Any way to keep Copilot always open in the sidebar?

Unfortunately, current versions of Edge do not provide a supported option to open the Copilot pane automatically every time the browser starts. The old Always show sidebar setting has been retired, so instructions that depend on it no longer work.

You can still make Copilot easier to access:

1. Open Edge Settings > Appearance.
2. Make sure the Copilot button is displayed on the toolbar, if that option is available.
3. Click the Copilot button to open the pane.
4. If the pane includes a Pin button, use it to keep the pane open while you browse in that Edge window.

Pinning the button or pane does not guarantee that the pane will reopen after Edge has been completely closed. The Continue where you left off startup option restores tabs, but it normally does not restore the open state of the Copilot pane. Adding Copilot as an Edge startup page also opens it as a normal tab rather than in the sidebar.

There does not appear to be an Edge policy that forces the Copilot pane to open at startup. Administrator policies can control whether Copilot is available, but not automatically open it for every session. Registry methods written for the previous sidebar are no longer dependable.

If you need Copilot to remain visible all the time, the more reliable workaround is to open Microsoft 365 Copilot as a separate Edge app:

1. Open Microsoft 365 Copilot in Edge.
2. Open the Edge menu and select Apps > Install this site as an app.
3. Launch the installed Copilot app and pin it beside Edge using Windows Snap Layouts.
4. Pin the app to the taskbar for quick access.

That is not technically an Edge sidebar, but it remains available beside the browser and is less likely to be affected by future sidebar changes.

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.

hi Argo445​ Yes, Copilot can still be used in the Edge side pane. The recent change is a little confusing because Microsoft is retiring the Sidebar app list/App Tower, but Copilot itself and the side pane are not being removed.

If the goal is to have the sidebar available whenever Edge starts, check:

Edge → Settings → Appearance → Copilot and Sidebar

You can also go directly to:

`edge://settings/appearance/copilotAndSidebar`

Microsoft's current documentation still shows an Always on option for the sidebar, and the Copilot button can be enabled under the Copilot-specific settings.

One limitation, though: having the sidebar always visible is not necessarily the same as having Copilot automatically opened inside the sidebar every time Edge starts. Microsoft's current documentation primarily describes opening Copilot by selecting the Copilot icon in the Edge toolbar.

So, if the requirement is specifically “start Edge → Copilot is already open in the side pane without clicking anything,” there doesn't appear to be a supported general Edge setting for that at the moment.

If the Always on sidebar setting isn't available in the current Edge build, check `edge://policy` as well. On managed devices, an administrator policy can control sidebar availability.

So the short answer is: keep the sidebar Always on, but automatic opening of Copilot at Edge startup doesn't currently appear to be a standard user setting.