Ask Copilot not working with selected PDF text in Edge

Hi @Pankaj Kumar Vishwakarma ,

Thanks for sharing this issue.

Here’s why this happens and what you can do:

Possible causes

1. New PDF viewer conflict - The latest PDF viewer may block Copilot from accessing selected text.
2. Feature regression or temporary limitation - Microsoft may have changed how Copilot handles PDF text.
3. PDF permissions - PDFs behind login or with restrictions may prevent Copilot from reading content.
4. Extensions or profile issues - PDF/context-menu extensions, corrupted cache, or profile settings can interfere.

Workarounds & fixes

1. Disable the new PDF viewer (most common fix)
   • Go to edge://flags → search edge-new-pdf-viewer → set Disabled → restart Edge.
   • This reverts to the legacy PDF viewer, which works with Copilot.
2. Update Edge - Make sure it’s the latest version via edge://settings/help.
3. Clear cache - Ctrl + Shift + Delete → clear cookies and cached files → restart.
4. Disable extensions - Turn off PDF or context-menu extensions temporarily to check conflicts.
5. Try different PDFs - See if the issue happens with all PDFs or only specific ones.
6. New profile / reset Edge - A fresh profile or reset can fix unexpected behavior.
7. Check organizational policies - Work devices may have restrictions blocking Copilot.
8. Report feedback - Use Alt + Shift + I to report that “Ask Copilot on selected PDF text” isn’t working.

In most cases, disabling the new PDF viewer alone fixes the issue.

Hope this helps! If my answer was helpful - kindly follow the instructions here so others with the same problem can benefit as well.

Hi,

Have you tried clearing your edge's cache? Or you can try this.

Fix: Disable the new PDF viewer

• Open Edge and go to: edge://flags
• Search for: #edge-new-pdf-viewer
• Set it to Disabled
• Restart Edge

This reverts Edge to its legacy PDF viewer, which is compatible with Copilot. Let me know if this works.

Hi @Jack Dang (WICLOUD CORPORATION) @jeric

Thanks again for your suggestions—I truly appreciate your time and support.

Unfortunately, none of the recommended fixes worked for me:

• Disabling the new PDF viewer via edge://flags didn’t restore Copilot functionality.

Clearing cache, disabling extensions, and testing different PDFs had no effect.

Even after restarting Edge and confirming it’s updated, the issue persisted.

To go even further, I:

Reset my PC using cloud install and did a clean install of Windows 11.

Installed a separate Windows instance in my virtual machine (VM) and rolled back to an older Edge build (140.x).

On that older build, “Ask Copilot” works perfectly with selected PDF text—so the issue clearly stems from a recent update or regression in newer Edge versions.

That said, this workaround isn’t sustainable for my workflow. I rely heavily on Copilot for PDF-based research and documentation, and I need a permanent solution that works with the current stable build of Edge.

I’ve submitted feedback via Alt + Shift + I, but I hope Microsoft addresses this soon. If there’s any update or patch in the pipeline, I’d love to know.