Microsoft Edge comes with a variety of AI features enabled. The latest feature is the On Device AI system known as Phi Mini. AI is seamlessly integrated into the operating system, so it won’t save disk space when disabled unlike with Google Chrome.
What is Phi Mini?
Phi Mini is Microsoft’s name for their in browser AI system that runs in your computer’s browser instead of in a remote server that costs Microsoft money to operate.
How do I disable Phi Mini?
Firstly, you need to navigate to the Experimental edge://flags page and search for Phi.
You will see:
- Prompt API for Phi Mini – Prompts are commands that tell the AI what to do, and the result is returned to the browser.
- Summarization API for Phi Mini – Text passed to the AI so that it can create a shortened version.
- Writer API for Phi Mini – This will enable the AI to write text.
Set all of these to Disabled. Press the Restart button to restart Edge.
Next, press Win+R to open the run box and type regedit. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft
Right click and create a new key with the name Edge. Select Edge and right click, this time create a DWORD 32-bit value. Name this GenAILocalFoundationalModelSettings then double click and change this to 1.
How do I disable CoPilot?
CoPilot is a different AI system to Phi Mini and is much more ingrained into the browser.
Disable the CoPilot Sidebar
If you click on the three dots then choose Settings, you will find Appearance. Click and scroll the Appearance section till you get to Other appearance settings, then click on CoPilot and Sidebar. click on CoPilot under App specific settings, then toggle CoPilot off.
Disable Write with AI
Under Languages, turn off “Use ‘Help me write’ writing assistant on the web”
Disable AI Innovations
Under AI Innovations, toggle CoPilot Mode off.
Turn off in Experimental settings
Navigate to edge://flags and search for AI.
Turn off “Enable Compose (AI-writing) on the web”
Turn off “Edge Copilot Mode”
Click the Restart button to restart Edge.
Disable Edge sidebar
If you prefer to disable the Edge Sidebar, you can do this via the Registry.
Press Win+R to open the run box and type regedit. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
Create a DWORD 32-bit value entry called HubSidebarEnabled. Make sure the value is set to 0.
Disable Edge AI
From the registry editor:
Press Win+R to open the run box and type regedit. Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge
Create a DWORD 32-bit value entry called Microsoft365CopilotChatIconEnabled, make sure the value is set to 0.
Create a DWORD 32-bit value entry called AIGenThemesEnabled, make sure the value is set to 0.
