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Copilot icon doesn't appear in Microsoft Edge sidebar

Summary

This article helps you troubleshoot an issue in which the Copilot icon doesn't appear in the Microsoft Edge sidebar. The icon might be missing for any of the following reasons:

  • The sidebar is disabled
  • Copilot is turned off in sidebar settings
  • Group Policy blocks Copilot or the sidebar
  • The Edge version is outdated
  • Copilot isn't available for your region or account

Follow the steps in this article to identify and resolve the issue.

Symptoms

You experience one or more of the following issues:

  • The Edge sidebar isn't visible.
  • The Edge sidebar is visible, but it contains no Copilot entry.
  • The Copilot icon was previously visible in the sidebar but disappeared after a browser update, policy change, or profile switch.

Solution

Work through the following methods in the given order. After each section, check whether the Copilot icon appears in the sidebar before you proceed to the next method.

Verify that the Edge sidebar is enabled

The sidebar might be turned off entirely. When the sidebar is disabled, all sidebar apps, including Copilot, are hidden. Follow these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge and go to edge://settings/appearance/copilotAndSidebar.
  2. Select Always on.

Note

If the sidebar settings are unavailable, a Group Policy might be controlling this setting. Go to Check Group Policy and organization settings.

Verify that Copilot is enabled in sidebar app settings

The sidebar might be enabled, but the Copilot app could be individually turned off. Follow these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to edge://settings/appearance/copilotAndSidebar.
  2. Under App specific settings, find and select Copilot.
  3. Make sure that the toggle for Show Copilot button on the toolbar is turned on.
  4. If Copilot doesn't appear in the app list, restart Microsoft Edge.

Check Group Policy and organization settings

Your IT administrator might have configured policies that disable the sidebar, block Copilot, or block the Copilot extension.

Check sidebar and Copilot policies

  1. To view all active policies, open Microsoft Edge, and go to edge://policy.
  2. Search for the HubsSidebarEnabled policy, and check its value. If the policy is set to Disabled, the entire sidebar is hidden, including Copilot. In this case, contact your IT administrator to set the policy to Enabled or Not Configured.

Check the ExtensionInstallBlocklist policy

  1. In edge://policy, search for ExtensionInstallBlocklist and check whether the following conditions are true:
    • A wildcard (*) entry blocks all extensions
    • The Copilot extension ID ofefcgjbeghpigppfmkologfjadafddi is explicitly listed
  2. If the Copilot extension ID ofefcgjbeghpigppfmkologfjadafddi is in the blocklist, contact your IT administrator to remove it.
  3. If a wildcard (*) is used, make sure that the Copilot extension ID (ofefcgjbeghpigppfmkologfjadafddi) is added to the ExtensionInstallAllowlist policy.

After any policy changes are made, restart Microsoft Edge for the changes to take effect.

Tip

You can export all applied policies from edge://policy to share the export file with your IT administrator for review.

Update Microsoft Edge to the latest version

Copilot in the Edge sidebar requires a recent version of Microsoft Edge (version 111 or a later version). An outdated browser might not have the Copilot feature available. Follow these steps:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge, and go to edge://settings/help.
  2. Wait for Edge to check for updates and install the latest version.
  3. After the update finishes, restart Microsoft Edge.

Verify regional availability and account type

Copilot might not be available in your region or for your account type. Availability depends on geographic location, license assignments, and tenant-level settings.

  1. Go to edge://settings/profiles, and verify that you're signed in by using a valid Microsoft account (personal, work, or school).
  2. Check whether Copilot is available in your region. For details, see Supported regions and languages in Microsoft Copilot.
  3. If you're using a work or school account, check with your IT administrator to verify that Copilot is enabled for your organization's Microsoft 365 tenant.
  4. Try to sign out and sign back in, or try a different account to determine whether the issue is account-specific.

Test in a new browser profile

A corrupted browser profile or conflicting settings from other extensions might prevent the Copilot icon from appearing. Follow these steps:

  1. Select the profile icon in the upper-left corner of Microsoft Edge.
  2. Select Add profile > Add.
  3. In the new profile, check whether the Copilot icon appears in the sidebar.
  4. If the icon appears in the new profile, the issue is related to your original profile. To resolve the issue in the original profile, follow these steps:
    1. Go to edge://settings/reset.
    2. Select Restore settings to their default values.

Caution

If you reset browser settings, you also restore the startup page, new tab page, search engine, and pinned tabs to their default states. This action also disables all extensions and clears temporary data such as cookies. Your favorites, history, and saved passwords aren't affected.

Data collection

If you have to contact Microsoft Support for more help, collect the following diagnostic information and include it with your support request.

  • Microsoft Edge version: Go to edge://settings/help, and note the full version number.
  • Active policies: Go to edge://policy, and export the policy list.
  • Sidebar settings: Go to edge://settings/appearance/copilotAndSidebar, and take a screenshot of the current settings.
  • Account type: Note whether you're using a personal, work, or school account.
  • Operating system version: In Windows, go to Settings > System > About, and note the OS version.

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