- Microsoft Edge has a new feature on the roadmap
- When you click a link in an Outlook message, that link will open in Edge with a Copilot side panel
- This side panel will provide “contextual information and practical suggestions”, but I bet the idea will not be well received.
Microsoft is preparing a feature for its Edge browser that automatically opens Copilot AI in a sidebar, and I can tell you now that this idea won’t be popular.
Windows Central spotted the addition to the Microsoft 365 roadmap, meaning that when a Windows 11 user clicks a link in an Outlook message that opens in Edge, the Copilot side panel will automatically appear to the right of the browser window with additional details.
Microsoft explains: “When users open links from Outlook, Microsoft Edge can automatically open the Copilot side panel to provide contextual information and actionable suggestions based on the email and target content, such as highlighting key points and recommending next actions, without interrupting the navigation flow.
“This experience helps users quickly understand content, take action with fewer steps, and get more value from Copilot while extending productive browsing time in Edge.”
The feature is currently in development and is expected to roll out starting in May 2026, according to the timeline provided in the roadmap. So in theory, if nothing derails the concept, it could be just a few months away.
Analysis: Tread carefully, Microsoft
Despite the huge backlash against AI that started late last year, Microsoft is clearly not eliminating AI tools, but did we think it would? No, of course not, as AI agents are the Next Big Thing(TM) in Windows 11, and there’s no way around it.
Development of other AI features will also continue, and Microsoft isn’t going to freeze any of this to fix Windows 11. The promised work to address the fundamental issues that have long blighted the desktop operating system will happen alongside the introduction of more AI in Windows 11; will not leave AI aside.
The problem lies in what kind of AI features Microsoft is introducing, and the ones that appear automatically in certain scenarios are the most unwanted variety.
Of course, we don’t know how this particular feature will be implemented, and we know very little about it except what we can infer from a paragraph of description. Presumably it won’t be on by default (the use of the word “may” in Microsoft’s blurb suggests this), but why am I worried that it might be?
Probably because Microsoft has pulled those kinds of tricks in the past, but given the anti-AI sentiment of many Windows 11 users these days, it would be very foolish to try these kinds of shenanigans in 2026.
We’ll see, and in fact Microsoft might even abandon this idea altogether; Just because it’s now on the roadmap, that doesn’t rule out the feature being shelved and abandoned. However, this is an addition that Microsoft will have to tread very carefully with if the company moves forward with the idea.
The best laptops for all budgets
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to receive news, reviews and opinions from our experts in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and tiktok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form and receive regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
