How to Remove Copilot From Microsoft Edge

ChatGPT-3 was the talk of the town until Microsoft decided to launch and integrate Copilot into the Microsoft Edge browser. While it could be an optional feature, the latest Edge browser update pins a large Copilot button at the top right-hand corner. At the time of writing, there is no direct way to disable the obnoxiously big Bing Chat button from the browser settings.

That said, you can remove it if it bothers you so much. Technically, Microsoft leaves you no choice but to revert to an older Edge version, but that isn’t a good idea. But don’t lose hope. We will discuss multiple methods using which you can disable the Copilot button for good. Let’s begin.

How to Remove the Copilot Button in Microsoft Edge on Windows

There are multiple ways to get rid of Copilot in Microsoft Edge on Windows. We will explain each method in detail in a step-by-step format. Let’s begin with the first method and the most common way to disable Copilot from the Edge browser.

1. Remove the Copilot Button by Editing the Edge Shortcut

You can easily remove the Copilot button using the Edge Browser settings. The Microsoft Edge browser version 111 or higher update carries this option to disable the Copilot button. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open the Microsoft Edge browser, type edge://settings/sidebar, and press Enter.

Step 2: Scroll down to the ‘App and notifications settings’ section. Click on the Discover option present under the ‘App-specific settings’ section.

Step 3: Click on the toggle next to the Show Discover option to disable the Copilot button.

2. Remove the Copilot Button Using a Shortcut

After the new update, Microsoft Edge is automatically configured to launch with the new Copilot button feature. So, we will modify the Edge shortcut to launch the browser without a specific policy that prevents loading the Copilot button. The only limitation of this solution is that it’s a workaround, and the future Edge update might disable it. Also, you’ll need to run the Edge browser using the modified shortcut only.

First, we will disable the Startup Boost feature; otherwise, the modification won’t work. Repeat the following steps:

Step 1: Open the Edge browser and go to the address bar. Type edge://settings/system and press Enter.

Step 2: On the System settings page, click on the toggle next to Startup Boost to disable it. Close the Edge browser.

Step 3: Next, go to the desktop and right-click on the Microsoft Edge shortcut. Select the Properties option from the context menu.

Step 4: In the Properties window, locate the Target option. Click on the target location string and replace the pre-defined path with the following path.

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" --disable-features=msUndersideButton

Step 5: Then click on the Apply button. Windows will prompt you to provide administrator permission. Click on the Continue button.

Step 6: Click on the OK button to close the Properties window.

Launch the Edge browser, and the Copilot icon won’t appear at the top right-side corner. Continue reading to learn another method.

3. Disable Copilot in Microsoft Edge Using PowerShell

You can even remove the Copilot button by running a PowerShell command. But before that, disable Startup Boost in the Edge browser described in the previous method and close the Edge browser. After that, repeat the following steps:

Step 1: Press the ‘Windows key + S’ shortcut to open Windows Search. Type PowerShell and click on the ‘Run as administrator’ option.

Step 2: User Account Control will pop up. Click on the Yes button.

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Step 3: In the PowerShell window, type the following command and press Enter.

start msedge --disable-features=msUndersideButton

Step 4: After the command executes successfully, close the PowerShell window. The Edge browser will automatically launch on your computer. You will notice that the Copilot button no longer exists in the sidebar.

4. Hide the Copilot Button Using the Command Prompt

In this method, we will not remove just the Copilot button but the entire sidebar from Edge. We will add a new key to the Windows registry, so create a backup of the Registry before trying this method. If things go south, you can always import the old registry backup. Here’s how to remove the Copilot button using the Command Prompt on Windows 11.

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type cmd, and click on the ‘Run as administrator’ option.

Step 2: The User Account Control will pop up. Click on the Yes button to open the Command Prompt.

Step 3: Type the following commands one by one and execute them by pressing Enter.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge"
reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v HubsSidebarEnabled /t REG_DWORD /d 00000000 /f

Step 4: Close the Command Prompt window and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

That’s it. The copilot will be disabled until you manually turn it on. That said, all the above solutions are for the updated Edge browser. What if you are on the older version of the Edge browser? continue reading.

How to Disable Copilot or Bing Chat in Old Edge Versions on Windows

This method is more complex than the above one, but the steps are simple to follow and execute. However, because we will use the Registry Editor, we recommend you back up the Windows Registry before proceeding with the steps below. 

Step 1: Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Registry Editor, and click ‘Run as administrator.’

Note: Alternatively, press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box, type regedit.exe, and click OK to open Registry Editor.

In the prompt, select Yes. 

Step 2: In the top address bar, enter the following path.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft

Note: You can manually navigate to the section too.

Step 3: Right-click on the Microsoft folder on the left pane, select New, and choose Key.

Step 4: Name the key as Edge.

Step 5: Now, right-click on the Edge key, select New and choose ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value.’

Step 6: Name the new DWORD value as ‘HubsSidebarEnabled.’

Step 7: Double-click on the HubsSidebarEnabled key. Now, type 1 in the Value Data field and press OK.

Finally, reboot the system to implement the changes. And that’s it! After booting your PC again, you will have a hidden Copilot button on your Microsoft Edge. This was the case with Windows; what if you are on a Mac, continue reading.

How to Remove Copilot From Microsoft Edge on Mac

Step 1: Press the ‘Command + Space’ key on your keyboard to launch the Spotlight search, type Terminal, and press the Return key.

Step 2: Type the below command and hit the Return key.

open -n -a “Microsoft Edge” –args —disable-features=msEdgeSidebarV2

Ideally, Microsoft Edge will open without the Copilot button. However, if that does not happen, run the following commands one after the other in Terminal and open the browser again:

• /usr/bin/defaults write /tmp/com.microsoft.Edge.plist HubsSidebarEnabled -bool false
• sudo mkdir /Library/Managed\ Preferences
• sudo mv /tmp/com.microsoft.Edge.plist /Library/Managed\ Preferences/

If you are looking to get rid of Copilot in your Microsoft Edge mobile app, continue reading.

How to Hide Copilot Button in Microsoft Edge on Mobile

Much like on the desktop, you can hide the Copilot button in the Microsoft Edge mobile app. Moreover, the steps are the same for both Android and iOS. However, for demonstration, we are going with the iPhone. If you are on Android, follow along.

Step 1: Launch the Microsoft Edge app on your Android or iPhone. Once launched, tap on the hamburger menu in the bottom-right corner.

Step 2: From the bottom sheet, choose Settings. Then, go to General.

Step 3: Under General, go to Copilot. On the next screen, toggle off the Show Copilot option and tap Done.

That’s about it. The Copilot is now disabled on your Microsoft Edge mobile browser. That said, if you have any queries, check out the FAQ section below.

FAQs on Removing Copilot Button From Microsoft Edge

No More Copilot Button in Edge

Microsoft is trying to topple Google’s search experience by offering an AI-enabled search option in Edge. The Copilot tries to answer queries, but it doesn’t guarantee accuracy. But if you find the feature getting in your way, you can use any of the three methods to disable it on your computer. While these methods can be deemed to be workarounds, we aren’t sure whether Microsoft will let them work with future versions of the Edge browser.