How to Use Copilot in Microsoft Edge to Summarize a Page or PDF

The short version

Copilot in Edge sits next to the page you’re reading, so you can ask “what does this say?” without copying anything. It’s the fastest way to get the gist of a long article, a report in PDF or a video before you decide whether to read or watch it all.

Step by step

1. Sign in to Edge with your personal Microsoft account.
2. Open the page, PDF or video you want to understand.
3. Select the Copilot icon in the upper-right corner of Edge. Copilot opens beside the page.
4. Choose Create a Summary for a quick overview, or Expand on this topic for more background.
5. Ask follow-up questions about the page: “What does it say about prices?” “Who wrote this and when?”
6. Open the source for anything important and read that part yourself.

Prompts to copy

A useful summary:

Summarize this page in five bullet points for someone with no background in the topic.
Then tell me the single most important takeaway.

A long PDF:

This PDF is a lease. List the rent, the deposit, the length, the renewal terms
and anything about early termination, with the page numbers.

A product page:

Based on this page, what's included in the price, what costs extra, and what's the return policy?

A video:

Summarize this video's main steps as a numbered list I can follow without watching.

Compare with what you know:

Does anything on this page contradict the claim that [claim]? Quote the exact sentence.

Example

You’re reading: a 40-page city council PDF about new parking rules.

You ask: “What changes for residents of Elm Street, and when do they start?”

A good result: a short answer that names the section and the start date. You jump to that section and confirm it, because a missed “except” can change everything.

Mistakes to avoid

• Treating the summary as the source. Summaries can drop exceptions and conditions. Check the original for decisions.
• Asking about pages you’re not allowed to share. Copilot reads the page to answer; at work, your company may block this.
• Forgetting the setting. If you don’t want Copilot reading pages, tabs or history, turn that off (below).

Control what Copilot can read

In Edge, open the More (…) menu, go to Copilot and AI, and turn off Allow Copilot to read context clues on the web. Microsoft says this stops Copilot from using the current page, page title, open tabs and browsing history. Copilot still works for general questions; it just can’t see the page.

When not to use it

Skip it for pages with personal or confidential details, like online banking or medical portals. And for legal, medical or money decisions, use the summary to find the right section, then read it in full.

Related: use Copilot in Windows and fact-check Copilot.