Smart GPT-5 Pops Up in Microsoft Edge’s Copilot Mode

It appears Microsoft is quietly testing a Smart GPT-5 Mode in the Edge browser’s Canary version. This is one of the first times GPT-5 has been spotted working in Edge Canary’s Copilot Mode.

Smart Mode is built to automatically choose the best approach for your request. For quick questions, it gives a short, direct reply. For more complex topics, it switches to GPT-5 for a deeper, more detailed answer. Microsoft described how this works in its August 7th blog post when GPT-5 rolled out to Windows Copilot, Microsoft 365, and other products.

In our testing, the new Smart (GPT-5) option now appears alongside other modes in the Copilot Mode New Tab Page search box and the Copilot button in the address bar. This means you can launch a Smart GPT-5 session from different points in the browser.

To try it, either click the Copilot icon in the address bar or open a new tab and select Smart (GPT-5). Then type your question. Copilot will use the GPT-5 model to handle the rest.

Microsoft has not officially announced GPT-5 support for Edge, which suggests this is an A/B test limited to some Canary users.

If it expands to more people, Smart GPT-5 could make Edge’s Copilot more seamless by deciding when you need a quick answer and when you need a deeper response without manual switching.

For those unfamiliar, Copilot Mode in Edge is a special view that brings together web search, chat, and tools in a single sidebar. It offers different styles of help, including quick search and chat, in-depth Think Deeper answers, and Action (Labs) for running tasks, all without leaving your current page.

That’s not all. Microsoft is experimenting with Copilot in Edge’s Private browsing mode, which may raise some privacy concerns. Additionally, Microsoft is testing an Edge vs. Chrome comparison banner when you search for the latter.