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Microsoft’s Edge browser now includes Copilot Mode for enhanced productivity and personalized AI assistance. This new addition directly challenges ChatGPT Atlas. With this AI-powered feature, Microsoft users can perform tasks, organize tabs, and pick up past sessions directly from the browser.
Copilot Mode on Microsoft Edge
The tech giant aims to redefine how users interact with browsers. First launched in July, Copilot in Edge builds on features such as an integrated chat interface, reasoning across multiple open tabs, and a dynamic context pane.
Sean Lyndersay, vice president of Microsoft Edge, said, “Up until now, using a browser has meant doing all the work yourself—typing, clicking, tab-hopping, and task-juggling. With Copilot Mode in Edge, your browser can anticipate, assist, and accelerate your experience online, all with your permission.”
This development comes after OpenAI launched its own AI browser, ChatGPT Atlas. Copilot Mode is now available in all supported markets and apps on Edge for Windows and Mac, with mobile assistance coming soon.
This new rollout expands capabilities with features like Copilot Actions and Journeys, which are designed to help users complete complex tasks and return to past projects without managing numerous tabs.
According to Microsoft, “Copilot Actions allows users to issue voice or text commands to perform both simple and complex actions. For instance, users can ask Copilot to unsubscribe from newsletters or make a restaurant reservation.”
The Journeys feature, also in limited preview, groups previous browsing sessions by topic and lets users pick up exactly where they left off.
“With Journeys, you see your past browsing projects automatically grouped into helpful topics and can dive right back in, all with your explicit permission,” Lyndersay said.
In Journeys, users can see their past browsing sessions and group them accordingly. For instance, if researching for a new electronics to buy the day prior, Journeys can organize that previous research session and help users pick it back up.
Microsoft emphasized that user privacy remains central to the experience. “Your browsing history will never be accessed without your go-ahead,” the company said in a statement.
Users can enable or disable history-based customization through the browser’s settings at any time.
Copilot Mode also includes new safety features such as a Scareware blocker, which uses local AI to protect against full-screen scam takeovers, and enhanced password management tools that create, store, and monitor passwords for breaches.
“When Copilot is active, you’ll see clear visual cues, so you know when it’s taking an action, listening, or viewing,” the company stated.
“Microsoft only collects what’s needed to improve your experience or what you choose to provide via Personalization settings,” the statement added.
The browser market is currently dominated by Google, with Chrome maintaining a 71% market share, according to reports. After Apple's Safari, Microsoft's Edge is a distant third at 4.67%.
This is a massive fall for Microsoft, as its Internet Explorer web browser once dominated the landscape at 95% global market share. Following a lawsuit by the US Department of Justice for engaging in anticompetitive behavior, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer lost ground to Chrome.
Also Read: Google Chrome vs. Microsoft Edge: Which Browser Works for You?
The existing versions of Edge already had some of the features found in competing AI web browsers, including Perplexity's Comet, OpenAI's ChatGPT Atlas, and Google's Gemini in Chrome. OpenAI announced its ChatGPT Atlas web browser, which integrates agentic systems to allow AI to analyze data or perform tasks on behalf of the user. Perplexity released Comet earlier this year, as did Google with Gemini in Chrome.
This enables users to access an AI in the corner to chat about the web page the user is looking at. This also helps them to analyze content across multiple tabs and search the web. Broadly, these launches highlight the growing competition between tech giants as they race to dominate AI-driven tools.
