Open your Edge browser, click the familiar new tab button, and instead of the usual MSN barrage assaulting your eyeballs with “shocking” news stories and viral cat hacks, you’re now greeted with a much quieter (and frankly more existential) prompt: “How can I help you today?” That’s right—Microsoft Edge is officially kicking MSN out of your New Tab Page in favor of Copilot, the company’s latest AI prodigy with aspirations to redefine how you interact with both web and workspace. So, grab your caffeinated beverage of choice, IT pros, because we’re not just getting a shiny button here. We're getting a new philosophy, courtesy of Redmond, about what a browser should do for you in 2024 and beyond.
For years, Microsoft’s Edge browser—like its equally insistent cousin, Windows Start Menu—greeted users with a mosaic of curated MSN news, weather, trending search bar distractions, and an overwhelming sense you’re being nudged toward the latest "celebrity meltdown" or “five vegetables that might kill you.” It was part infotainment, part traffic driver, part, “please don’t change your default browser.”
Well, no more. As spotted in bleeding-edge preview builds like Edge Canary, Microsoft has quietly started shoving that MSN content out the back door, replacing it with something altogether different: a Copilot-powered interface that’s got more in common with ChatGPT than it does with TMZ.
Here’s the twist: instead of a wall of clickable news tiles, you now get a Copilot-centric prompt dead center, and an input box that begs you to ask for help, advice, or your next existential validation. You’ll also spot your most-frequented websites at the bottom, but those are basically the opening act for the real headliner—Copilot’s conversational AI.
Now, replacing the world’s most notorious clickbait with an AI assistant is a bit like swapping candy for kale. Sure, you lose the sugar rush of mindless scrolling, but you just might get something, dare I say, useful.
So, for now, Copilot on Edge NTP is a bit like a bouncer at an empty club: it’s standing there, directing traffic, but there isn’t much of a party going on yet.
For IT professionals, that means there’s not a huge loss in actionable utility—yet. Despite years of MSN “news” rarely proving useful in the high-stakes world of sysadmin firefighting, the new interface feels less like standing in a waiting room and more like stepping into a digital concierge’s office. You’re greeted and offered actual assistance—or at least you will be once Copilot truly comes into its own.
As for usability, Microsoft’s Copilot reps its signature simplicity here. The input box is front and center—what will you do today? Plan a meeting? Draft a sternly worded memo? Or just ask which cryptic blue screen code means “your RAM is having an existential crisis”? It’s up to you.
But, IT pros, before you break out the confetti: remember, we’ve traded embarrassing headlines about unlikely vegetable deaths for the bleeding edge of AI. Which means—buggy code, misinterpreted questions, and the occasional “Sorry, I don’t know that yet” response are still very much on the menu, at least in these early preview releases.
For now, each mode is a work in progress, making Copilot more helpful as an AI chatbot than as a full-on digital assistant—think friendly nerd rather than omnipotent wizard.
Edge hasn’t forgotten you—frequently visited sites now show up as neat icons at the bottom of the NTP. Want more or fewer of these? Copilot Edge Labs settings let you toggle them on or off, offering a measure of customizability we rarely see outside of extension-heavy browsers.
This means smoother, faster workflows for those of us who open half a dozen internal dashboards before breakfast, then mutter “security through obscurity” as a mantra. Customization is a true strength here, especially if Microsoft lets you take this further (imagine, for example, a per-profile New Tab tailored to specific domains or project workstreams).
It’s a small thing, but for the compulsive multi-tabbers among us, little UX details like this are where productivity either flourishes or withers.
In practice, there are still a lot of redirects—many quick action buttons and queries currently spill out to Bing, rather than being handled natively on the page itself. You can expect regular updates, new bugs to squish, and the usual course corrections as Redmond learns what real users actually want from AI in the browser.
For the enterprise crowd: now’s the time to run this through your test rigs, see what breaks, and start drafting those internal memos. After years of training users against distractions, you may need to retrain them to “ask Copilot” for answers rather than scan for updates on their favorite soccer team.
Will Copilot log every question, learn about all those server error codes, or quietly ship your queries back to Azure for AI training? Microsoft claims enterprise-grade privacy defaults, but as with all cloud-powered AI assistants, you’ll want to audit the permissions and telemetry closely.
Advising staff to avoid sharing confidential project names or sensitive incident details via Copilot is a wise preemptive move. And for those in regulated sectors, don’t expect Copilot to replace that laminated, 36-step incident response flowchart on your wall anytime soon.
If you’ve ever wanted to consolidate research, reminders, and draft emails without bouncing between five apps, this is a logical—if still bumpy—first step. And while the current release doesn’t leapfrog WhatsApp, Arc, or even Google’s Gemini-for-Chrome in terms of feature depth, Redmond’s long-term ambitions are writ large across this initiative.
Imagine grabbing a coffee while Copilot triages your inbox, surfaces critical LinkedIn messages, and drafts a follow-up to your boss about that failed deployment—all from your NTP. We’re not there yet, but with every incremental update, the browser becomes less of a passive gateway and more of a proactive partner.
The risk? IT pros already battle with user habits—if Edge gets too proactive, “shadow automation” problems may creep in. Suddenly, the AI starts offering just-in-time policy suggestions, and someone tries to close a ticket because Copilot assured them it’s “probably resolved by now.”
Others, sick of clickbait and company gossip, will embrace the peace. For IT managers, it’s a chance to reshape digital hygiene—less noise, more intent-driven productivity. A browser that assumes you’re working, rather than procrastinating, might actually help reduce digital fatigue.
But Microsoft must tread carefully: push Copilot too hard and it risks user backlash; under-deliver on AI utility and the whole enterprise may feel like an anticlimax. This isn’t just a UI tweak; it’s a test of whether AI can genuinely make browsing less passive and more purposeful.
Microsoft’s big advantage? Deep integration with the broader productivity suite. If Edge Copilot can smartly hand-off requests to Teams, Outlook, or Power Platform, it’ll become something Chrome/Arc/Brave can only envy.
That said, early mistakes will be amplified. A Copilot that fumbles basic queries, or can’t parse IT-specific jargon, will never supplant Google Search for working professionals. The bar, in 2024, is set higher than ever.
The execution is, for now, a little rough. You’ll find more ideas than answers, and more Bing redirects than seamless AI interaction. But make no mistake: this is what the future of browsing looks like. And while IT pros may chuckle at the rough edges and occasional hiccups, the shift is a sign that browsers are—finally—growing up.
So open a new tab, say hello to Copilot, and maybe even ask it for a joke about legacy authentication methods. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time together—and unlike the old NTP, at least it won’t remind you three times a day which fruits are secretly trying to kill you.
Source: extremetech.com Microsoft Edge Drops MSN Feed for Copilot AI on New Tab Pages
MSN Feeds the Dustbin: End of an Era (or Error?)
For years, Microsoft’s Edge browser—like its equally insistent cousin, Windows Start Menu—greeted users with a mosaic of curated MSN news, weather, trending search bar distractions, and an overwhelming sense you’re being nudged toward the latest "celebrity meltdown" or “five vegetables that might kill you.” It was part infotainment, part traffic driver, part, “please don’t change your default browser.”Well, no more. As spotted in bleeding-edge preview builds like Edge Canary, Microsoft has quietly started shoving that MSN content out the back door, replacing it with something altogether different: a Copilot-powered interface that’s got more in common with ChatGPT than it does with TMZ.
Here’s the twist: instead of a wall of clickable news tiles, you now get a Copilot-centric prompt dead center, and an input box that begs you to ask for help, advice, or your next existential validation. You’ll also spot your most-frequented websites at the bottom, but those are basically the opening act for the real headliner—Copilot’s conversational AI.
Now, replacing the world’s most notorious clickbait with an AI assistant is a bit like swapping candy for kale. Sure, you lose the sugar rush of mindless scrolling, but you just might get something, dare I say, useful.
Copilot Invades the New Tab Page—Modes and First Impressions
Let’s get specific. The new Copilot-powered New Tab Page (NTP) offers several user modes:- Default: Decides for you whether your question gets answered directly by Copilot or redirected to a traditional Bing search.
- Search and Navigate: Aims to handle web searches, giving you “smarter” navigation (with the operative word being “smarter,” assuming the AI is having a good day).
- Chat: Delivers conversation-style replies, letting you banter with Copilot as if it were your very own semi-caffeinated intern.
So, for now, Copilot on Edge NTP is a bit like a bouncer at an empty club: it’s standing there, directing traffic, but there isn’t much of a party going on yet.
For IT professionals, that means there’s not a huge loss in actionable utility—yet. Despite years of MSN “news” rarely proving useful in the high-stakes world of sysadmin firefighting, the new interface feels less like standing in a waiting room and more like stepping into a digital concierge’s office. You’re greeted and offered actual assistance—or at least you will be once Copilot truly comes into its own.
The New Interface: Cleaner, Quieter, Hopefully Smarter
Let’s take a moment to appreciate what’s gone. The New Tab Page now loads faster, is visually quieter, and—dare I say—more dignified. Gone is the ADHD-inducing barrage of news stories and clickbait, replaced by a minimalist aesthetic that sends a bold message: Microsoft wants to be seen as a company shipping future-facing, productivity-first tools, not pop-culture echo chambers.As for usability, Microsoft’s Copilot reps its signature simplicity here. The input box is front and center—what will you do today? Plan a meeting? Draft a sternly worded memo? Or just ask which cryptic blue screen code means “your RAM is having an existential crisis”? It’s up to you.
But, IT pros, before you break out the confetti: remember, we’ve traded embarrassing headlines about unlikely vegetable deaths for the bleeding edge of AI. Which means—buggy code, misinterpreted questions, and the occasional “Sorry, I don’t know that yet” response are still very much on the menu, at least in these early preview releases.
Copilot’s Multiple Personality Modes
Let’s talk modes—because Copilot brings more personalities to the party than a multiplatform Zoom call:- Default Mode: Think of this as AI autopilot—Copilot decides, based on your query, whether to handle it internally or shunt you over to Bing. There's both promise and peril here: the more often Copilot gets things right, the less you’ll miss the old, static search bar. The more it struggles, the more you’ll be quietly Googling “how to re-enable classic New Tab Page.”
- Search/Navigate Mode: Nothing too radical yet. This is just a more conversational version of classic search—ideally, it should streamline outcomes (“find me a list of ports open on Windows Server 2022”), or even act as a shortcut to common administrative actions. At least, that’s the dream. In practice, for now, expect to land on a Bing search results page faster than you can say “404 error.”
- Chat Mode: Here’s where the magic should happen. You ask, Copilot answers—ideally with conversational fluency and a dash of charm. Need a regex pattern? A PowerShell snippet? Ideas for the office Secret Santa? Fire away.
For now, each mode is a work in progress, making Copilot more helpful as an AI chatbot than as a full-on digital assistant—think friendly nerd rather than omnipotent wizard.
Living on the Edge: Frequent Sites and Customization
Let’s not ignore the basics. Not every IT pro is yearning for mid-workday philosophical debates with their browser. Some just want easy access to their top sites.Edge hasn’t forgotten you—frequently visited sites now show up as neat icons at the bottom of the NTP. Want more or fewer of these? Copilot Edge Labs settings let you toggle them on or off, offering a measure of customizability we rarely see outside of extension-heavy browsers.
This means smoother, faster workflows for those of us who open half a dozen internal dashboards before breakfast, then mutter “security through obscurity” as a mantra. Customization is a true strength here, especially if Microsoft lets you take this further (imagine, for example, a per-profile New Tab tailored to specific domains or project workstreams).
It’s a small thing, but for the compulsive multi-tabbers among us, little UX details like this are where productivity either flourishes or withers.
Early Days and Unpolished Edges
Important caveat: this Copilot-centric NTP is still in preview. If you’re running Edge Canary or have “experimental flags” enabled, you might already see it (or a buggy facsimile thereof). And like all Microsoft previews, it comes with the usual bag of “let us know if you hit any showstoppers” disclaimers.In practice, there are still a lot of redirects—many quick action buttons and queries currently spill out to Bing, rather than being handled natively on the page itself. You can expect regular updates, new bugs to squish, and the usual course corrections as Redmond learns what real users actually want from AI in the browser.
For the enterprise crowd: now’s the time to run this through your test rigs, see what breaks, and start drafting those internal memos. After years of training users against distractions, you may need to retrain them to “ask Copilot” for answers rather than scan for updates on their favorite soccer team.
Security and Privacy: What’s Really Happening to Your Data?
Let’s address the specter peering over every IT admin’s shoulder: data privacy. No, the MSN feed wasn’t exactly private (those custom news recommendations came from somewhere, after all), but AI-integration introduces fresh challenges.Will Copilot log every question, learn about all those server error codes, or quietly ship your queries back to Azure for AI training? Microsoft claims enterprise-grade privacy defaults, but as with all cloud-powered AI assistants, you’ll want to audit the permissions and telemetry closely.
Advising staff to avoid sharing confidential project names or sensitive incident details via Copilot is a wise preemptive move. And for those in regulated sectors, don’t expect Copilot to replace that laminated, 36-step incident response flowchart on your wall anytime soon.
Big Picture: Browsers Becoming Digital Workspaces
Stepping back, Microsoft’s recasting of the New Tab Page isn’t just a cosmetic refresh—it’s a signal of browser evolution. The web browser is morphing from “portal to the Internet” into “portal to your work/life AI ecosystem.”If you’ve ever wanted to consolidate research, reminders, and draft emails without bouncing between five apps, this is a logical—if still bumpy—first step. And while the current release doesn’t leapfrog WhatsApp, Arc, or even Google’s Gemini-for-Chrome in terms of feature depth, Redmond’s long-term ambitions are writ large across this initiative.
Imagine grabbing a coffee while Copilot triages your inbox, surfaces critical LinkedIn messages, and drafts a follow-up to your boss about that failed deployment—all from your NTP. We’re not there yet, but with every incremental update, the browser becomes less of a passive gateway and more of a proactive partner.
The risk? IT pros already battle with user habits—if Edge gets too proactive, “shadow automation” problems may creep in. Suddenly, the AI starts offering just-in-time policy suggestions, and someone tries to close a ticket because Copilot assured them it’s “probably resolved by now.”
Risks and Roadblocks: What Could Go Wrong?
Let’s not kid ourselves. AI integration isn’t risk-free—or even failproof:- False Confidence: Users may take Copilot’s answers as gospel. (IT pros, prepare your “don’t believe everything your browser tells you” speech.)
- Misrouting Queries: In its “default” handling, Copilot may send simple requests out to Bing instead of answering them natively. Expect confusion and, in worst cases, precious seconds lost in crisis situations.
- Surface Bugs: Preview code always brings gremlins. Expect glitches, unexpected memory spikes, or even garbled output (“Did Copilot just recommend formatting my C: drive?”).
- Telemetric Overreach: Admins need to review how Copilot interacts with corporate data, especially in regulated environments.
Will Users Embrace the Blank Slate, or Miss the Noise?
Perhaps the most interesting question is psychological. Some users, bereft of the familiar MSN lineup, will feel nostalgia (or abandonment?) when faced with a bare white page asking how it can help. A browser that doesn’t pre-chew the news or force-feed viral videos? That’s almost… radical.Others, sick of clickbait and company gossip, will embrace the peace. For IT managers, it’s a chance to reshape digital hygiene—less noise, more intent-driven productivity. A browser that assumes you’re working, rather than procrastinating, might actually help reduce digital fatigue.
But Microsoft must tread carefully: push Copilot too hard and it risks user backlash; under-deliver on AI utility and the whole enterprise may feel like an anticlimax. This isn’t just a UI tweak; it’s a test of whether AI can genuinely make browsing less passive and more purposeful.
The Competitive Outlook: Keeping Pace in a Crowded Field
Edge’s Copilot NTP isn’t happening in a vacuum. Apple’s rumored AI-for-Safari push, Google’s Gemini initiatives, and a raft of niche browsers all want a slice of your “default new tab” time. The AI war is well underway, and users will reward whoever delivers not just novelty, but genuine, day-in-day-out value.Microsoft’s big advantage? Deep integration with the broader productivity suite. If Edge Copilot can smartly hand-off requests to Teams, Outlook, or Power Platform, it’ll become something Chrome/Arc/Brave can only envy.
That said, early mistakes will be amplified. A Copilot that fumbles basic queries, or can’t parse IT-specific jargon, will never supplant Google Search for working professionals. The bar, in 2024, is set higher than ever.
Final Thoughts: First Steps Toward the AI Browser Utopia?
All told, Microsoft’s decision to drop MSN news for Copilot is a bold one—a bet that users want a browser which helps, nudges, and even converses, not just siphons page views to news partners.The execution is, for now, a little rough. You’ll find more ideas than answers, and more Bing redirects than seamless AI interaction. But make no mistake: this is what the future of browsing looks like. And while IT pros may chuckle at the rough edges and occasional hiccups, the shift is a sign that browsers are—finally—growing up.
So open a new tab, say hello to Copilot, and maybe even ask it for a joke about legacy authentication methods. After all, you’ll be spending a lot of time together—and unlike the old NTP, at least it won’t remind you three times a day which fruits are secretly trying to kill you.
Source: extremetech.com Microsoft Edge Drops MSN Feed for Copilot AI on New Tab Pages
