Microsoft Edge is getting a handy accessibility feature for Copilot – and another nifty tweak

Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Edge has a useful new feature on the accessibility front for those using its Bing AI in the browser.

As Leopeva64 on X (formerly Twitter) noticed, in the earlier test versions of Edge – namely Canary and Dev – Edge Copilot (which might be able to help you snag a Black Friday bargain) has a new option to read the chat aloud.

After you’ve run a query, there’s a speaker button you can press to have the text response read out to you, and it turns into a pause button during playback – allowing you to stop the read-through temporarily if needed.

Note that this option is part of a phased rollout, the leaker tells us, meaning that even if you are running a test version of Edge, you may not see it just yet – only selected testers will. This is common practice for features in the early preview stages, of course.

Elsewhere in Edge, the New Tab menu (top-right, next to the window minimize control) has a new addition – a list of ‘Recently visited’ websites at the foot of the panel. As you might guess, this is a convenient way to quickly get back to any web page you’ve just been to but have since closed.

Again, that feature is in testing, though just for the Canary version of Edge in this case.


Analysis: Accessibility drive

Microsoft has been doing plenty of work to improve accessibility within Windows 11 and its Edge browser, and this is another piece of that overall puzzle. It’s a small change but one that’ll doubtless be very welcome for those who have been hankering after a reader tool for replies from Edge Copilot.

Granted, this is still in the early stages of development, so it may be some time before it reaches the release version of Edge. Naturally, any feature in testing won’t necessarily be implemented in the finished version of the browser, but in this case, we’d be surprised if it didn’t – given Microsoft’s extensive drive towards better accessibility, as mentioned.

You might also like

Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).

Read more
A woman sitting in a chair looking at a Windows 11 laptop
Microsoft is supercharging Windows 11’s voice commands on Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon CPUs, and fine-tuning a few Recall features
Copilot on a laptop
What is Copilot: Microsoft’s AI chatbot isn't just for Windows users
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC
A laptop screen showing the new ChatGPT-powered Bing search engine
Microsoft claims Edge had a great year, boasts soaring browser user numbers
Microsoft Copilot on a laptop.
I think Microsoft is smart to follow OpenAI in making these premium features free
A woman sitting in a chair looking at a Windows 11 laptop
Windows 11 is set to offer the option nobody was crying out for – having Copilot automatically load in the background when the PC boots
Latest in Edge
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Don’t panic – Microsoft’s Edge browser isn’t about to subject you to a flood of unblocked adverts (not yet, anyway)
The Microsoft Edge logo on a black background displayed on a laptop screen.
Microsoft just gave Edge a great new feature to ensure the browser doesn’t slow down the PC, and it’s tempting me to switch from Google Chrome
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Microsoft gets rid of ‘Edge uninstall’ advice page after facing criticism over it having nothing to do with removing the app, and just promoting the browser instead
Microsoft Edge
Sorry, you're not getting Microsoft Edge off of your PC, at least according to its new 'uninstall' document
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Microsoft’s Project Phoenix could make Edge look better than ever in Windows 11 – but I’m not sure it’s enough to take the fight to Google Chrome
Happy PC gamer shows heart sign with hands
Microsoft could tempt PC gamers away from Chrome with nifty new ‘Game Assist’ mode for its Edge browser
Latest in News
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead
EA Sports F1 25 promotional image featuring drivers Oscar Piastri, Carlos Sainz and Oliver Bearman.
F1 25 has been officially announced, with this year's entry marking a return for Braking Point and a 'significant overhaul' for My Team mode
Garmin clippd integration
Garmin's golf watches just got a big software integration upgrade to help you improve your game