Why Bing Chat Sidebar Returns After You Disable It in Edge on Windows 11

You disable the Bing Chat sidebar in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11, but it reappears after you restart the browser or update Edge. This happens because Edge has multiple settings that control the Copilot and Bing Chat features, and disabling one does not disable all of them. This article explains the root cause of the reappearing sidebar and provides a complete set of steps to permanently remove it.

Why the Bing Chat Sidebar Reappears After Disabling It

Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 integrates Copilot and Bing Chat through multiple layers. The sidebar toggle in Edge settings only hides the sidebar button, but the underlying feature remains active. When Edge updates or restarts, it can re-enable the sidebar toggle through a feature rollout or a sync setting. Additionally, if you are signed into Edge with a Microsoft account, your browser sync may restore the sidebar setting from another device. The root cause is that Edge uses a combination of user-facing toggles, browser flags, and system-level policies, and disabling only one of these does not fully remove the feature.

Steps to Permanently Disable the Bing Chat Sidebar in Edge

Follow these steps in order. Each step addresses a different layer of Edge’s integration. Complete all steps to ensure the sidebar stays disabled.

Method 1: Disable the Copilot Toggle in Edge Settings

1. Open Edge settings
   Click the three-dot menu (Alt+F) in the top-right corner of Edge, then select Settings.
2. Navigate to the sidebar section
   In the left pane, click Sidebar. If you do not see this option, type edge://settings/sidebar in the address bar and press Enter.
3. Turn off Copilot
   Under the Copilot section, set the toggle to Off. This removes the Copilot icon from the sidebar.
4. Remove Copilot from the App list
   Scroll down to the App and notification settings section. Find Copilot in the list and click the three-dot menu next to it. Select Remove from sidebar.
5. Disable sidebar auto-show
   In the same sidebar settings page, locate the Discover section. Set Show Discover to Off. This prevents the sidebar from appearing when you hover over the edge of the browser window.

Method 2: Disable the Copilot Flag in Edge Flags

1. Open Edge flags page
   Type edge://flags in the address bar and press Enter.
2. Search for the Copilot flag
   In the search box at the top, type Copilot. You will see a flag titled Microsoft Copilot.
3. Disable the flag
   Click the dropdown menu next to the flag and select Disabled. This prevents the Copilot feature from loading at the browser level.
4. Restart Edge
   Click the Relaunch button at the bottom-right of the flags page. Edge closes and reopens with the flag disabled.

Method 3: Use Group Policy or Registry to Block Copilot

This method is for Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education editions. If you have Windows 11 Home, use the Registry method.

1. Open Group Policy Editor
   Press Win+R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. If this fails, your edition does not support Group Policy. Skip to the Registry steps below.
2. Navigate to the Edge policy folder
   Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge.
3. Find the Copilot policy
   In the right pane, double-click Enable Copilot in Microsoft Edge.
4. Set the policy to Disabled
   Select Disabled, then click OK. This blocks the Copilot sidebar from appearing regardless of user settings.
5. Apply the change
   Close the Group Policy Editor. Open a Command Prompt as administrator and run gpupdate /force to apply the policy immediately.

Registry method for Windows 11 Home:

1. Open Registry Editor
   Press Win+R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the Edge policy key
   Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. If the Edge key does not exist, right-click the Microsoft key, select New > Key, and name it Edge.
3. Create the Copilot policy value
   Right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it HubsSidebarEnabled. Set its value to 0.
4. Restart Edge
   Close Registry Editor and restart Edge. The sidebar should no longer appear.

Method 4: Disable Browser Sync for Settings

1. Open Edge settings
   Click the three-dot menu and select Settings.
2. Go to Profiles > Sync
   In the left pane, click Profiles, then click Sync.
3. Turn off sync for Settings
   Under Sync settings, set the Settings toggle to Off. This prevents Edge from restoring the sidebar setting from other devices.

Common Issues After Disabling the Bing Chat Sidebar

The Sidebar Reappears After an Edge Update

Edge updates occasionally re-enable the Copilot flag or the sidebar toggle. After each update, check the flags page and the sidebar settings. Repeat Method 1 and Method 2. To prevent this, use the Group Policy or Registry method, which persists across updates.

The Bing Chat Button Still Appears in the Toolbar

Edge also has a dedicated Copilot button on the top toolbar next to the profile icon. To remove it, go to edge://settings/appearance. Under Customize toolbar, find Copilot button and set it to Off. This button is separate from the sidebar and requires its own toggle.

Copilot Reappears After Signing Into a Different Microsoft Account

If you sign into Edge with a different Microsoft account, the sync settings from that account may restore the sidebar. Before signing in, disable sync for Settings as described in Method 4. Alternatively, use the Group Policy or Registry method to enforce the setting at the machine level.

Edge Sidebar Settings vs Group Policy: Effectiveness Comparison

Item	Edge Sidebar Settings	Group Policy / Registry
Persistence across updates	No — settings can be reset	Yes — policy remains enforced
User account required	No — works for any profile	No — applies to all users on the device
Ease of use	Easy — no admin rights needed	Requires administrator privileges
Affects other Edge features	Only hides the sidebar	Blocks the Copilot feature entirely

You now have multiple methods to permanently disable the Bing Chat sidebar in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11. Start with the Edge settings and flags, then apply the Group Policy or Registry method for a system-wide block. After completing these steps, verify by restarting Edge and checking that the sidebar does not appear. As an advanced tip, you can also block the Copilot service at the network level by adding copilot.microsoft.com and all subdomains to your DNS filter or hosts file.