Microsoft has pushed yet another architectural overhaul of its Copilot assistant for Windows 11, this time replacing the existing native application with a web-based implementation that ships with an embedded, full copy of Microsoft Edge — a change that has sent memory consumption soaring well beyond what most users would consider acceptable for a background artificial intelligence assistant. The update marks another change in how Copilot is delivered on Windows, following earlier versions that included a sidebar integration, a progressive web app, a WebView version, and a native WinUI-based app. The pattern of constant architectural reversals has drawn mounting criticism from users and commentators who argue that Microsoft has been unable to settle on a coherent strategy for integrating artificial intelligence into its flagship operating system.
Users can access the updated Copilot through the Microsoft Store by searching for “Microsoft Copilot,” and even on systems where Copilot is already installed, the Store displays a new listing with a download option. The download completes almost instantly because it installs a separate Copilot installer rather than the full application, in a process similar to how Microsoft Edge itself is installed. Once the installation completes, the new Copilot automatically removes and replaces the previous native version. Testing shows that the new Copilot app consumes more system resources than the earlier native version. Background usage can reach around 500MB of RAM, increasing to approximately 1GB during active use. By comparison, the previous native Copilot app typically used less than 100MB of RAM. The new Copilot package includes a full installation of Microsoft Edge, rather than relying on the system’s existing browser integration, with the installation folder containing a complete set of Edge components including executables and libraries such as msedge.exe, msedge.dll, and other Chromium-related files. The Edge folder alone occupies around 850MB of storage, with core files confirming the presence of a full browser engine.
The new Copilot is a hybrid web application with a rebranded and forked Edge instance running as a dedicated application in a WebView2 container, and it also includes Edge subsystems such as Browser Helper Objects, Trust Protection Lists, PDF Preview, Extensions, edge feedback, edge game assist, and DRM modules. From a user experience standpoint, the interface closely mirrors the web version of Copilot at web.copilot.com, and early observations suggest it feels noticeably smoother and more responsive than previous iterations of the progressive web application approach. However, critics argue that bundling a separate Edge instance duplicates existing system components and contributes to unnecessary bloat, and the approach also aligns with a broader trend of Electron-style applications where performance often takes a back seat to development speed and cross-platform compatibility.
This move adds to ongoing concerns about web-based applications increasing system resource usage in Windows 11. Interestingly, this change comes as Microsoft reportedly builds a new internal team focused on improving Windows 11 performance. If that effort delivers, Copilot could eventually return to a native implementation, but for now the application is heading in the opposite direction. For users running systems with 8 gigabytes of random access memory or less, the resource implications are particularly pointed, as a background process consuming up to 500 megabytes effectively reduces the available memory for all other applications running simultaneously. Whether Microsoft chooses to address this through optimisation or another round of architectural rethinking remains to be seen, but the reaction from the Windows community suggests that patience with repeated Copilot redesigns is wearing thin.
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