Edge Copilot now reads open tabs

Microsoft upgrades Edge Copilot by expanding its browsing context

Microsoft is updating Edge with new AI features, including letting Copilot gather information from across a user’s open tabs and use browsing history to generate more relevant answers.

The practical change is that the assistant is no longer limited to what a user explicitly pastes into a chat window. By pulling in context from multiple open pages, Copilot can connect details that are already spread across the browser session—such as specifications on one tab, background from another, and a list of requirements from a third—then summarize or act on that combined information.

Microsoft is also rolling out an “Edge Copilot update” described as using AI to pull information from across your tabs. Separately, Microsoft is retiring “Copilot Mode” on Edge because everything is becoming “Copilot Mode” via functionality built directly into the browser experience. Together, those items point to consolidation: rather than users switching into a special mode, Copilot capabilities appear as a standard part of Edge.

Why it matters

• Better in-session assistance: Work and research workflows often involve juggling multiple pages; contextual retrieval can reduce back-and-forth.
• More personalization: Using browsing history can improve answer specificity, though it also raises user expectations around privacy and controllability.
• Lower friction adoption: Making Copilot features more “ambient” in Edge can drive higher usage than a dedicated mode.

For businesses and power users, the big question becomes how precisely Copilot determines what information it should pull in, and how users can verify sources when the assistant synthesizes across tabs. Even without new AI breakthroughs, improving access to browsing context can materially change what users ask for—and how quickly they can finish tasks.