Late last year, we learned that Microsoft planned to kill the Sidebar feature in its Edge browser. "We're simplifying Edge," the company explained. "New apps can no longer be added, and the quick access list will be removed gradually in future updates."
Interestingly, the company indicated that Copilot won't be affected by the change, further highlighting that the Sidebar's retirement will help it focus on improving its user experience.
The change seems unpopular among most users, and now, a petition has been launched to potentially get Microsoft's attention and even get it to pull the plug on its plan to retire Edge's Sidebar completely. At the time of writing, the petition had 74 verified signatures.
For context, the Sidebar in Edge is a tool designed to help users access tools and view websites and web apps within a small dedicated window, and can be used without leaving a webpage. When you launch Microsoft Edge on your PC, you'll notice the Sidebar on the edge of your browser window.
Copilot is also conveniently positioned in the same location. It's easy to subscribe to the notion across social media, suggesting the Sidebar's retirement is just another big push by Microsoft to get more users to use Copilot.
As highlighted in the "Keep the sidebar and collections in the Microsoft Edge browser" petition, the main issue is summarized as a message: "Microsoft Edge team, it makes no sense to remove a feature that users love—it’s very useful and works perfectly. Plus, this is one of the few features that sets Edge apart from other browsers. Please keep the current sidebar and collections, don’t remove it."
A quick look at Microsoft's feedback portal, highlighting the retirement of Edge's Sidebar, reveals that a vast majority of users are against the change. A user indicated that if the company moves forward with its plans to kill the feature, it should at the very least consider making it optional.
"God forbid the sidebar is removed," another user lamented. "I am literally only on MS Edge for that very reason."
That said, Microsoft has been making elaborate measures to rehabilitate and improve the current state of Windows 11 and address major pain points across the OS. Part of these efforts includes the return of Windows Insider meetups to bridge the gap between the developers and users, returning fan-favorite features like the movable and resizable Taskbar and more.
Interestingly, Microsoft is actively reducing where Copilot and its integrations appear, and has already lived up to part of the promise by removing the AI assistant from its Notepad app. However, some users have argued that the company renamed it to AI writing tools.
Elsewhere, Microsoft isn't walking away from AI entirely either. It recently added support for AI agents on the Taskbar and Search Box in Windows 11. It will be interesting to see how Microsoft handles complaints lodged by users and whether it will reconsider killing Edge's Sidebar.
On the flip side, some users are less-than-optimistic that Microsoft will reconsider its position about killing Edge's Sidebar. "Unfortunately, this won't achieve anything," one user commented. "If a large bureaucratic corporation has made a decision, it's already inevitable, and user feedback won't have any effect on it."
Do you find the Sidebar in Microsoft Edge useful? Let me know in the comments.
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