Copilot is Everywhere in Edge, Thanks to Microsoft—But Is That a Good Thing?

Microsoft has been aggressively integrating its AI-powered assistant, Copilot, into the Edge browser. Most recently, the company has added a Copilot button to the address bar in Edge Canary, further expanding its presence.

Microsoft’s AI-powered assistant, Copilot, is designed to deliver real-time suggestions, page summaries, content generation, and troubleshooting assistance. By integrating Copilot into Edge, Microsoft aims to provide users with personalized support directly within the browser.

However, this integration is starting to feel less like innovation and more like overkill. From the sidebar and new tab page to the bottom of every webpage with Copilot Vision enabled—and now a new button in the address bar—Copilot seems to be everywhere.

Why It Feels Like Overkill :

Too Many Entry Points for Copilot. Copilot is already everywhere:

Sidebar: Always visible, one-click access.
New Tab Page: Prominently featured in the search bar.
Bottom of Pages: With Copilot Vision, a prompt appears on every webpage—though it doesn’t always work as promised.

Ad-Like Prompts:

Have you spotted the message in settings? “Running into a problem? Ask Copilot to offer known solutions.” While it might be helpful for some, it feels redundant and intrusive for others. Users who already know about Copilot—or don’t want to use it—might see it as over-the-top.

The address bar should be clean and efficient, not stuffed with AI buttons. For those who don’t use Copilot often, its placement here feels more distracting than helpful.

Is Microsoft Overdoing It?

Microsoft’s focus on promoting Copilot seems less about improving your experience and more about driving adoption. Even searches for ChatGPT on Bing often push Copilot instead.

Here’s what Microsoft could do to tone things down:

Give Users More Control. Let people decide where they want Copilot—address bar, sidebar, or nowhere at all.

Be contextual. Instead of being everywhere, Copilot could show up only when it’s genuinely helpful, like during troubleshooting or complex tasks.

Respect Preferences. Not everyone is on board with AI assistants. Make it easy to minimize or disable Copilot features without disrupting the browser experience.

Copilot is undeniably a powerful tool, but Microsoft’s constant push to promote it risks doing more harm than good. Between the sidebar, new tab page, bottom-of-page prompts, and now the address bar, it’s starting to feel like Copilot is everywhere—whether you want it or not.

Microsoft should take a step back and rethink this approach. Sometimes, less really is more. A great assistant knows when to help—and when to stay out of the way.