Microsoft is rolling out a new capability in its Edge browser that allows its Copilot AI assistant to access and analyze content across a user’s open tabs, marking a significant expansion of how AI integrates with everyday browsing.
With this feature, users can ask Copilot to summarize articles, compare products viewed in different tabs, or answer questions based on the content currently open, effectively turning the browser into a centralized AI workspace.
The company emphasized that users will retain control over their experience, with options to enable or disable specific features. As part of this shift, Microsoft is discontinuing its earlier “Copilot Mode,” which previously offered similar tab-based insights alongside agent-like functions such as making reservations. Those agentic capabilities have now been incorporated into the broader “Browse with Copilot” tool, streamlining the experience under a single framework.
Alongside tab awareness, Edge is receiving a wave of new AI-driven tools designed to enhance productivity and learning. A “Study and Learn” mode can transform web content into structured study materials or interactive quizzes, while another feature can convert open tabs into AI-generated podcast-style summaries, echoing trends seen in emerging AI research tools. An integrated writing assistant will also appear contextually as users type on webpages, offering real-time suggestions and assistance.
Microsoft is further deepening personalization by allowing users to grant Copilot access to browsing history, enabling the assistant to deliver more tailored and contextually relevant responses. The addition of long-term memory means Copilot can adapt over time based on previous interactions, signaling a move toward more persistent and personalized AI companions within the browser.
The Edge experience itself is also being redesigned. A new tab page will combine chat, search, and navigation into a unified interface, complemented by the “Journeys” feature, which uses AI to organize browsing history into thematic categories for easier revisiting. On mobile devices, upcoming updates will introduce screen-sharing capabilities, allowing users to show Copilot what they are viewing in real time and ask questions conversationally.
These updates highlight Microsoft’s broader strategy to embed AI deeply into its ecosystem, transforming the browser from a passive tool into an active assistant capable of understanding context, organizing information, and assisting with complex tasks across devices.