原文：Microsoft says it'll simpilify Windows 11's Edge browser by removing features like Sidebar, pledges to win back users
Microsoft Edge is cluttered, and the company is taking steps to simplify the browser. It’s unclear what all the changes are on the horizon for “decluttering” Edge, but Windows Latest understands that the Sidebar feature is the first casualty. In a support document and a recent version of Edge, Microsoft reconfirmed that the Sidebar is being phased out.
Microsoft Edge’s Sidebar retirement shouldn’t surprise anyone, as we saw it coming in November 2025 when we spotted the deprecation message in the Canary version. However, I find the updated wording in the support document particularly interesting, as it suggests the Sidebar is being removed to simplify Edge.
“We’re simplifying Microsoft Edge,” Microsoft warns.” “The sidebar app list will be retired in the near future, starting with Microsoft account (MSA) users. There is no confirmed retirement date at this time,” Microsoft said in an updated support document spotted by Windows Latest.
Microsoft has never officially confirmed that it’s trying to declutter the Edge browser, so this is a first for the company.
Users are not happy with Microsoft Edge’s Sidebar removal
While I am all for decluttering Edge or even Windows, I do not understand why leadership decided to remove the Sidebar feature, which is one of the elements that differentiated the browser from other Chromium clones. In fact, dozens of users told me that they might stop using Edge if Sidebar is entirely removed, and they have fair reasons to quit.
With Edge’s Sidebar, you could add your favourite web app as a mini app that loaded inside the panel. I personally added Outlook, Bing, and a few other shopping-related web apps, so I could access my favourite or important web apps while browsing the internet. Sidebar actually made Edge’s browser fun, and split screen isn’t even close to the experience.
In our tests, Edge’s Sidebar still works, but it’s only a matter of time before it disappears into thin air. Right now, you can no longer add apps to the S