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You can enable the current Sidebar from Settings and more (⋯) > Settings > Appearance > Show Sidebar. The exact app list is changing: Microsoft says new Sidebar apps can no longer be added and existing pinned apps will be removed in a future update, with the rollout happening gradually.
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What the Microsoft Edge Sidebar is
Microsoft describes the Edge Sidebar as “a persistent pane located on the side of the browser, which coexists with the primary content of the browser.” It occupies part of the Edge window rather than opening a separate application window. You can keep a tool or website visible while the main tab continues to display its page.
Sidebar apps open in the same tab beside the page. Microsoft’s feature description also says that any site can be added, although the current retirement program means that the ability to add new Sidebar apps is being reduced. What appears in your pane therefore depends on your Edge release, device, market, account, and Microsoft’s staged changes.
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What stays visible
The pane is designed to persist while you work in the browser. You can navigate the primary page, change tabs, and continue using the Sidebar without repeatedly opening a new window. Drag the divider between the page and the pane to give either side more room.
What it is not
Sidebar is not a second browser window and is not the same as a Windows desktop widget. If a panel floats outside the Edge window, you are probably remembering the older Edge Bar concept rather than using the current Sidebar.
Edge Bar, Sidebar, Office Bar: the names mapped
| Term | Where it appears | Main purpose | Account requirement | Current status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edge Sidebar | A pane inside the Edge window | Keep tools, websites, and apps beside the active page | Basic Sidebar does not require sign-in; individual apps may | Current feature, but its app catalogue is being simplified |
| Edge Bar | Often used informally for Sidebar; the older feature was a detached desktop bar | Quick access outside or alongside normal browsing, depending on which feature the speaker means | Varies by feature and app | Legacy terminology causes confusion; availability depends on Edge build |
| Office Bar | An older Office menu or entry point, later represented inside Sidebar | Open Word, Excel, other Office web apps, and recent files | Recent cloud files and some apps require a Microsoft account | Separate Office menu policy is deprecated; Office access is managed through Sidebar |
| Work tab | An Edge experience for eligible business or school accounts | Show recent SharePoint and OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, and top Office Online apps | Eligible work or school account, plan, network, compatible Windows and Edge versions, and administrator support | Availability is conditional, not a feature every Edge user receives |
When someone asks for the “Edge Bar,” first identify the visual they see. A pane attached to the browser is Sidebar. A strip that can sit on the Windows desktop is the older Edge Bar idea. An Office icon or Office menu inside the pane is the Office entry point, not a separate modern bar that must be installed.
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How to turn the Edge Sidebar on
- Open Microsoft Edge.
- Select Settings and more, the three-dot button in the upper-right corner.
- Choose Settings.
- Open Appearance.
- Under the toolbar-customization options, turn on Show Sidebar.
Once enabled, the Sidebar appears alongside the current page. Use its customize control to choose the sites and apps that your build still permits. The labels can move slightly between Edge releases, so look for “Sidebar,” “Customize,” or the equivalent toolbar control if your screen differs.
Resize the pane
Move the pointer to the vertical divider between the webpage and Sidebar, then drag it left or right. A wider pane helps with documents and mail; a narrower pane preserves page width for reading.
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Open a Sidebar page as a normal tab
Use the pane’s Open in new tab control when you need the site to occupy the full browser window. This is useful for editing a document or reading a long message without the reduced width of the side pane.
How to turn Sidebar off
- Select Settings and more (⋯).
- Choose Settings, then Appearance.
- Under the toolbar-customization section, switch Show Sidebar off.
Turning off the display does not delete your account, Office files, or the websites themselves. It hides the in-browser pane. If the option is missing or locked, an administrator policy or a staged feature change may be controlling the setting.
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The Office entry in Edge provides browser access to Word, Excel, and other Office web apps. When you are signed in, it can also show recent files. Those files are cloud-backed account content, so the list depends on the account and services available to you; it is not a list of every document stored on the computer.
When sign-in is needed
- The basic Sidebar can be used without signing in.
- Outlook and Microsoft 365 experiences can require a Microsoft account.
- Recent files appear only when Edge can identify the signed-in account and retrieve its cloud data.
- A work or school account may expose organization-specific content that a personal account will not.
If an Office app opens a sign-in page, that is an account requirement for the app, not proof that the entire Sidebar is disabled.
The Work tab for Microsoft 365 users
For eligible Microsoft 365 business users, Edge’s Work tab can show recent SharePoint and OneDrive files, SharePoint sites, and commonly used Office Online apps. The experience depends on all of the following:
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- An eligible work or school account and plan.
- A working network connection to the organization’s services.
- Supported Windows and Edge versions.
- Administrator settings that allow the experience.
Consequently, two people using the same Edge version can see different Office or Work content. A missing Work tab is not necessarily a browser fault; the account, subscription, network, or organization policy may not qualify.
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What happened to the Office Bar?
“Office Bar” is best understood as a historical name for Edge’s Office menu or entry point. Edge’s team described Office as one of the Sidebar’s built-in tools, providing productivity apps and recent files. Microsoft later treated the Sidebar as the replacement framework rather than maintaining a separate Office-bar system.
Microsoft Learn marks the MicrosoftOfficeMenuEnabled policy as deprecated because Sidebar replaced the Office menu. For current management, Office applications are handled through the Sidebar policy HubsSidebarEnabled. If an organization still references the older policy in documentation, that reference may describe an earlier Edge configuration rather than the current control model.
Why an old Office icon may disappear
The icon can disappear when the Sidebar app list changes, when a user is signed out, when an administrator restricts Sidebar, or when Microsoft’s staged app-list retirement reaches that Edge build. The disappearance does not mean that Word or Excel web apps have been removed from Microsoft 365; it means the shortcut in Edge may no longer be offered in that location.
Why Sidebar apps disappeared
Microsoft Support currently says the Sidebar app list is being simplified. According to that notice, users can no longer add new Sidebar apps, and existing pinned apps will be removed in a future update. The change is rolling out gradually, and Microsoft has not provided a confirmed final retirement date. Copilot is not affected by this specific notice.
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Because the rollout is gradual, two otherwise identical computers can show different app lists. Menus can also differ by Edge version, device type, market, account state, and organization policy.
Checks to perform
- Open Settings and more > Settings > Appearance and confirm that Show Sidebar is still enabled.
- Check whether the missing item was a pinned Sidebar app rather than a standalone Office installation.
- Sign in with the Microsoft account, or the eligible work or school account, required by that app.
- Update Edge through its built-in update page, then restart the browser. A newer build may have a different app catalogue or a later stage of the rollout.
- If the setting is unavailable or locked, ask your administrator whether Sidebar is controlled by policy.
There is no supported way to force a retired or removed Sidebar app back into the list. If the site still matters, open it in a normal tab and use Edge favorites or another permitted shortcut.
Enterprise and administrator controls
Organizations can control whether Sidebar is available. The current policy name to investigate is HubsSidebarEnabled. The older MicrosoftOfficeMenuEnabled policy is deprecated because the Sidebar replaced the separate Office menu.
Policy enforcement can explain several symptoms:
- The Show Sidebar switch is missing or greyed out.
- Office or other approved apps appear for one employee but not another.
- Work content is absent even though the user has a work account.
- A setting returns after the user changes it.
Administrators should verify the policy assigned to the affected device or user, the Edge version in use, and whether network access to Microsoft 365 services is allowed. Users generally cannot override an enforced policy from the Edge settings page.
Choosing the right feature for a task
| If you need to… | Use | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Keep a calculator, site, or supported tool beside the page you are reading | Sidebar | It coexists with the active tab and can remain available while you browse. |
| Edit a document at full width | Open the Sidebar item in a new tab | The page no longer shares horizontal space with the pane. |
| Reach recent organization files | Office entry or Work tab | These surfaces can connect to OneDrive, SharePoint, and Office web apps when the account and policy qualify. |
| Use a panel outside the browser window | Only an Edge Bar build that still supports the legacy desktop experience | That is a different form factor from Sidebar and may not exist in your release. |
| Add a new third-party web app to Sidebar | Check your Edge build before planning around it | Microsoft’s current notice says new Sidebar apps can no longer be added. |
Common problems and precise fixes
“I cannot find Show Sidebar.”
Confirm that you are in Settings > Appearance, not the general privacy or startup pages. If the control is still absent, the feature may be unavailable in that Edge build, hidden by organization policy, or affected by the staged app-list changes.
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“Sidebar opens, but Office asks me to sign in.”
Sign in with the Microsoft account associated with the Office service. For company files, use the eligible work or school account supplied by your organization. A personal account may not expose SharePoint or OneDrive content owned by the organization.
“My pinned apps vanished after an update.”
This matches Microsoft’s announced simplification path. Check the current Sidebar list and Edge version, but do not assume that reinstalling Edge will restore an app that Microsoft has removed from the catalogue.
“The Work tab is missing.”
Verify the work account, plan, network connection, supported Windows and Edge versions, and administrator settings. The Work tab is conditional and is not included for every personal-account installation.
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Look for an enforced organizational policy. If HubsSidebarEnabled is managed, only the administrator can change the result.
What to expect from Edge going forward
The durable concept is the Sidebar: a browser-side pane for tools and sites. The Office shortcut and individual Sidebar apps are less stable because Microsoft is consolidating the app list. Treat a pinned icon as a convenience, not as a permanent location for a business workflow. For important work, keep a normal favorite or direct web-app bookmark as a fallback.
When troubleshooting, identify the surface first, then check the Edge version, account, policy, and rollout state. That sequence distinguishes a missing shortcut from a missing Microsoft 365 entitlement and from a browser setting that an administrator controls.
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