Microsoft is pushing Copilot beyond chat. In the latest Windows Insider build of the Copilot app, clicking a link no longer kicks you out to a browser by default. Instead, the page opens in a new tab inside Copilot, where you can keep chatting, ask questions about what you’re viewing, and return to saved tabs later—all without leaving the app.
What’s new inside Copilot’s in-app browsing experience
The updated Copilot app adds a right-hand browsing pane with tabbed pages that persist across sessions. Give Copilot permission and it can read the open tabs to summarize articles, extract key points, compare information across pages, or generate follow-up actions such as drafting emails or lists based on what’s on screen.
- What’s new inside Copilot’s in-app browsing experience
- Why Microsoft wants you to browse and work inside Copilot
- Privacy and security questions around tab access and logins
- How Copilot’s in-app browsing compares to rival assistants
- Who can try the feature now and how to enable it in Copilot
- What to watch next as Microsoft rolls out in-app browsing
For sites that require sign-in, Copilot now offers to save login credentials for reuse. This, too, is opt-in. The feature is rolling out to Windows Insiders across all channels for Copilot app version 146.0.3856.39 or newer, with availability initially limited in some regions and expanding over time.
Why Microsoft wants you to browse and work inside Copilot
Keeping users inside Copilot reduces context switching and increases engagement—the currency of modern AI assistants. It also aligns with a broader strategy to make Copilot a front door to the web and Windows tasks, not just a chatbot floating above them. The more users research, plan, and act in one place, the more Copilot can personalize results and orchestrate multi-step workflows.
There’s a competitive angle, too. According to StatCounter, Chrome dominates desktop browser share globally, while Edge hovers in the low double digits. If web pages open and remain actionable inside Copilot, Microsoft can sidestep some of that gravity, preserving user attention and, potentially, monetization opportunities that might otherwise flow through another browser.
Privacy and security questions around tab access and logins
Letting an AI app view your tabs and store credentials raises familiar trust questions. Microsoft says access is permission-based, and credential saving is optional, but user sentiment may be shaped by recent missteps. A widely reported bug allowed Copilot-connected services to surface confidential Outlook content from sent and draft folders without explicit permission, fueling concern about overreach.
Practical guardrails for early testers:
- Keep tab access off for sensitive research.
- Avoid storing high-value credentials in preview features.
- Prefer passkeys or unique passwords managed by a dedicated password manager.
Enterprises will want policy controls before broad deployment, especially where compliance requirements constrain how assistants can read and retain content.
How Copilot’s in-app browsing compares to rival assistants
Microsoft isn’t alone in fusing AI with live web pages. Google’s Gemini can analyze the current page in Chrome’s side panel, while browsers like Opera integrate the Aria assistant for on-page summaries and queries. What’s distinct here is Copilot’s positioning as a Windows-wide command center—chat to tab to task—rather than a browser feature that sits alongside traditional tabs.
If Microsoft can make tab-aware chat feel instantaneous and reliable, it could move Copilot from Q&A companion to an active research agent, capable of juggling multiple sources, tracking your place, and producing outputs grounded in exactly what you’re viewing.
Who can try the feature now and how to enable it in Copilot
The in-app browsing experience is available to Windows Insiders on all channels once the Copilot app updates to version 146.0.3856.39 or later. Because Microsoft is staging availability, not everyone will see it immediately. After updating, click any link in Copilot; if enabled, it opens in a Copilot tab. You can then grant or withhold permission for Copilot to read those tabs and decide whether to store site credentials.
As with most Insider features, expect iterative changes. Microsoft typically refines UI placement, policy hooks, and reliability before considering a broader rollout to general Windows users.
What to watch next as Microsoft rolls out in-app browsing
Three signals will determine whether this sticks:
- User trust in credential handling.
- The quality of tab-grounded answers.
- Admin controls for regulated environments.
If those align, in-app browsing could become the default Copilot experience on PCs—and potentially extend to Copilot’s mobile apps—bringing Microsoft one step closer to an assistant that’s less a chat bubble and more a full workspace.
