal for production environments.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LayoutModificationTemplate
    xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/LayoutModification"
    xmlns:defaultlayout="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/FullDefaultLayout"
    xmlns:start="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/StartLayout"
    xmlns:taskbar="http://schemas.microsoft.com/Start/2014/TaskbarLayout"
    Version="1">
  <CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>
    <defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
      <taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
        <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe!People" PinGeneration="1"/>
        <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Files" PinGeneration="1"/>
        <taskbar:UWA AppUserModelID="Microsoft.M365Companions_8wekyb3d8bbwe!Calendar" PinGeneration="1"/>
      </taskbar:TaskbarPinList>
    </defaultlayout:TaskbarLayout>
  </CustomTaskbarLayoutCollection>
</LayoutModificationTemplate>

Opt-Out of Automatic Installation

By default, Microsoft 365 companion apps (People, Files, Calendar) will be automatically installed on Windows 11 devices that already have Microsoft 365 desktop apps. If you want to prevent this rollout in your organization, you can opt out via the Microsoft 365 Apps admin center.

How to Opt Out

1. Go to config.office.com
2. Navigate to Customization > Modern Apps Configuration
3. Locate the setting for Microsoft 365 Companion Apps (Preview)
4. Uncheck Enable automatic installation of Microsoft 365 companion apps (preview)

ENJOY 🙂

• Microsoft 365 companions apps overview – Microsoft 365 Apps | Microsoft Learn
• Get started with Microsoft 365 companions – Microsoft Support