Microsoft is about to kill my favorite Edge feature — and Copilot is to blame

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Microsoft is integrating more AI features into Windows 11, but some users aren’t happy about the changes. Pavan Davuluri, who leads the Windows team at Microsoft, recently addressed the concerns people have been voicing.

You might think it’s easy to just disable AI features if you don’t like them. However, it’s not that straightforward. Microsoft seems to prioritize AI so highly that they’re reportedly removing functionality from their standard apps to lessen competition for Copilot.

The newest test version of Microsoft Edge is displaying a message that the app list in the sidebar will soon be removed.

X user and Edge feature tracker Leo Varela spotted a message within Edge Canary:

“Sidebar app list is being retired

As an analyst, I’m seeing a streamlining of the Edge experience. We’re no longer allowing users to add new apps, and the quick access list will be phased out with upcoming updates. This suggests a focus on core functionality and a cleaner interface.

Copilot is not affected—this helps us focus on making it even better.”

That message won’t give hope to those who like pinning sites and web apps to the Sidebar in Edge.

Although Microsoft hasn’t officially said they’re removing Sidebar due to Copilot, it’s hard to miss the overlap between the two features in the Edge browser.

History of Edge Sidebar

Microsoft Edge’s Sidebar is a helpful panel built right into the browser. It includes useful tools like a calculator and Edge Drop, a surprisingly handy feature. Plus, you can easily pin your favorite websites and web apps there for quick access.

Lots of websites are designed to look good on phones. Because the width of most computer sidebars is similar to a phone screen, you can easily view a website there without navigating away from the page you’re already on.

I’ve been really loving the Sidebar, especially when I’m using web apps like Telegram. Actually, when I decided to try using only the Edge browser – I called it my ‘EdgeBook’ – the Sidebar was a total lifesaver. I used it constantly!

I’ve been watching the Edge Sidebar closely since it first came out. I even contributed to restoring a shortcut for hiding it when Microsoft mistakenly took it away – although that option isn’t currently available anymore.

Richard Devine and I seem to appreciate Edge’s Sidebar even more than Microsoft does. We definitely consider it more important than Copilot, which isn’t the case at Microsoft.

Copilot now appears in the same spot where the Sidebar icon used to be. If you’re using the regular version of Edge, you can hide the Copilot icon and just display the Sidebar icon instead.

Because Copilot and the other tool operate within the same environment, they naturally create some conflict. Given Microsoft’s strong promotion of Copilot, it’s not surprising they’d remove a feature that competes with it.

I’m frustrated that Microsoft seems ready to remove the Sidebar in favor of Copilot. It feels like they could easily include both features without making them compete with each other.

Microsoft seems incredibly enthusiastic about AI, perhaps to an excessive degree. A recent advertisement showed their AI assistant, Copilot, making mistakes, with the user in the ad then acting as if everything was functioning correctly.

Copilot can be really useful, but a lot of people think Microsoft is overdoing it with its promotion. I feel the same way, particularly if using Copilot means losing features I enjoy in Edge.

What is the Edge Sidebar?

The Edge Sidebar is a helpful tool that lets you access websites, apps, and features in a panel right next to your browser. It opens a small window so you can quickly use these tools without having to switch away from the page you’re already viewing.

Is Microsoft removing the Edge Sidebar?

Microsoft is phasing out the app list in the Sidebar. You can no longer add new apps there, and the quick access list will eventually be removed.

Microsoft has confirmed that Copilot won’t be impacted by recent changes, meaning it will continue to be available in the Sidebar. However, pinned websites and web apps will no longer be accessible there.

That message only appears in Edge Canary, so Microsoft could change its approach.

Why is Microsoft changing the Edge Sidebar?

Microsoft is planning to simplify the Edge browser by removing some features from the sidebar. This change is intended to make Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, more prominent and easier to use, as both features currently compete for space on the screen.

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2025-11-18 01:10