Microsoft Adds In-App Browser to Windows 11 Copilot App, and Reddit Users Push Back

The feature has been in testing since early this year. Administrators can enable it now, and a broader rollout is scheduled for late November, meaning Copilot users who do not have it yet may wait a few more months depending on the pace of deployment.

Not everyone has welcomed the change. On Reddit, users replying to Windows Central's question about whether the update would make Copilot their preferred browser on Windows 11 were almost uniformly negative. "No. Copilot is a scourge that I avoid at all opportunities. Having a browser inside Copilot sounds like Hell," one reply read. Another said: "Definitely not. As it is, if I click a link in Copilot I have it open it in my actual web browser. The built-in browser would have to be really good to get me to change that."

TechRadar noted that the criticism came largely from users who already avoid AI tools, while the feature is aimed at people who use the Copilot app. It also noted that the change serves Microsoft's interests beyond convenience, holding more activity inside Copilot and indirectly promoting Edge, since the in-app browser is built on Microsoft's browser rather than a third-party engine.

For users who want to read pages Copilot highlights without leaving the app window, the side panel is presented as a convenience. Links that previously launched separately in the default browser will now stay within Copilot on both Windows 11 and macOS, according to the report.