Microsoft transforms Edge into an AI-driven web browser, offered with the experimental 'Copilot Mode' – learn how to activate it immediately
Microsoft has introduced a groundbreaking AI-powered feature called "Copilot Mode" for its Edge web browser. This experimental AI-driven browsing tool is designed to revolutionise the web experience by integrating AI deeply into navigation, search, and content analysis.
Distinguishing itself from AI-powered browsers from Perplexity and OpenAI, Copilot Mode offers several key advantages. It boasts multi-tab context awareness, which allows it to access and analyse content across all open tabs, summarising and cross-referencing information. This is particularly useful for research or comparison tasks.
Another standout feature is the unified, integrated interface. Copilot Mode provides a single input box that merges search, chat, and navigation, eliminating the need for users to switch between different tools or tabs to get assistance.
Microsoft deploys the latest GPT-5 model in Copilot, featuring a smart routing system that selects the optimal sub-model for quick answers or complex reasoning, improving the quality and relevance of AI outputs. This advanced multi-model approach may offer deeper, context-aware AI responses compared to typical implementations.
Users can also issue voice commands to navigate and search, adding convenience and accessibility. Copilot Mode operates under Microsoft’s stringent privacy standards, only accessing user content with permission and providing clear visual indicators when AI is active.
Compared to AI-powered browsers from Perplexity and OpenAI, Copilot Mode predominantly redefines browsing as a collaborative AI-powered process spanning multiple tabs and tasks with advanced AI decision-making and voice control.
| Feature | Microsoft Edge Copilot Mode | Perplexity / OpenAI AI Browsers | |-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------| | Multi-Tab Content Awareness | Yes, analyzes across all open tabs | No, usually single-page context | | Unified Input (chat/search/navigation) | Single input box combining all functions | Separate chat or search interfaces | | Core AI Model | GPT-5 with smart routing for task-specific processing | GPT models, generally single model without routing | | Voice Navigation | Supported, including commands to open/search tabs | Mostly text-based chat interfaces | | Privacy Controls | Strict Microsoft privacy standards, user opt-in required | Varies by platform | | Integration Depth | Deep integration in browser UI and multi-task workflows | Overlay or extensions providing AI assistance |
Currently, Copilot Mode can navigate to websites using natural language and understand recent searches to offer related suggestions. It is available for free for a limited time, but specific details about the "limited time" are not provided. Users can enable Copilot Mode by visiting www.microsoft.com/edge/ai-powered/copilot-mode.
In the future, the ability for Copilot to use browsing history and credential data to enhance its assistive capabilities will be available. Additionally, the AI assistant in Copilot Mode will soon be able to book reservations and manage errands on a webpage. All of these features do not require a Copilot+ PC, meaning they will come to all Windows users, as well as Mac.
Copilot Mode aims to make browsing the web easier by working as a collaborator with AI. Users can turn off Copilot Mode by adjusting settings in Edge (Settings > AI Innovations > Copilot Mode).
As Microsoft turns Edge into an AI tool, Copilot Mode represents a significant step forward for AI on Windows and Mac. With its advanced AI capabilities and user-friendly design, Copilot Mode is poised to redefine the way we browse the web.
- The AI-powered feature, Copilot Mode, in Microsoft's Edge web browser, which is designed to revolutionize web experience, boasts multi-tab context awareness, allowing it to access and analyze content across all open tabs.
- Copilot Mode also offers a unified, integrated interface, providing a single input box that merges search, chat, and navigation, eliminating the need for users to switch between different tools or tabs.
- Microsoft deploys the latest GPT-5 model in Copilot, featuring a smart routing system that selects the optimal sub-model for quick answers or complex reasoning, improving the quality and relevance of AI outputs.
- Copilot Mode aims to make browsing easier by working as a collaborator with AI, and it is available for free for a limited time on both Windows and Mac systems, which can be enabled by visiting www.microsoft.com/edge/ai-powered/copilot-mode.
