Navigating away from an active webpage simply to look up unfamiliar terminology, cross-reference statistics, or clarify technical concepts interrupts reading flow and clutters your browser tab bar. Microsoft Edge includes a built-in Sidebar Search utility that enables fast web queries alongside your current tab. Powered by Bing, this contextual tool renders rich web results, definitions, translations, and unit conversions in a persistent side panel without displacing your ongoing reading experience.
Advantages of Edge Sidebar Search Over Opening New Tabs
Integrating sidebar queries into your daily browsing habits brings several distinct productivity advantages:
- Maintains Reading Context: Your original webpage remains completely visible and interactive on the left, eliminating the friction of toggling back and forth between multiple tabs.
- Zero Tab Clutter: Prevents opening dozens of ephemeral “throwaway” tabs that accumulate during intensive research sessions.
- Instant Knowledge Cards: Surfaces instant answers, Wikipedia excerpts, currency conversions, and dictionary definitions directly at the top of the flyout pane.
- One-Click Tab Conversion: If an interesting search result demands a deeper look, a single click expands any sidebar result into a full-sized tab.
Triggering Sidebar Search from Selected Text
The fastest way to query terms while reading is through the context menu or keyboard shortcuts:
- Highlight any phrase, technical term, or question on a webpage using your mouse or trackpad.
- Right-click the selected text to reveal the contextual menu.
- Click Search in sidebar for “[selected text]”.
- Alternatively, press the dedicated keyboard shortcut: Ctrl + Shift + E (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + E (macOS).
A sleek, resizable flyout pane opens immediately on the right side of the Microsoft Edge browser window, displaying comprehensive search results for your highlighted term.
Using the Sidebar Search Icon Directly
You can also execute manual queries from scratch without selecting page text:
- Look at the Microsoft Edge vertical sidebar on the right side of the screen.
- Click the Search magnifying glass icon at the top of the sidebar.
- Type your custom inquiry into the search bar and press Enter.
- Browse through the results, scroll through articles, or view images and videos directly within the side panel.
Managing and Customising Sidebar Search Features
Microsoft Edge offers several customisation options to tailor how the sidebar search behaves:
- Resizing the Pane: Hover your cursor over the vertical divider separating the sidebar from the webpage until the cursor turns into a double-ended arrow. Click and drag left or right to expand or narrow the search pane to your preferred width.
- Opening Results in Full Tabs: When you discover a link in the sidebar that requires extensive review, click the Open in new tab icon (a square with an arrow) in the upper corner of the sidebar pane.
- Copying and Sharing Links: Use the options menu at the top of the search panel to copy the link of any sidebar page or share it directly to connected applications.
- Closing or Pinning the Panel: Tap the X icon in the top right corner of the sidebar pane to close the search panel when finished, returning all browser width back to your main webpage.
By mastering Sidebar Search in Microsoft Edge, you can look up crucial facts, verify sources, and streamline research sessions while keeping your main work permanently in focus.