How to Limit Gemini and Copilot Access to Browser Data in Chrome and Edge

This guide covers both switches, what each one actually controls, and the separate retention rules for Google account activity and Copilot conversation history. It also covers the Edge policy administrators use for Microsoft Entra work profiles.

Quick reference​

Part 1: Stop Gemini in Chrome from sharing your tab automatically​

What happens by default​

Google's Chrome help documentation says Gemini in Chrome on a computer uses content from your current tab by default. You opt in the first time you use it. You can also share up to 10 more of your recent open tabs from any browser window, either with the Add tabs control or by typing @ in the prompt and picking a tab. Tabs opened from a chat or from a shared tab are shared as well.

Google lists these requirements:

• Age 13 or older (or the applicable age in your country), in a supported region
• A Windows PC, Mac or Chromebook Plus
• The latest version of Chrome
• Signed in to Chrome (the feature doesn't work in Incognito mode)
• A supported device language
• For adults using a work or school Google Account, an administrator must enable access

Google says the rollout is gradual, so the feature may not appear for you yet. NeoTeo reports that the United States is on Google's supported-region list for adults. The region list in the copy of Google's help page reviewed here was incomplete, so that detail couldn't be confirmed independently.

Steps​

1. Open Chrome, click More, then Settings.
2. Click AI innovations, then Gemini in Chrome. If the settings menu is hidden, click Menu first.
3. Under Permissions, turn off Share current tab by default.

What success looks like: new Gemini chats no longer pick up your current tab automatically. Gemini stays on, and you can still share a tab by hand when you want an answer about a specific page.

Unshare a tab that's already shared​

The setting only affects new chats. For a conversation that's already open:

1. In Gemini in Chrome, click Show shared tabs above the text box.
2. Click Remove tab next to the tab you want to stop sharing.

According to Google, a shared tab has a glowing underline while Gemini is using it, and the underline disappears once the tab is removed.

Separate permissions this switch doesn't touch​

Many people stop at the tab switch and assume they're done. They aren't, because Google lists several other permissions separately:

• Media understanding lets Gemini answer questions about audio and video you've already played on media websites. Google says it's on by default. You can turn it off at chrome://settings/ai/gemini.
• Let Gemini browse for you is a separate permission for multi-step tasks Gemini carries out on websites. Users under 18 can't use it.
• Precise location and Microphone are also in the Permissions list.

Google's Gemini privacy hub explains what gets collected. When you use Gemini in Chrome, it processes page content and the URL from your current tab and any tabs you've shared. If you ask it to find pages you visited, it also collects the relevant URLs from your history. Google also notes that some of the page content Gemini uses might not be visible to you. Turning off default tab sharing reduces automatic exposure. It doesn't make Gemini forget how to read web pages.

Section summary: turn off Share current tab by default, remove any tabs already shared, then check Media understanding and auto-browse separately.

Part 2: Turn off Context Clues in Microsoft Edge​

What Copilot can see​

In Microsoft's words, Edge access to browsing context is controlled by the Context Clues setting. Microsoft's support page lists the data that can count as browsing context: the URL, the page title, page content or screenshots, and browsing history.

Edge doesn't send everything with every request. Microsoft's getting-started guide says prompts that refer to page content, such as summarizing a page, video or PDF, can draw on the current page, its title, your open tabs and your browser history. Prompts that don't refer to page content are limited to the URL, page title, your prompt and earlier conversation history.

Steps​

1. At the top right of Edge, select the More menu (…).
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Copilot and AI.
4. Turn off Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web.

Microsoft says this prevents Copilot from using the current webpage, page title, open tabs, or browser history in its responses.

What success looks like: with Context Clues off, Copilot doesn't have access to your browsing data and won't answer questions or perform requests based on your websites or browsing data. Expect more generic answers. Ask Copilot to summarize the page you're reading and it can't.

Common points of confusion​

• The prompt suggestions don't go away. Microsoft says that when you open Copilot, Edge uses the current page title and URL to suggest prompts you may find useful. Context Clues aren't used to generate these suggestions. With the setting off, you get generic suggestions instead.
• It's per profile. Geek Rewind notes that the setting applies to your account, so check it again if you sign in to Edge with a different account. If you keep separate work and personal profiles, check each one.
• The Copilot button stays. iTechGuides points out that the setting addresses access to context; it does not, by itself, remove the toolbar button. Hiding the button and turning off the Copilot new tab page are separate settings.
• Older guides use other menu names. Some older tutorials refer to a "Copilot and sidebar" section or put the toggle under Privacy settings. Microsoft's current documentation says Copilot and AI.

Microsoft also recommends not sharing sensitive information you wouldn't want used as browsing context. You can remove information from that context by closing tabs and clearing your browsing history.

Section summary: one switch under Copilot and AI blocks Copilot's use of browsing data. It doesn't hide Copilot, stop basic prompt suggestions, or delete chats.

Part 3: Browser context and saved history are separate controls​

Turning off a context switch is not the same as wiping your data.

Google: Keep Activity​

Chrome's tab-sharing permission doesn't change Google's Keep Activity setting. For personal accounts, Google's activity help says:

• Keep Activity is on by default for users 18 and over.
• With it on, Gemini Apps activity older than 18 months is deleted automatically. You can change that to 3 or 36 months or switch off automatic deletion, under Settings & help > Activity at gemini.google.com.
• With it off, conversations are still kept with your account for up to 72 hours so Google can provide the service and process feedback. They don't appear in Gemini Apps Activity.
• According to Google's privacy hub, future chats with Keep Activity off aren't used to train its AI models unless you send feedback.

Gemini in Chrome adds another layer. Google says information from websites you use with the feature is stored in Gemini Apps Activity when Keep Activity is on, while page content is logged to your Google Account temporarily and doesn't appear in Gemini Apps Activity. Google doesn't say how long that temporary log lasts, so don't treat it as the same thing as the 72-hour chat window.

Changing Gemini settings also leaves other Google settings alone, including Web & App Activity, Search Services History and Timeline. Work and school accounts are different again: their retention is controlled by the Google Workspace administrator.

Microsoft: conversation history​

Microsoft says when you ask Copilot a question or make a request, browsing data is shared with Copilot to provide additional context. Its support page also says browsing context is never saved to conversation history. Only your prompt and Copilot's response are saved. The Context Clues switch controls what Copilot can read, not what it keeps. Removing past conversations is a separate job.

Section summary: decide which problem you're solving. If it's what the assistant can read, use the context switch. If it's what gets kept, use the activity or history controls. Many people will want both.

Part 4: For administrators, the Edge Entra policy​

Microsoft documents a policy called EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext for organizations. The details:

• Scope: users signed in to Edge with a Microsoft Entra account who use Copilot in the side pane. This includes Microsoft 365 Copilot Business Chat and Microsoft Copilot with enterprise data protection. It doesn't apply to profiles signed in with a personal Microsoft account.
• Versions: Edge 130 or later on Windows and macOS. Android and iOS aren't supported.
• Enabled: Copilot can access page content, browsing history and video transcripts when users start contextual queries.
• Disabled: Copilot can't access those data types. This also disables M365LinksAutoOpenCopilotEnabled, because contextual insights for Microsoft 365 links need page content.
• Not configured: access is on by default outside the EU and off by default in EU regions, and users can change it in Edge settings.
• DLP: even with the policy enabled, Copilot can't read pages protected by data loss prevention policies.

Deployment details from Microsoft's documentation: the ADMX file is MSEdge.admx, the Group Policy path is Administrative Templates/Microsoft Edge, and the policy can be set as mandatory but not as recommended. It supports dynamic policy refresh. The registry value is EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext (REG_DWORD) under SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge, and the macOS preference key has the same name.

The regional default matters. Outside the EU, an unconfigured policy means access is on, so IT teams who want it off have to set it explicitly. This policy covers Entra work profiles only. Personal profiles on the same PC still rely on each user's own Context Clues setting.

Bottom line​

Both Google and Microsoft give you a clear switch for browser context. In both cases it's a narrow setting:

• In Chrome, turn off Share current tab by default, remove any tabs already shared, and check Media understanding and auto-browse separately.
• In Edge, turn off Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web in each profile.
• For retention, use Google's Keep Activity and auto-delete settings, and remember that Microsoft says Copilot's history holds your prompts and its responses, not your browsing context.
• In managed environments, configure EdgeEntraCopilotPageContext explicitly rather than relying on regional defaults.

Readers comparing notes on Edge privacy settings, Copilot in Microsoft 365, or Group Policy for Edge deployments will find related discussions elsewhere on the forum.