Microsoft Copilot Seems to Be Making Sign‑In Mandatory Across Edge, Bing, and Mobile Apps

Microsoft Copilot now appears to require sign-in to access its full experience across Edge, Bing, and mobile apps, according to Windows Report’s testing.

We observed the change in Microsoft Edge on desktop (regular and InPrivate windows) and on Android. An Edge profile that is not signed into a Microsoft account still shows the Copilot button, but clicking it opens a sign-in screen instead of the Copilot experience.

The sign-in screen in Edge says, “Let’s get you signed in,” and lists benefits such as “Upload files, use Voice without limits, and make Copilot yours with memory across conversations.” It then provides a “Sign in with Microsoft” option.

We saw the same behavior with another Edge profile that was not signed into Microsoft. The sign-in prompt appeared in both a regular browser window and an InPrivate window.

This is a change from what we previously found in Edge. Copilot could open in an InPrivate window and allow users to start a conversation without first signing into a Microsoft account. The new behavior now puts the sign-in step in front of the Copilot experience.

The change also appears on Android. In the Edge Android and Bing apps, an unsigned user is asked to sign in to access the full Copilot experience. Microsoft uses the wording “Sign in for the full experience” and highlights features such as Copilot Voice and photo sharing.

We also found a sign-in prompt on the Copilot web app. It displays a “Sign in to chat” screen with options to continue with Microsoft, Apple or Google. Although the screen offers a “Maybe later” option, clicking it brings up the sign-in prompt again rather than opening the Copilot chat experience.

The change arrives as Microsoft brings its Copilot experiences closer together across its products, with the company working toward a more unified Copilot experience across its consumer and Microsoft 365 offerings.

It is not yet clear whether Microsoft plans to remove guest access completely or whether unsigned users will continue to have access to a reduced set of Copilot features. It is also unclear whether the current behavior represents a permanent change or a staged rollout.

For now, our testing across Edge on desktop, Edge InPrivate, Edge on Android, the Bing app, and the Copilot web app points to the same change: Microsoft appears to be requiring users to sign in before they can access the full Copilot experience.