Microsoft Removes Edge's Collections And Sidebar
Microsoft has removed the Collections feature from Microsoft Edge starting with Edge 149, which began rolling out on June 4, 2026, according to Microsoft support documentation. The support page states that Collections is being retired and offers two migration paths: a one-click "Move to Favorites" conversion for saved pages and an "Export Your Data" option for enterprise (AAD) accounts. Reporting from Windows Latest, which cites a Microsoft statement, and from PiunikaWeb says the browser's Sidebar app list has also been removed in the same release, with Microsoft reallocating that surface toward its Copilot assistant. Changelogs from Neowin and Winaero document related Edge 149 changes, including a migration of Workspaces to a new V2 architecture and the removal of Workspaces collaboration. Users who do not migrate before updating risk losing saved Collections.
What happened
Microsoft removed the Collections feature from Microsoft Edge beginning with Edge 149 (version 149.0.4022.52), which started rolling out on June 4, 2026, according to Microsoft support documentation. The support article states that Collections is being retired and is no longer available starting with Edge 149, and it lists two user-facing options: a one-click Move to Favorites conversion that turns saved pages into Favorites folders, and an Export Your Data option for AAD (enterprise) accounts. Windows Latest, citing a Microsoft statement, and PiunikaWeb report that the browser's Sidebar app list was removed in the same release and cannot be restored with a feature flag.
Technical details
Changelogs from Neowin and Winaero document additional Edge 149 changes for the stable channel. Per Neowin, the release migrates Workspaces to a new V2 architecture, moves saved Workspaces data from OneDrive/SharePoint to the Edge Sync service, and removes Workspaces collaboration and sharing, with the migration having begun progressively in earlier builds. Per the Microsoft support page, the Favorites conversion moves only saved web pages (URLs); images, notes, and other non-page items are not included.
Why Microsoft made the change
Windows Latest reports Microsoft framed the removals as a way to concentrate development on its Copilot assistant, including a revised Copilot button in the browser. Retiring stateful, lightly used features is a common way for browser vendors to simplify maintenance and redirect engineering toward newer priorities.
Practitioner impact
- •Any automation, extension, or workflow that depended on Collections or its exported data must shift to Favorites, exported files, or external storage.
- •Teams that relied on cross-device Workspaces sharing should review the V2 migration, since Neowin and Winaero note Workspaces V2 created after migration will not sync where Sync is disabled by policy.
- •Non-page Collections content (notes, images) is not migrated and should be backed up manually before updating.
What to watch
- •Whether Microsoft ships migration tooling for the non-page items the Favorites conversion drops.
- •Enterprise feedback on the Workspaces V2 migration and Sync behavior under restrictive policies.
- •How aggressively Edge continues to reallocate browser surface toward Copilot in later releases.
Key Points
- 1Microsoft's support documentation confirms Collections is retired in Edge 149, with a one-click Favorites conversion and an enterprise export path to preserve saved pages.
- 2Windows Latest reports the Sidebar app list is also gone, with Microsoft saying the change lets it focus the browser surface on its Copilot assistant.
- 3Industry context: browser feature retirements usually include migration paths, but non-URL items such as Collections notes and images are not carried over and can be lost.
Scoring Rationale
Edge is enterprise-critical software used by hundreds of millions, and Microsoft explicitly tied the Collections and Sidebar removals to refocusing the browser on its Copilot AI assistant. The change is operationally relevant to power users, IT admins, and anyone building browser-integrated tooling, but the retired features themselves are not AI capabilities, so the impact on core AI/DS/ML work is modest. Scored as a minor-to-solid product change.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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