Microsoft confirmed in February that it was adding the new Bing Chat AI to the Microsoft Edge sidebar, as well as additional AI writing features. That functionality is now rolling out with the Microsoft Edge 111 update.
Microsoft Edge 111 includes the updated sidebar and Discover pane that has been in the Beta, Dev, and Canary channels for a while now, which Microsoft is also calling “Edge Copilot.” There’s a giant new Bing button at the top-right of the browser window, which directly opens the new Discover pane with three tabs available. The Chat tab is an embedded version of the chatbot available through Bing’s website, the Compose tab has more controls for Bing’s generative text features, and the Insights tab provides data from Bing about the current site.
Microsoft really wants you to use the new Bing features, to the point where the sidebar opens if you so much as roll your mouse over the Bing button. That’s the new auto-hide sidebar functionality, which Microsoft says “can maximize the productivity and convenience of the sidebar without sacrificing valuable screen space.” There’s no easy way to turn it off, or hide the large Bing button altogether, which makes the argument for convenience seem a bit hollow.
Edge 111 also updates the Microsoft Feed for the enterprise version of the browser, and the enhanced security mode now supports WebAssembly code on Intel-based Macs and x86-64 Linux PCs. Back in February, Microsoft showed off a visual update for Edge with more rounded elements alongside the new Bing features, but those changes don’t appear to be live yet.
You can download Edge from Microsoft’s site. If you have the browser already, you should get the update automatically soon, or you can manually check for updates. The Bing-powered features require a Microsoft account that has been accepted into the Bing waitlist.
Source: Microsoft