Edge just got a useful AI tool that Chrome doesn't have - here's how to try it

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Microsoft Edge can now use Copilot to summarize a PDF.
• You try this with a PDF that's online or saved on your PC.
• You can also ask specific questions about the PDF.

How often have you opened a lengthy or complex PDF and just didn't feel like reading the whole thing? Well, now Microsoft Edge will help you cut to the chase with assistance from AI.

New with the latest version of Edge is an AI-based skill that taps into Copilot to summarize a PDF, either online or from your PC. You can ask the AI to cover the key points of the PDF and pose specific questions about the content. Edge responds with a brief summary, explanation, or answers to your queries.

Neither Chrome nor Firefox offers this type of integrated AI help for PDFs. So this skill may be one reason to use Edge the next time you hop online or need to work with a saved PDF. Here's how this plays out.

How to use Edge's PDF skill

First, make sure you're running the latest version of Edge. In the browser, click the three-dot settings icon at the top, move to Help and Feedback, and select the setting for About Microsoft Edge. The latest update automatically downloads and installs. After restarting Edge, check the About Microsoft Edge setting again and make sure the version is 145.0.3800.58 or higher.

Next, open a PDF that you'd like Edge to interpret for you. That's easy enough to do online, but you can also try this with a PDF already stored on your PC. If Edge is not your default PDF reader, fire up File Explorer. Right-click on the file you want to use. In the pop-up menu, move to the entry for Open with and then select Microsoft Edge from the list.

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With the PDF in the browser, you should see an Ask Copilot icon in the toolbar. Click that icon and select Summarize. Using Copilot, Edge then displays a summary of the key points in the right pane.

Close the pane and click the Ask Copilot icon. This time, choose Explain. Edge then tries to explain the document in plain, simple language. That's especially helpful if you need to understand a contract or other legal document.

Finally, you may have particular questions about the file. At the prompt in the right pane, type a specific question, and Edge should respond. You can then carry on a back-and-forth conversation to help you more fully understand the document.

Hands on

To try this out, I opened a PDF called "70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes" from my PC.

First, I asked Edge to summarize the file, which it did by giving me the key points of the eight major sections in the document. The AI then asked if I wanted a shorter summary, a bullet point sheet, a study guide, a set of writing rules based on the information, or a personalized action plan based on my writing goals. With the last suggestion, Edge served up several general recommendations and offered to provide further details if I gave it my specific goals for writing.

Next, I told Edge to explain the document. Here, it broke down the key points and recommendations from each section in a clear and plain manner. As follow-up topics, the AI said it could create a checklist of the 70 mistakes or pull out the most important lessons for mywriting style.

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Then I opened a fresh chat window in which I posed specific questions. As one example, I told Edge that I'm looking to write another book, but I'm having trouble finding the time to get started. I asked what tips the PDF offers on time and priority management for writing. In response, the AI presented the right passages from the document with concrete advice, such as choosing a daily 30-45 minute writing window, removing one low-value activity from my day to make room, and tracking my progress so I can see the payoff.

All this sounds great. Ah, but there's always a but. As helpful as AI strives to be, always remember that it can make mistakes. This poses a special hazard with legal or technical documents that contain precise language. For that reason, you should always double-check the response. You can ask the AI to confirm its findings or tell it to link to specific sections in the file so you can refer to the original content.