How to Disable AI in Microsoft Edge on Windows 10/11 (2026)

Microsoft Edge comes loaded with AI features in 2026. Copilot is pinned to the sidebar. AI-generated summaries pop up when you search. Pages get rewritten automatically. For many users, this is helpful. For others, it feels intrusive or just slows things down.

The good news: you can turn off most of these AI features. Some fully, some partially. This guide walks you through every option, step by step, so you know exactly what to disable and where to find the settings.

What “AI in Edge” Actually Means

Before diving in, it helps to know what you are actually dealing with. Edge has several distinct AI-powered features, and they each live in different places. Disabling one does not disable all.

Here is a quick overview:

AI Feature	What It Does	Can You Disable It?
Copilot Sidebar	AI chat assistant in the right panel	Yes
Bing AI in Search	AI answers at the top of Bing results	Partially
Page Summary / Insights	Summarizes web pages automatically	Yes
Compose with AI	Helps write text in forms and fields	Yes
Shopping AI	Price comparisons, coupons, suggestions	Yes
Image Creator	AI image generation tool	Yes
Smart Copy	AI-enhanced copy formatting	Yes
Suggested Actions	Highlights text to trigger AI tools	Yes

Each one is toggled separately. Keep reading and you will know how to control all of them.

How to Disable Copilot in Microsoft Edge (The Main AI Feature)

Copilot is the most visible AI in Edge. It sits in the top-right corner as a sidebar button. Here is how to remove or disable it.

Step 1: Open Edge Settings

1. Open Microsoft Edge
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner
3. Select Settings

Step 2: Go to the Sidebar Settings

1. In the left menu, click Sidebar
2. You will see a toggle at the top that says Always show sidebar
3. Turn this Off to hide the entire sidebar, including Copilot

Step 3: Disable Copilot Specifically

If you want to keep the sidebar but remove Copilot:

1. Go to Settings > Sidebar > App and notification settings
2. Find Copilot in the list
3. Click on it and toggle it Off

This removes the Copilot button from the toolbar and sidebar completely.

How to Turn Off AI Features in Edge Settings

Most AI features are bundled under one section. Here is how to find it:

1. Open Settings (three-dot menu)
2. Click Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar
3. Scroll down to the Services section

You will find several AI-related toggles here. Turn off the ones you do not want.

Features You Can Disable Here

Show Bing search suggestions in the address bar Turn this off to stop AI-powered search suggestions as you type in the address bar.

Microsoft Bing results in the address bar Disables Bing AI answers from appearing when you type in the address bar.

Save and fill personal information Disables AI-assisted form filling suggestions.

Disable Edge AI Shopping Features

Edge has an AI shopping assistant that activates on e-commerce sites. It suggests coupon codes, price comparisons, and buying guides automatically.

To turn it off:

1. Go to Settings
2. Click Privacy, search, and services
3. Scroll to Services
4. Find Save and apply coupon codes and price comparisons and toggle it Off
5. Find Shopping in Microsoft Edge and toggle it Off

Some shopping AI features may also appear under:

Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Shopping in Microsoft Edge

Disable everything in that section if you want a completely clean experience.

Turn Off Page Insights and Automatic Summaries

Edge can automatically generate AI summaries of web pages and articles. This is called Page Insights or Copilot Page Summary depending on your version.

To disable it:

1. Open the Copilot sidebar (if still visible)
2. Click the three-dot menu inside the Copilot panel
3. Select Settings
4. Toggle off Automatically generate page summary

Alternatively:

1. Go to Settings > Sidebar > Copilot
2. Find Automatically open Copilot for content and turn it Off

Disable “Compose” AI Writing Features

Edge includes an AI writing tool called Compose. It activates in text boxes, email drafts, and forms to suggest or rewrite text.

To turn it off:

1. Go to Settings
2. Click Privacy, search, and services
3. Scroll to Services
4. Find Compose with AI or Write with Copilot and toggle it Off

If you do not see this option, it may be accessible through the Copilot settings panel directly.

Disable Suggested Actions in Edge

Suggested Actions is a feature that detects selected text and offers AI-powered options, like explaining, translating, or summarizing it. A small popup appears whenever you highlight text.

To turn it off:

1. Go to Settings
2. Click Privacy, search, and services
3. Scroll to Services
4. Find Show suggested actions when I select text and toggle it Off

Now highlighting text on a page will not trigger any AI popup.

Disable Smart Copy

Smart Copy is an AI feature that reformats copied text. When you paste content, it can restructure it automatically. This can be useful, but also unexpected.

To disable it:

1. Go to Settings > Accessibility
2. Look for Smart Copy and turn it Off

Or search “Smart Copy” in the Settings search bar at the top.

Block Edge AI Features Using Group Policy (For Advanced Users or IT)

If you manage Edge on multiple Windows computers, or want a deeper level of control, you can use Group Policy or the Windows Registry to fully block Copilot and other AI features.

Using Group Policy:

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, press Enter
2. Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge
3. Find HubsSidebarEnabled and set it to Disabled
4. Find CopilotPageContext and set it to Disabled

Using Registry Editor:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, press Enter
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
3. Create a new DWORD value named HubsSidebarEnabled and set it to 0

This method is more permanent and applies system-wide. For a full list of Edge policies, Microsoft documents them at Microsoft Edge enterprise documentation.

Disable AI in Bing Search Within Edge

When you search using Bing through Edge, AI answers appear at the top of results. These come from Bing’s AI system, not just Edge itself. Disabling them requires a change on the Bing side.

To reduce Bing AI results:

1. Go to Bing.com and sign in (or stay signed out)
2. Click the three-line menu in the top right
3. Go to Settings > Search results
4. Set AI-generated summaries to Off if the option is available

Alternatively, switching your default search engine away from Bing removes this completely.

To change the default search engine in Edge:

1. Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services
2. Scroll to Address bar and search
3. Click Manage search engines
4. Set a different engine like Google or DuckDuckGo as default

With a non-Bing default, you will not see Bing AI results in Edge searches.

How to Remove the Copilot Button from the Toolbar

Even after disabling Copilot in settings, the button may still show in the toolbar. Here is how to remove it:

1. Right-click anywhere on the Edge toolbar
2. Select Customize toolbar
3. Find Copilot and toggle it Off

The button disappears from the toolbar immediately.

Quick Reference Table: Where Each AI Feature Lives

AI Feature	Location in Settings
Copilot Sidebar	Settings > Sidebar > Copilot
Shopping AI	Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Services
Suggested Actions	Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Services
Compose / Write with AI	Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Services
Smart Copy	Settings > Accessibility
Page Summary	Copilot Panel > Settings
Address Bar AI Suggestions	Settings > Privacy, search, and services
Toolbar Copilot Button	Right-click toolbar > Customize toolbar

Does Disabling AI in Edge Affect Performance?

Yes, in some cases. Edge uses background processes to run Copilot and related AI features. Turning them off can reduce RAM usage and improve page load speed, especially on lower-end machines.

If you are running Edge on Windows 10 or an older laptop, disabling these features is worth doing for performance reasons alone. Microsoft has integrated AI deeply into the browser, and keeping it all on uses real resources.

For users interested in browser performance and privacy in more depth, the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s browser privacy guide covers how to reduce tracking and telemetry broadly across browsers.

What You Cannot Fully Disable

It is worth being honest here. Some AI functionality in Edge is baked in at a level you cannot fully reach through the Settings menu alone.

Things you cannot completely remove through settings:

• Microsoft’s telemetry and data collection tied to AI improvements (you can reduce it but not eliminate it)
• Bing AI in Edge’s default new tab page (you can change the new tab page layout but Microsoft may still serve AI content)
• AI features rolled out through forced Edge updates

If you want total control over browser AI, consider using a browser like Firefox or Brave, which have no built-in AI assistants by default.

Summary

Here is everything in short:

• Copilot is the main AI feature in Edge. Disable it under Settings > Sidebar > Copilot
• Shopping AI, Suggested Actions, and Compose live under Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Services
• Smart Copy is under Settings > Accessibility
• Remove the Copilot toolbar button by right-clicking the toolbar
• Use Group Policy or Registry Editor for system-wide control
• Changing your default search engine from Bing removes most search-based AI results
• Some telemetry and background AI behavior cannot be fully disabled without switching browsers

You do not have to use all of Edge’s AI features just because they are there. Everything listed above can be turned off in under ten minutes. Work through the table, flip the toggles, and you will have a much cleaner, quieter browsing experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling Copilot in Edge also remove it from Windows?

No. Windows Copilot and Edge Copilot are separate. Turning off Copilot in Edge only affects the browser. Windows has its own Copilot integration in the taskbar, which requires separate steps to disable through Windows Settings or Group Policy.

Will Edge re-enable AI features after an update?

Sometimes, yes. Microsoft has a history of re-enabling features after major browser updates. After updating Edge, it is worth checking your settings to make sure your preferences have not been reset, especially the Copilot sidebar toggle.

Can I disable Edge AI without affecting other Edge features?

Yes. All AI features in Edge are independent toggles. You can turn off Copilot, shopping suggestions, and page summaries without affecting things like password manager, PDF viewer, or sync features. They are not linked.

Is there a way to block all AI in Edge with one setting?

Not with a single toggle. Edge does not have a master “disable all AI” switch. You have to turn off each feature individually. The quickest approach is to go through the table in this article and handle them one by one, which takes about five to ten minutes total.

What is the difference between disabling Copilot and disabling the sidebar?

Disabling the sidebar turns off the entire right-side panel, including Copilot, tools, and any pinned apps. Disabling Copilot specifically removes only the AI assistant while leaving other sidebar tools like browser history or extensions accessible. If you only want to remove the AI, disable Copilot specifically rather than the full sidebar.