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Microsoft’s action-taking browser feature is officially called Browse with Copilot. In Edge, open the Copilot text box, choose Browse with Copilot, and describe the task you want it to perform. The feature is experimental, availability is still rolling out, and Microsoft currently describes consumer access for Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers in the United States, with other markets to follow.
This is different from ordinary Copilot Chat in the Edge sidebar and from the separate Copilot Cowork actions control. The steps below show the consumer setup first, then the Windows policy requirements that apply to organization-managed browsers.
What “Copilot actions” means in Edge
When people say they want Copilot to take actions in Windows 11 Edge, they usually mean Browse with Copilot. It is an agent-style browser experience: you give it a goal, it can work with pages and tabs in the current browser window, and you can watch what it does. Microsoft describes the feature on its Browse with Copilot in Microsoft Edge support page.
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Browse with Copilot is not the same as asking a question in the normal Copilot Chat panel. Chat can summarize or answer questions about a page when the relevant account and settings allow it, but the action-taking interface is the separate Browse with Copilot choice in the Copilot text box. A third, separate capability is Copilot Cowork, which has its own administrator policy and should not be substituted for the Browse with Copilot setup.
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Microsoft calls Browse with Copilot experimental. It can misunderstand a request, make a mistake, or be influenced by hidden instructions embedded in a webpage. Treat every run as supervised automation rather than an unattended macro.
Check eligibility before looking for the button
The control may be absent even when Edge itself is working normally. Eligibility depends on rollout location, subscription, account type, and, on managed computers, administrator policy. Microsoft’s consumer documentation currently describes a rollout to consumers with Microsoft 365 Premium in the United States; it says additional markets will follow but does not provide a complete country list or a universal release date.
| Situation | What Microsoft documents | Who controls availability |
|---|---|---|
| Personal consumer Edge | Browse with Copilot is rolling out to Microsoft 365 Premium subscribers in the United States, with more markets planned. | Microsoft’s rollout, market eligibility, subscription, and account sign-in. |
| Organization-managed Windows Edge | The AllowBrowsingWithCopilot policy is supported on Windows Edge version 148 and later. The feature also requires an active Microsoft 365 Copilot subscription and permitted domains. |
The administrator’s policy and domain lists; user control depends on the policy state. |
| Copilot Chat in Edge | Chat visibility, page context, and work/school data protection use separate settings and policies. | Account type and the controls described in Microsoft’s Manage Microsoft Copilot Chat documentation. |
| Copilot Cowork actions | The separate CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled policy is supported on Windows Edge version 152 and later. |
An administrator or, when unconfigured, the user through Edge settings. |
If you use a work or school account, do not assume that a personal Microsoft account has the same controls. Work or school sign-in can provide enterprise data protection, while the organization can independently restrict Copilot features.
Enable Browse with Copilot for a personal account
Once your account and market are eligible, the setup is short. You do not install a separate extension or buy hardware.
- Open Microsoft Edge. Use the Windows 11 Edge profile that has the eligible Microsoft account signed in.
- Open the Copilot text box. This is the prompt field in Edge’s Copilot experience, not a search query in the address bar.
- Select Browse with Copilot. Choosing this mode is what requests browser actions. Selecting ordinary chat instead will not start the action-taking workflow.
- Enter a specific request. For the page already open, begin with wording such as In my browser… or On my current page…. For another task, action-led verbs such as Open, Find, Book, or Add make the intended operation clearer.
- Review the live activity. Microsoft says, “You can see each step in real time and take control at any time.” Watch the page, tab, and confirmation steps instead of switching away and assuming the task completed correctly.
A useful request states the target, constraints, and stopping point. For example, “On my current page, find the section about returns, open the official policy link in a new tab, and stop before submitting anything” is safer than “handle this page.” If a task could create an order, send a message, change an account, or submit a form, say explicitly where Copilot must stop so you can inspect the result.
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Prompt patterns that reduce ambiguity
- Current page: “On my current page, locate the installation requirements and list them without changing the page.”
- Open a destination: “Open the official support page for this product in a new tab and stop.”
- Find information: “In my browser, find the cancellation deadline on the page I have open.”
- Constrained action: “Find the available appointment times, but do not select or confirm one.”
- Multi-step task: “Open the two links about account recovery, compare the instructions, and ask me before entering any information.”
These examples illustrate the style Microsoft recommends; they do not guarantee that a site will expose every control to the agent. A page may use an unsupported flow, require a human verification challenge, or contain instructions that conflict with your goal.
How the browser session affects actions
Browse with Copilot can interact with open tabs and cookies in the current browser window. If you are already signed in to a website, that session may also be signed in for Copilot. This is convenient for ordinary navigation but increases the consequences of a mistaken instruction.
Microsoft says the agent cannot access autofill data, saved passwords, or wallet information while browsing. That limitation does not make sensitive tasks safe: a page can still display private information that is already open, and an agent could navigate to an unintended account area.
Safety rules for action-taking browsing
Use Browse with Copilot as supervised assistance. Keep the browser visible, inspect each step, and take control whenever the result differs from your request. Hidden webpage instructions can attempt to redirect an agent, so treat text on a page as untrusted input rather than as an instruction from you.
Do not use the feature for banking, stock trading, payment-card details, government identifiers, medical identifiers, or highly confidential business information. Avoid pasting secrets into prompts. If a site is already signed in, close unrelated tabs before starting so the agent has less context to act on.
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Page screenshots associated with Browse with Copilot are saved with conversation history for up to 30 days unless you delete the conversation. Microsoft says those screenshots are not used for training. Delete the conversation when the retention period is not appropriate for the page you viewed.
Enable it on a managed Windows 11 Edge installation
Organizations should use the documented AllowBrowsingWithCopilot policy, not the Cowork policy. Microsoft documents this control in the AllowBrowsingWithCopilot policy reference.
Requirements administrators must satisfy
- Edge version: the policy is supported on Windows Edge version 148 and later.
- Subscription: Microsoft states that use is available only to active Microsoft 365 Copilot subscribers.
- Domain allow list: browsing is restricted to domains in the configured browsing allow list. Domains on the block list are excluded.
- Allow-list configuration: if no browsing allow-list domains are configured, the feature is effectively disabled.
The domain requirement is easy to miss. Turning on the policy without permitting any browsing domains does not create unrestricted action access; the documented behavior leaves the feature effectively disabled until the allowed domains are configured.
User control under each policy state
AllowBrowsingWithCopilot state |
Result for the user |
|---|---|
| Not configured | The feature is off by default, but the user can turn it on when the other eligibility requirements are met. |
| Enabled | The feature is on and the user cannot turn it off. |
| Disabled | The feature is unavailable and the user cannot turn it on. |
After changing a policy, administrators should verify the effective Edge version, subscription assignment, and domain lists together. A policy that appears enabled while the allow list is empty will not provide the expected browsing experience.
Do not substitute the Copilot Cowork policy
CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled controls actions for Copilot Cowork, a distinct experience. Microsoft documents that policy for Windows Edge version 152 and later in its CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled policy reference.
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| Cowork policy state | Effect | Can the user change it? |
|---|---|---|
| Enabled | Cowork may take actions on the user’s behalf. | No; the setting is locked. |
| Disabled | Cowork actions are prevented. | No; the setting is locked. |
| Not configured | The user can toggle the setting in Edge settings. | Yes. |
Because the policy names and version numbers differ, setting CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled is not a way to enable Browse with Copilot. Use AllowBrowsingWithCopilot for the Browse with Copilot experience and reserve the Cowork control for organizations that intentionally manage Cowork actions.
Browse with Copilot, Copilot Chat, and Cowork compared
| Experience | Primary purpose | Relevant control | Typical user question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Browse with Copilot | Supervised browser navigation and page actions. | Consumer rollout or AllowBrowsingWithCopilot on managed Windows Edge. |
“Can it open, find, or work through this page for me?” |
| Copilot Chat | Conversation, explanation, and page-context assistance. | Account settings and separate organization policies. | “Can it explain or summarize what I’m reading?” |
| Copilot Cowork | A separate action-taking workflow with its own controls. | CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabled. |
“Should Cowork be allowed to take actions on my behalf?” |
Microsoft’s Manage Microsoft Copilot Chat guidance covers ordinary Chat visibility and related management. Microsoft also documents broader Copilot settings for Microsoft 365 in Manage Microsoft Copilot Settings. Those pages are useful when Chat is missing or page context is unavailable, but they do not replace the Browse with Copilot setup path.
Troubleshoot a missing or unusable Browse with Copilot option
The Browse with Copilot choice is not shown
- Confirm that you are using the intended Edge profile and account.
- Check whether your consumer account is in a supported rollout market and has Microsoft 365 Premium. Microsoft does not state that the feature is universally available.
- If the device is managed, ask the administrator whether
AllowBrowsingWithCopilotis enabled, disabled, or not configured. - For managed Edge, verify that the browser is version 148 or later and that at least one browsing allow-list domain is configured.
- Do not use the Cowork policy as a diagnostic substitute; it governs a different experience and requires Edge version 152 or later.
The option appears but actions do not work on a site
- Check whether the site’s domain is in the organization’s browsing allow list and not in its block list.
- Look for a sign-in, consent, verification, or confirmation step that requires you to take control.
- Rewrite the request with a clear starting point, action verb, target, and stopping condition.
- Close unrelated tabs and remove sensitive pages from the current window before trying again.
- Watch the activity for a hidden instruction or unexpected navigation and stop the run if the behavior diverges.
Copilot Chat works, but page context or actions do not
Chat availability does not prove that Browse with Copilot is enabled. Review the account and organization controls separately. Work/school accounts may be subject to enterprise data-protection rules, while personal accounts follow the consumer rollout and subscription conditions. Use Microsoft’s Copilot Chat management documentation for Chat-specific visibility and page-context problems, then return to the Browse with Copilot requirements for action-taking behavior.
How to stop or limit actions
During a run, take control as soon as you see an unexpected step; Microsoft explicitly describes real-time visibility and the ability to take control. For a personal account, stop using the Browse with Copilot mode and avoid starting another request on the same sensitive page. Delete the associated conversation if its screenshots should not remain in history for the documented retention period.
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Practical decision guide
- You have a personal Windows 11 PC and an eligible subscription: open the Copilot text box, choose Browse with Copilot, and begin with “In my browser…” or “On my current page…”.
- You have a work or school PC: ask whether the organization manages Edge, then have the administrator verify
AllowBrowsingWithCopilot, Edge version 148 or later, active Microsoft 365 Copilot licensing, and the browsing allow list. - You only need explanations or summaries: use ordinary Copilot Chat and consult its separate management guidance; do not enable action-taking policies unnecessarily.
- Your organization is evaluating Cowork: review
CopilotCoworkToolActionsEnabledindependently and confirm that the decision is about Cowork, not Browse with Copilot. - The task involves financial, medical, government, payment, or confidential information: do not use Browse with Copilot for that task.
Browse with Copilot is therefore enabled through a specific Edge prompt mode for eligible consumers, or through the AllowBrowsingWithCopilot policy on managed Windows Edge. Subscription, rollout, domain, account, and safety conditions determine whether the button appears and whether an action can proceed.
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