Microsoft Edge finally lets you hide the Copilot icon from the browser’s toolbar — Are you clicking “remove”?

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As a researcher tracking browser updates, I wanted to share that Microsoft recently released a new version of Edge – version 144.0.3719.82 – through the Stable Channel. This update includes a lot of improvements, from bug fixes to new features and overall performance enhancements.

This update resolves an issue that caused the browser to crash when users tried to upload files from their computer.

A helpful new feature lets you customize the Copilot icon in your browser toolbar. You can easily remove it by right-clicking the icon and choosing “Hide Copilot”.

View the full changelog ↴

Microsoft Edge 144.0.3719.82

Improved reliability

  • Fixed a browser crash that occurred when attempting to upload a file from a local folder.

Feature updates

  • Use Primary work profile as default profile to open external links. Microsoft Edge opens external links using the “Last Used” profile by default. While for enterprise users, the Primary Work Profile (signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID for enrolling the device) is normally the best profile for opening external links. With this feature, for Windows, Edge checks if the Primary Work Profile exists and makes it the default profile for opening external links if available. For Mac and Linux, if only one work profile signed in with a Microsoft Entra ID account is found, it’s treated as the Primary Work Profile. Admins can control availability to this feature using the EdgeOpenExternalLinksWithPrimaryWorkProfileEnabled policy.
  • Microsoft Edge management enrollment token policy update. The EdgeManagementEnrollmentToken policy has been updated to require configuration from the platform. Any values set from the cloud will be ignored, which includes existing deployments of this policy from the cloud.
  • Performance settings update and feature name changes. The efficiency mode feature name changes to energy saver and efficiency mode for PC gaming name will be renamed PC gaming boost to better describe the feature benefits. The new names will be in browser performance settings after the update.
  • Tenant Restrictions v2 (TRv2). New enforcement to block access from unauthorized Microsoft 365 tenants directly in Microsoft Edge for Business, helping organizations maintain strict compliance and prevent data leakage across tenant boundaries.
  • Copilot icon visibility. Users can now manage the Copilot icon in their toolbar. To hide the icon, right-click the Copilot icon and select “Hide Copilot”. This opens Settings to toggle the icon’s visibility. Admins can control whether the Copilot icon shows in the toolbar using the Microsoft365CopilotChatIconEnabled policy.
  • Contextual nudges on address bar offering help summarizing webpages. Microsoft Edge for Business now includes an easy way for users to get summaries of their open page from the address bar using Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. This feature seeks to help users more easily understand relevant content and save time.
  • Improved Autofill experience in Microsoft Edge. When users fill in an Address on a form, they’ll be prompted to choose whether to save it for future Autofill suggestions. This enhancement ensures Autofill data is saved intentionally by users and reduces unwanted entries as part of their Autofill suggestion.
  • Desktop Visual Search. Quickly send images to Bing Visual Search from the Edge Desktop Search Bar to identify images, people, animals, and shows; extract, copy, and translate text while keeping its format. Solve questions quickly in various subjects and get trusted information to boost your knowledge. Discover products, fashion, recipes, identify a location and more. Available on Windows devices. Admins can control availability to this feature using the VisualSearchEnabled policy. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don’t see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.

Being able to hide the Copilot icon from the Microsoft Edge toolbar is a welcome feature, particularly for those who don’t use it. Many third-party tools are now appearing to help users remove unwanted AI features from Windows 11, which some see as unnecessary clutter or unwanted additions.

Microsoft recently stopped supporting Collections, a feature in its Edge browser that let users save and organize web links, notes, and research. The reason for discontinuing this useful tool before it had a chance to fully develop isn’t clear.

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2026-01-19 14:39