Microsoft Edge gets Copilot Mode as AI browser race intensifies: What's new

Microsoft Edge's new Copilot Mode brings AI-powered tools into the browser, enabling users to search, summarise, and complete tasks with optional voice input

Microsoft has introduced a new Copilot Mode in its Edge browser, adding AI-powered features designed to assist users while they browse the web. The feature must be manually enabled. Once turned on, users can search, ask questions, and interact with the web through Microsoft Copilot, which it has integrated directly into the browser interface. Based on the capabilities, it might be safe to say that Copilot Mode sits between Google Chrome’s early Gemini integration and the more extensive AI features offered by dedicated browsers like Perplexity’s Comet.

 

According to a Microsoft, this mode can understand what users are doing online and suggest relevant next steps, summaries, or even help take action on their behalf, like booking a restaurant or comparing hotel prices. The final execution of bookings rests with the users at present, however, according to Microsoft, soon Copilot will take care of that too.

 

What is Copilot Mode in Microsoft Edge

Copilot Mode in Edge enables users to interact with Microsoft Copilot alongside their regular web activity. The AI assistant can offer suggestions, summarise web pages, and help users complete tasks such as drafting content, creating shopping lists, or looking up substitutes in recipes. For example, while browsing a cooking website, users can ask Copilot how to make a recipe vegan, and the AI will suggest ingredient replacements. It can also directly display a summarised version of a recipe, helping users skip lengthy introductions.

 

According to Microsoft, Copilot Mode is designed to serve as an “agentic” AI capable of helping users perform everyday tasks such as booking a hotel room, comparing products, or planning trips. With permission, Copilot can access all open tabs to better understand the user's activity, especially during tasks like researching flights across multiple sites or comparing product reviews.

 

In the future, Copilot will also be able to prompt users to pick up where they left off by remembering their browsing context and suggesting next steps in ongoing projects. For now, actions like bookings are still manual, but Microsoft plans to expand Copilot’s capabilities to work with user-provided credentials or history.

Privacy and control

Microsoft emphasises that Copilot will only access a user’s browsing data when explicitly allowed. This access will be clearly indicated through visual cues within the browser. The feature is optional and must be enabled by the user; it is turned off by default currently.

Availability and system requirements

Copilot Mode is now available for Edge users on both Windows and macOS. Users can try the feature by enabling Copilot in supported versions of the browser.