Windows 11: Microsoft backpedals on Copilot decision

Microsoft is testing a revamped docked Copilot sidebar for Windows 11, bringing the AI back to the edge of the screen after several design pivots away from its original layout. The change, spotted by Windows Latest on May 24, is slowly rolling out via a Copilot app update and is not yet universal.

How the new Copilot docking works

By default, Copilot still opens as a floating app. A new drop-down menu in the title bar now exposes four layout options: the existing floating window, the existing picture-in-picture mode, and two new choices that dock Copilot to the left or right edge of the screen. Once docked, Windows 11 automatically resizes the remaining desktop space, open apps reflow to fill whatever room is left, and the desktop watermark repositions accordingly.

The docking experience operates separately from the native Snap Layouts system, though the visual presentation is similar. Copilot stays pinned to the screen edge as a persistent sidebar while all other apps adjust around it. Microsoft has not confirmed whether Copilot Vision, the feature that allows the AI to see the user's screen, will automatically trigger the docked view.

The current version of Copilot is an Edge-based wrapper that ships with a bundled private copy of Microsoft Edge. Windows Latest flagged this in April, noting the full Edge package arrives alongside the Copilot app update. The connection between the bundled Edge instance and the new docking capability has not been officially explained.

Microsoft's sixth Copilot UI redesign in two years

Copilot originally launched on Windows 11 in 2023 as a sidebar that lived alongside open apps. Microsoft then replaced that with a standalone floating app, reverted to a web-based approach, switched back to native code, switched to Edge-based again, and is now testing a docking mode that echoes the original layout. Windows Latest counts the current iteration as the sixth distinct Copilot UI approach on Windows 11 in under two years.

The reversal arrives at an awkward moment. Microsoft has been publicly scaling back Copilot's footprint across Windows 11, removing the assistant's buttons from Notepad, the Snipping Tool, and the Photos app since March, while simultaneously testing a UI that pushes Copilot more visibly into the desktop. Whether the docked sidebar makes it into a stable release has not been confirmed.

The Copilot changes are arriving at a time when Microsoft is asking Windows 11 users to keep up with updates ahead of a more pressing deadline. Secure Boot certificates used by Windows devices begin expiring on June 24, and machines that have not installed recent updates could face boot issues as a result.