How to Customise the Microsoft Edge Sidebar with Custom Websites and Productivity Tools

Constantly switching between browser tabs to consult reference documentation, glance at messaging channels, or perform currency calculations disrupts online concentration. Rather than arranging multiple desktop windows side by side, Microsoft Edge features a dedicated collapsible Sidebar. This permanent panel allows users to pin any website, web application, or productivity utility alongside their active browsing viewport without altering tab arrangements.

What the Microsoft Edge Sidebar Offers

The Edge Sidebar serves as an integrated multitasking strip on the right-hand edge of your browser window:

• Native Productivity Utilities: Includes quick-access tools such as a unit converter, scientific calculator, world clock, speed test, and dictionary.
• Custom Web App Pinned Panes: Pin any online service—such as WhatsApp Web, Slack, Spotify, ChatGPT, or Google Keep—into a mobile-responsive panel that stays persistent across tabs.
• Mobile Viewport Optimisation: Automatically renders pinned sites in streamlined mobile formats, conserving screen real estate while keeping active chats or notes readily accessible.
• Auto-Hide and Floating Controls: Automatically collapses when not in use or docks permanently depending on your screen resolution and workflow preferences.

Pinning Custom Websites to the Edge Sidebar

Adding your favourite communication tools, email dashboards, or note apps takes only two clicks:

1. Launch Microsoft Edge on your Windows PC or Mac.
2. Navigate to the website or web application you wish to dock (for instance, web.whatsapp.com or keep.google.com).
3. Look at the Sidebar located on the right edge of the browser window.
4. Click the + (Customise sidebar) icon located near the bottom of the sidebar strip.
5. Under the Add current page section, click Add current page (or search the suggested web app directory).
6. The site’s favicon icon appears instantly pinned in the sidebar strip.

Whenever you need to reply to a message or review notes, click the icon to slide out the companion pane. Clicking away collapses the pane cleanly without interrupting your main tab reading.

Customising and Reordering Sidebar Tools

To eliminate unused clutter and keep only essential widgets visible:

1. Click the + icon at the bottom of the sidebar to open the Customise sidebar settings flyout.
2. Review the Manage list of built-in Microsoft tools (Copilot, Search, Shopping, Tools, Games, Microsoft 365, Outlook).
3. Toggle off any native modules you do not use to streamline your vertical bar.
4. To remove a custom pinned website, right-click its icon directly in the sidebar and select Unpin.
5. To toggle between desktop and mobile viewport rendering for a pinned web page, right-click the icon and choose Show desktop view or Show mobile view.

Configuring Auto-Hide and Keyboard Shortcuts

To prevent the sidebar from taking up horizontal space on smaller laptop displays:

• Auto-Hide Toggle: At the very bottom of the sidebar, click the Hide sidebar icon (a panel with an arrow pointing right). The sidebar collapses into a slim hover trigger.
• Keyboard Shortcut: Toggle the entire sidebar on or off instantly using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + / on Windows (or Command + Shift + / on macOS).
• Always Show on Specific Pages: In Edge settings (edge://settings/sidebar), you can configure whether the sidebar remains open continuously or only activates when specific web apps are triggered.