Forum Discussion

Argo445's avatar
Argo445
Copper Contributor
Aug 30, 2026

Any way to keep Copilot always open in the sidebar?

Looking to always have Copilot open in the sidebar when using Edge.  I've found various bits of information regarding how to do this but they rely on the "sidebar" settings area which apparently has ...
BilalDev_01's avatar
BilalDev_01
Tin Contributor
Aug 31, 2026

Hi,

Yes, Copilot can still be kept available in the Edge sidebar, although the Sidebar settings have changed in recent Edge versions.

Microsoft has been retiring the old Sidebar app list/App Tower, but this change does not affect Copilot or the Copilot side pane.

If the option is still available in your Edge version, try:

  1. Open Edge and enter edge://settings/appearance/copilotAndSidebar in the address bar.
  2. Set the Sidebar option to Always on.
  3. Under App specific settings > Copilot, make sure Show Copilot button on the toolbar is enabled.
  4. Restart Edge.

Microsoft's current documentation confirms that the Sidebar can be set to Always on and that Copilot can be enabled separately.

However, if your goal is specifically to have Copilot automatically open inside the sidebar every time Edge starts, there does not appear to be a general user setting that forces the Copilot pane to automatically open at Edge startup.

So you can keep the sidebar available, but automatically opening the Copilot pane on every Edge startup may not currently be supported.

If you're using a work/school-managed Edge, also check edge://policy, because organizational policies can control the Sidebar and Copilot behavior.