March 10, 2026
You clicked, Microsoft picked
Microsoft Copilot Update Hijacks Default Browser Links
Clicks get trapped in a side panel, users cry foul
TLDR: Microsoft’s Copilot now opens links in an Edge-powered side panel, sidelining your default browser in early Windows Insider builds. Commenters call it a hijack or say it’s old news, cracking jokes about full‑screen ads while debating privacy, control, and how to escape the Microsoft walled garden.
The internet is yelling “browser hijack!” after Microsoft’s latest Copilot tweak starts opening every link inside a side panel powered by Edge instead of your chosen browser. Microsoft calls it “context preservation” — keep the page next to your chat so you don’t lose the thread — but the vibe in the comments is: you clicked, Microsoft picked. One user joked the article itself “hijacked my browser and gave me a full screen add,” turning the outrage into a meta-meme.
Others piled on with screenshots and sighs from mobile land: on Android, one commenter says Edge swapped the search bar for a “copilot” bar, sparking a scavenger hunt for a browser that can run Chrome-style extensions. Meanwhile, the contrarians reminded everyone this isn’t exactly new: “Many Windows links open in Edge, no matter your default browser,” one veteran notes, name-dropping tools like MSEdgeRedirect to fight the current. Yes, there are opt-ins elsewhere: with permission, Copilot can read your open tabs, summarize across pages, save them with your chat, even sync passwords — all currently rolling out to Windows Insiders only. But the loudest chorus isn’t debating features; it’s warning about attention capture and privacy, with jokes of Clippy getting a pilot’s license.
Key Points
- •Links clicked inside Microsoft Copilot now open in a Copilot side panel using Microsoft Edge’s rendering engine, not the user’s default browser.
- •Microsoft describes the change as “context preservation” to keep content next to the conversation and has not said if this is opt-in.
- •With user permission, Copilot can access the context of opened tabs to answer questions, summarize across tabs, and help draft text; tabs can be saved with the conversation.
- •Users can optionally enable syncing of passwords and form data; features like Podcasts and Study and Learn mode from Copilot.com are being added while others may be temporarily removed during iteration.
- •The update is rolling out to Windows Insider channels (version 146.0.3856.39 and above) before general availability, and the article raises privacy concerns about routing links through Microsoft’s browser engine by default.