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Key Takeaways
- Local browser automation works in Cowork on the web with Microsoft Edge; the desktop app, mobile app and other browsers cannot perform these browser steps.
- You need an active Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Cowork availability and usage-based billing; the tenant admin must also enable browser access, which is off by default.
- Use Edge 152.0.4191.53 or later as recommended, signed in with the same work or school account as Cowork; InPrivate and guest profiles are unsupported.
- The first browser task requires I understand in the conversation; sensitive or consequential actions still need an action-specific Approve or Reject decision.
- CAPTCHAs and credential checks pause the task for you to take over. Closing the tab, sleep or a lost connection pauses browser work; resume in the original conversation when Edge is available.
What the local browser does
When Cowork needs a website, it opens a hidden tab in your Microsoft Edge session and carries out the web steps required for the task. You stay in the Cowork conversation and follow progress there. It uses the single sign-on, cookies and sessions already available when you browse by hand, so it has the same access as your account and no more.
Credentials, cookies and session tokens used by the browser stay on your device. Here, “local” describes the Edge session running on your device; Microsoft does not say that the entire Cowork model or all task processing runs offline. Cowork as a whole is available through multiple product surfaces, but local browser steps have a separate Edge requirement.
Check the license, billing and admin setting
Before starting, your account needs an active Microsoft 365 Copilot license, Cowork available in your Copilot environment, and usage-based and Cowork billing enabled. Cowork Browsing is off by default for a tenant. An admin must open Copilot > Settings > View All > Cowork settings, turn on Allow browser access, and select the option that allows Cowork to use Microsoft Edge to perform tasks on users' behalf.
Local browser use is supported only in Cowork on the web with Microsoft Edge. It is not supported for browser steps in other browsers, the Copilot desktop app or mobile app. Microsoft recommends Edge version 152.0.4191.53 or later; Edge does not need to be your default browser.
Use the right Edge work profile and complete first-run consent
The work or school account signed in to Edge must be the same account you use for Cowork. InPrivate windows and guest profiles do not have the required sign-in session, so browser tasks cannot run there. When Cowork opens its hidden tab, it uses the existing session in that Edge profile rather than creating a separate sign-in.
The first time a task needs the browser, Cowork shows a consent notice in the conversation. Select I understand to enable browser use; the acknowledgment is stored in Microsoft Edge on your device. If you do not acknowledge it, browser use stays off. Cowork can continue parts of the request that do not need a browser, tell you what it skipped, and show the notice again the next time you ask for a browser task.
Follow progress and review sensitive actions individually
Open Microsoft Copilot on the web in Edge, select Cowork beside Chat, and describe the web task. No special command is needed.
Cowork shows progress in the conversation while it works. If it needs information that a page cannot provide, it asks you in chat first. For an action that submits personal data or is otherwise sensitive or consequential, the conversation shows a specific approval card. Choose Approve or Reject for that action. First-run browser consent is not approval for every later action.
For example, a hypothetical nonfinancial task would be to ask Cowork to gather an internal travel policy you are authorized to view and draft a summary for you to review. Check the collected information and each approval prompt before deciding whether to allow a specific action; this example does not require a purchase or credential submission.
Recover from verification prompts or an interrupted task
Cowork pauses and hands the Edge tab to you when a CAPTCHA or human-verification prompt appears, credentials or a multifactor code are needed, account settings must change, or an account is locked or requires a password reset. After you finish, Cowork resumes. If you cannot complete the step, it stops and reports what remains unfinished.
If you close the tab, your device sleeps or the network drops, the browser task pauses. When you are ready, open the same Cowork conversation and send continue, resume or another follow-up related to that task. Cowork checks whether Edge is available again, then continues or asks you to confirm.
Organization policies still apply, and a release window is not tenant-wide proof
Your local Edge still inherits your organization's web filtering, identity-based access rules (Conditional Access), browser-management policies and Microsoft Purview data loss prevention (DLP). If DLP blocks a step, Cowork explains what was blocked and suggests a manual step. Manual work must still follow organization policies; local browser access does not bypass them.
Microsoft's November 4, 2026 Copilot release batch covers updates from October 28 through November 3. Features roll out gradually within tenants. The batch places local Edge browser use in the release record; it does not show that every tenant has received the entry. Ask your admin to check the Cowork license, billing and browser setting, then verify prompts with a low-risk internal information-gathering task. The official pages do not give tenant-by-tenant arrival dates, a region list, a complete operating-system/browser compatibility matrix, a price or a guaranteed free allowance.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
Can admins limit browser use to a pilot group?
Yes. Microsoft documents that admins can limit browser use to specific security groups or individuals. Pilot access does not expand the website permissions those people already have.
Does starting outside Edge stop the whole request?
Cowork can complete the parts that do not need a browser, but cannot carry out web steps and says that the browser tool is unavailable. The documentation notes that it does not identify which specific steps need Edge, so check the result for unfinished work.
How can I open the hidden working tab?
Select Switch to tab. Cowork also shows the tab when it needs you to take over. During normal execution, you can stay in the original conversation to follow progress.