Microsoft’s Copilot App on Windows Now Seamlessly Opens Web Links Side-by-Side for Windows Insiders

Microsoft is rolling out a big quality-of-life upgrade for the Copilot app on Windows, and it’s all about keeping your conversations and the web in the same view. Instead of bouncing you into a separate browser window every time you click a link, Copilot can now open pages in a docked sidepane right next to your chat.

The change is detailed in a new Windows Insider blog post, which confirms that the experience is starting to arrive for testers across all Insider Channels. With this update, Copilot becomes less of a pop-up helper and more of a full-on workspace where chat, web content, and your ongoing task live together.

Web links now open in a sidepane

With the new behavior, any link you open from inside a Copilot conversation appears in a web sidepane that sits beside the chat instead of hijacking your default browser. That means you can read documentation, blogs, or app pages while still seeing your prompts and Copilot’s responses, making it much easier to ask follow-up questions as you go.

Microsoft says this is specifically designed so you “don’t lose context” when jumping between the web and your conversation. Under the hood, the sidepane is powered by Microsoft’s web rendering stack (the same tech that backs Edge), but everything stays inside the Copilot app itself.

Tab context, saved sessions, and optional sync

The update doesn’t stop at just rendering pages next to your chat. With your permission, Copilot can now access the context of the tabs you open in that specific conversation so it can summarize, compare, and draft content based on what you’re looking at. You can, for example, ask Copilot to summarize three product pages you opened or help you write an email using information pulled from multiple tabs.

Tabs opened inside a conversation are saved with that conversation, so when you come back later, your links are still there and tied to the same thread. For those who want even tighter integration, there’s also an optional setting to sync passwords and form data so it’s easier to sign in or fill forms directly within the Copilot sidepane—though Microsoft emphasizes this is opt-in and only applies when you explicitly enable it.

Faster Copilot app with new features

Today’s rollout also includes a refreshed Copilot app that Microsoft says is faster, more reliable, and packed with newer Copilot capabilities pulled in from the web experience. Features like Podcasts and Study and Learn mode from Copilot.com are being added into the Windows app, giving users more ways to consume content and learn without leaving the Copilot environment.

At the same time, Microsoft is clear that some features may temporarily disappear while the team iterates on the experience during the Insider phase. The company plans to bring “priority features” back before this updated app reaches general availability for all Windows customers.

Rollout details for Windows Insiders

These changes are tied to Copilot app version 146.0.3856.39 and higher, which is now beginning to roll out across all Windows Insider Channels. As usual with Microsoft’s staggered releases, availability may vary by region and ring while the company gradually expands the rollout and monitors feedback.

Microsoft frames this as another step toward turning Copilot into a central productivity hub on Windows, using the power of the web and AI together to help you “get even more things done.” Windows Insiders are encouraged to share their thoughts directly from within the Copilot app by clicking their profile icon and choosing “Give feedback,” which will help shape the experience before it ships more broadly.