Microsoft is retiring Copilot Mode in Edge… but it isn’t removing AI features from the browser.
Instead, the company is adding Copilot capabilities directly to Edge on desktop and mobile. Announced on Wednesday, the update makes multi-tab reasoning, browsing history context, Voice and Vision, Journeys, and new productivity tools part of the regular browser experience. The move also gives users the option to customize which Copilot features they use.
The shift turns Copilot in Edge from a separate experiment into part of the everyday browsing experience. That is where the update becomes more than a product tweak.
Copilot features move into Edge
Microsoft said it was retiring the separate Copilot Mode as part of the Edge update on May 13.
“As part of today’s update, we’re retiring Copilot Mode. With helpful features built directly into Edge, it’s now simpler to shape how you browse and get more done,” the company wrote.
Copilot Mode began as a way to test AI-assisted browsing in Edge, including tools that could search across open tabs and analyze page content. With the latest update, those capabilities are now available directly through Copilot in Edge rather than through a dedicated mode.
One of the most notable additions is multi-tab reasoning, which lets users ask Copilot to compare information across open tabs.
The feature can help with tasks such as weighing hotel listings, comparing smart TVs, reviewing research pages, or sorting through shopping options. Copilot can pull relevant details from those tabs, summarize them, and help the user make decisions without switching between pages.
Users no longer need to enable a separate mode; instead, they can activate these features through the Copilot button in Edge.
More Microsoft news
Edge Mobile gets desktop-style AI browsing
The update also brings several Edge desktop features to the Edge mobile app.
Microsoft noted that Copilot in Edge can now reason across open mobile tabs with user permission. Journeys, previously available on desktop, is also coming to mobile, where it can organize browsing history into topic-based projects with summaries and suggested next steps.
Endgadget emphasized that Journeys can help users return to longer-running tasks, such as planning trips or making purchases, days or weeks after they started. The feature is also being added to Edge mobile’s redesigned new tab page, where saved projects are easier to access.
Voice and Vision are also expanding to mobile, allowing users to share their screens with Copilot and ask questions by voice while browsing. PCMag compared the experience to Google Gemini Live and ChatGPT’s voice mode.
For organizations, the key issue is data access. Microsoft said Copilot can use browsing history and past chats only with permission, and users can customize Copilot features in Edge settings.
Microsoft is also adding Edge desktop tools aimed at studying, writing, and consuming information in new formats. Study and Learn mode can turn a web page into guided study sessions and interactive quizzes, including prompts such as “Quiz me on this topic.”
The Writing Assistant brings drafting, rewriting, and tone adjustments into places where users are already typing in Edge. Microsoft is also adding a feature that can turn open tabs into a podcast, though the option is limited to English-speaking markets.
For IT teams, the update may require a closer look at browser settings, user training, and policies around AI access to browsing history, open tabs, and workplace content.
Learn how researchers say prompt injection could turn Microsoft Copilot summaries into a new phishing risk.
Read the full article here
