Ready for Clean Edge Experience? How to Permanently Remove Ask Copilot Toolbar Button

Is the “Ask Copilot” Button Taking Over Your Microsoft Edge Toolbar?

You open your Microsoft Edge browser and notice something new. A large button that says “Ask Copilot” now sits in the top-right corner. It takes up a lot of space. This button is there to give you quick access to Microsoft’s AI assistant. Microsoft added this feature in recent updates (version 140 and later) to make its AI tools more visible. They call this new setup “Copilot Mode,” which aims to turn Edge into a browser powered by artificial intelligence.

In earlier versions, a small, simple icon represented Copilot. The new, bigger button is much more noticeable. While some people might find this helpful, you may want a cleaner look for your browser. You might prefer to have more space for your extension icons or just a simpler toolbar.

This guide will show you exactly how to manage this feature. You have control over your browser’s appearance. You can either go back to the small icon or remove the Copilot button completely. These steps will help you make the browser work the way you want it to.

Your Options for the Copilot Button

Before you make a change, it helps to know what your choices are. The “Ask Copilot” button is not just an icon; it is part of a feature. Understanding this feature helps you decide the best path forward.

There are two main things you can do:

• Go back to the smaller icon. If you still want to use Copilot sometimes but hate the big button, you can switch it back to the small icon that used to be there. This gives you back your toolbar space but keeps the AI assistant just a click away.
• Remove the button completely. If you do not use Copilot and want the most minimal toolbar possible, you can hide the button entirely. This also involves an extra step to remove the sidebar icon that might appear in its place.

Both of these options are easy to do. You do not need any special technical skills. The following sections will walk you through each method, one step at a time.

Method 1: Get Rid of the “Ask Copilot” Button

This method is for people who want to remove the large “Ask Copilot” button but are okay with having the smaller, original Copilot icon. This process involves turning off the main Copilot button from the browser’s settings menu.

Follow these steps carefully to restore a cleaner toolbar:

1. Open Microsoft Edge Settings. First, open your Edge browser. Look for the three horizontal dots (…) in the top-right corner of the window. Click on this menu button. A dropdown list will appear. Near the bottom of this list, you will see the Settings option. Click on it. You can also open the settings page by typing edge://settings/ into the address bar and pressing Enter.
2. Navigate to the Appearance Tab. On the Settings page, you will see a menu on the left side. Find and click on Appearance. This section controls how your browser looks, from its theme and colors to the buttons on the toolbar.
3. Find the Copilot Button Setting. In the Appearance pane, you will need to scroll down. Look for a section that lists the buttons you can show on your toolbar. You should find an option labeled Show Copilot button.
4. Turn the Toggle Off. Next to the “Show Copilot button” label, there is a toggle switch. Click this switch to turn it off. The change is instant. The large “Ask Copilot” button will disappear from your toolbar immediately.

After you do this, you might see the old, small Copilot icon, or you might see a new icon for the sidebar. If you want to get rid of that icon too, the next method will show you how.

Method 2: Completely Hide All Copilot and Sidebar Icons

If you want a truly clean toolbar with no Copilot or sidebar icons at all, this method is for you. It builds on the first method and takes one extra step to hide the remaining icon. This gives you the most space and removes all traces of the feature from your toolbar.

1. Follow Method 1 First. You must first turn off the main “Show Copilot button” in your Edge settings, as described above. Once you do that, the large “Ask Copilot” button will be replaced by a smaller, vertical icon that opens the browser’s sidebar.
2. Right-Click the Sidebar Icon. Now, find the new sidebar icon in your toolbar. It usually looks like a rectangle with a shaded section on one side. Move your mouse cursor over this icon and click the right mouse button.
3. Unpin the Icon from the Toolbar. A small context menu will appear when you right-click. This menu gives you options for that specific icon. One of the options will be Unpin from toolbar or Hide from toolbar. Click this option.
4. Confirm the Removal. The sidebar icon will vanish from your toolbar right away. Now, you have completely removed both the “Ask Copilot” button and the sidebar icon. Your toolbar is now free of these elements, giving you a more streamlined browsing experience.

This action is easily reversible. If you ever want the sidebar icon back, you can go back to Edge Settings > Appearance and manage your sidebar settings from there. You have full control to customize the browser to your needs.