Copilot in Microsoft Edge is the AI assistant built into the browser: select the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner and it can summarise the web page, video or PDF you're on and answer questions about it. Depending on your prompt it can also use your open tabs and browser history, and the switch that stops that is Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web.
Microsoft describes it as a built-in AI assistant that helps you make decisions, research topics online and summarise pages, videos and PDFs from the Edge sidebar. It's also in Edge on mobile. The useful questions are what it can see, and what you'd want to switch off.
Getting started in four steps
- Sign in to Edge with your personal Microsoft account. On a work machine, your work profile signs you in instead.
- Open the website, video or PDF you want to ask about.
- Select the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner of Edge.
- The first time, Copilot either tells you or asks your permission, depending on your region, before it uses information from Edge. It remembers your choice after that.
Five ways to ask it something
- Type a prompt. Ask a question and Copilot looks at the page before answering.
- Pick a suggested prompt. Copilot suggests prompts using the page titles and URLs of your open tabs.
- Dictate. If you're a Microsoft 365 subscriber, select the microphone and speak.
- Talk to it. Subscribers can select the Waves button for a spoken conversation, and share the screen to discuss the page. That's Copilot Vision at work inside the browser.
- One-click summary. Select Create a Summary or Expand on this topic for a straight analysis of the page.
What it reads from your browser
This is the bit worth understanding before you use it on anything sensitive. Microsoft says Edge decides what to use based on the kind of prompt you write:
| What you ask | Example | What Edge may use |
|---|---|---|
| Something about the page | Summarise this PDF | Your query, recent conversation history, the current page, the page title, your open tabs and your browser history |
| Something unrelated to the page | Microsoft's example: Help me plan a trip to Cannon Beach | The URL, the page title, your prompt and previous conversation history, and nothing beyond that |
| Nothing yet: you've just opened Copilot | Suggested prompts appear | The page titles and URLs of your open tabs |
Notice the middle row. Even when your question has nothing to do with the page you're on, the address and title of that page still go along with it. If you've got a client's dashboard open in the tab and ask Copilot for a recipe, it knows which page you were on.
Switch off context clues
Microsoft documents one setting for this, and it's three clicks away:
- Select the More menu (...) in the Edge toolbar.
- Select Copilot and AI.
- Turn off Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web.
With that off, Microsoft says Copilot won't use the current page, page title, open tabs or browser history in its responses. Microsoft's own advice on this is plain: don't share sensitive information you wouldn't want used as browsing context, and remove information by closing tabs and clearing your browsing history. If you've never cleared Edge's history before, this walkthrough on clearing Edge's cache and history covers it.
The Copilot new tab page
Edge can also replace your new tab with Copilot. Microsoft says the Copilot new tab page brings together Copilot chat, search and web navigation into a single experience. To try it, open the More menu (...), select Copilot and AI, and turn on Copilot new tab page. The same toggle turns it off again.
At work it's busier. Microsoft says the work version combines AI chat, Microsoft Search, recent files, meetings and work content, with work cards for upcoming meetings and active documents. You'll find it in Edge Settings, then Copilot and AI, then Copilot new tab page, and your organisation may switch it on through policy.
Browse with Copilot: letting it click for you
Browse with Copilot is the agent mode. Microsoft says it lets Copilot act in Edge for you, clicking, typing and moving between tabs, while you watch each step and can take control at any time. The tab it's working in shows a cursor icon. For consumers, Microsoft says it's rolling out for Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers in the US, with more markets to follow, as of October 2026.
To use it, select Browse with Copilot in the Copilot text box. Start with "In my browser..." or "On my current page..." to act on what's open, or with "Open...", "Find...", "Book..." or "Add..." for other jobs. Microsoft's work guide gives this example:
Microsoft's example Browse with Copilot prompt
Find the pricing page for a SaaS product and compare the pricing plans.
Work with meWant AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
Now the honest part. Microsoft calls the feature experimental. It says Copilot may misread instructions, make mistakes, or be tricked by hidden malicious text on a page, which is called prompt injection. It tells you to avoid financial activity such as banking, stock trading and card details, and personal identifiers such as government IDs and medical records.
Two details surprised me. Copilot can't reach your autofill data, saved passwords or wallet, but it can use your cookies, so if you're already signed in to a site, Copilot is signed in too. Microsoft's fix is to delete your cookies first or start with a brand-new browser profile. And Copilot takes screenshots of the pages it works on. They're saved with the conversation, never used for training, deleted when you delete the conversation, and otherwise kept for up to 30 days.
On a work profile
Sign in with a work (Microsoft Entra ID) account and you get enterprise data protection, which Microsoft says means what you share with Copilot isn't used to train the AI model. Browse with Copilot for work is in a limited preview for enterprise tenants who've opted in, and Copilot won't act on a page unless you ask it to. Your IT admin decides which sites it can use through allow and block lists, and you can check yours in Edge Settings, then Copilot and AI, then Allow Copilot to browse with me. Pages your organisation protects with data loss prevention policies can't be summarised at all.
What I'd switch on, and what I'd leave off
I'd leave context clues on only if you're happy with Copilot seeing your tabs and history. If you keep client systems open all day, turn it off and paste in what you want summarised instead. Skip Browse with Copilot for banking, payments or any account you'd be upset to see misused, at least while Microsoft still calls it experimental. Summaries of long PDFs are where it earns its keep. If you're still deciding on a browser, my Chrome versus Edge comparison lays out the trade-offs.
If you're deciding what an AI browser assistant should be allowed to see on your team's machines, that's the kind of AI enablement I help with. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
How do I open Copilot in Edge?
Sign in to Edge, open a website, video or PDF, and select the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner of the browser.
Can Copilot in Edge see my open tabs?
Yes, depending on your prompt. Microsoft says it can use the current page, page title, open tabs and browser history for prompts about page content.
How do I stop Copilot in Edge using my browsing data?
Open the More menu (...) in the Edge toolbar, select Copilot and AI, and turn off Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web.
Is Browse with Copilot safe for online banking?
Microsoft calls the feature experimental and tells you to avoid financial activity such as banking, stock trading and card details.
Does Copilot in Edge keep screenshots?
When Browse with Copilot is working, it saves screenshots with the conversation. Microsoft says they're not used for training, are deleted with the conversation, and are otherwise kept for up to 30 days.
