Microsoft retires Copilot Mode on Edge as AI features go native across desktop and mobile

At a glance:

• Microsoft is retiring the standalone Copilot Mode toggle on Edge after integrating all its AI features directly into the browser on desktop and mobile.
• Key capabilities — tab comparison, Journeys, Vision and Voice, long-term memory, and Study and Learn mode — are now available across both platforms.
• Users can customize which Copilot features they enable through Edge settings, and a new podcast-from-tabs feature is rolling out in English-speaking markets.

Copilot Mode folds into the browser

Microsoft has officially retired Copilot Mode on Edge, ending the separate browsing experience it first began testing in July 2024. Rather than remove the AI assistant altogether, the company has embedded Copilot's capabilities directly into the core Edge browser for both desktop and mobile. The move means users no longer need to activate a dedicated mode — Copilot is simply part of the browser, accessible whenever a question is asked or a command is given.

The integration is not merely cosmetic. On desktop, Copilot can already search for information across multiple open tabs and analyze the details on each page. That same cross-tab intelligence has now arrived on mobile, where a command like "Compare the smart TVs across all my open tabs" will pull information from every relevant tab and deliver a structured, side-by-side comparison analysis.

Journeys and redesigned tabs come to mobile

Following the initial Copilot Mode experiment, Microsoft introduced Journeys — a feature that lets users save in-progress projects and return to them later. Journeys were already available on desktop, and they have now launched for free on mobile as well. Whether you are planning a trip, tracking a purchase, or researching a topic, Journeys allow you to pick up exactly where you left off days or even weeks later.

Edge on mobile is also receiving the redesigned tab page that debuted on desktop, placing Journeys front and center for easy access. The visual refresh is intended to make it simpler to jump between saved research threads without digging through a conventional tab strip.

Vision, Voice, and long-term memory

One of the more notable mobile additions is the Vision and Voice feature. It allows users to share their screen directly with Copilot and talk through what they are seeing on Edge in natural spoken language. The assistant responds with audio, providing a hands-free browsing experience that Microsoft positions as an accessibility improvement as well as a convenience feature.

Microsoft has also granted Copilot long-term memory on both desktop and mobile. With this capability enabled, the assistant can recall and reference previous conversations, pull up browsing history to resume earlier research, return to a social-media thread you were reading, or surface an item you had been browsing. The feature is opt-in, giving users control over how much of their activity the AI retains.

Study and Learn, Writing Assistant, and tab-to-podcast

Microsoft is adding several new Copilot-powered tools aimed at different use cases. For students, there is a new Study and Learn mode that can turn open reference pages into guided study sessions and interactive quizzes. Simply typing "Quiz me on this topic" while reference tabs are open triggers Copilot to generate a structured review.

The new Writing Assistant helps users generate drafts, rewrite existing text, and adjust the tone as needed — a feature that competes with similar AI writing tools already available from other providers. Finally, Edge now offers the ability to convert open tabs into a listenable podcast. The tab-to-podcast feature is exclusive to English-speaking markets at launch.

Opt-in flexibility

Not every user wants an AI assistant embedded in every part of their browser. Microsoft says that none of the Copilot features are forced on users. Through Edge's browser settings, you can choose which specific Copilot capabilities to enable or disable, tailoring the experience to your preferences. The company's framing of the change — retiring a separate "mode" in favor of granular, user-controlled integration — suggests it is betting that flexibility will ease any resistance to deeper AI presence in everyday browsing.