Type ChatGPT into Bing and you may not land on ChatGPT first. Since mid 2025, Microsoft’s search engine has been placing a Copilot promotion above or around results for rival AI assistants, and by 2026 that promotion grew into a large interactive box. It is not a bug or malware, just Microsoft steering people toward its own assistant. Here is what you are seeing, why Microsoft does it and how to get to ChatGPT, or a different search engine, without the detour.
What Bing shows when you search for ChatGPT
The promotion has changed shape several times. In the summer of 2025, searches for ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude on Bing.com started showing a banner headed Your Copilot is here, with a short pitch about asking questions, generating images and handling tasks. A small label marked it as promoted by Microsoft, and a separate search box sent your question to Copilot rather than to the tool you were looking for.
Because the banner comes from Bing.com itself, it appears in any browser that uses Bing, not only in Microsoft Edge. By March 2026 the placement had become more prominent: a large Copilot panel at the top of the results with quick action buttons such as creating an image, improving writing or drafting an email. Each button opens Copilot, and the official ChatGPT link sits below the panel.
Microsoft tests layouts constantly, so what you see today may differ slightly by account, region and device. The pattern, though, is consistent: search for a competing AI assistant and Copilot gets the first word.
Microsoft has a long history of nudges
The Copilot banner is the latest in a series of attempts to keep people inside Microsoft’s own products:
- Chrome download prompts in Edge. In late 2021, people who visited the Chrome download page in Edge saw messages arguing that Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome with the added trust of Microsoft, along with a jab calling the rival browser outdated.
- Bing dressed up as Google. In January 2025, signed out users who searched for Google on Bing saw a Google style illustration above a plain search box, a layout that closely resembled Google’s homepage. Microsoft reportedly pulled the design within days.
- Edge versus Chrome comparisons. Bing has shown Edge and Chrome comparison panels in which Edge wins every category.
- Windows reminders. Windows has repeatedly suggested Edge and Bing defaults after updates, and the taskbar search box still sends web searches to Bing.
None of these block you from leaving. They simply add friction and make Microsoft’s option the easiest click, which is why they draw so much criticism.
Copilot vs ChatGPT on Bing in October 2026
Copilot and ChatGPT are separate products from separate companies. Copilot is Microsoft’s assistant, available in Windows, Edge, Bing, the Copilot apps and Microsoft 365. ChatGPT is OpenAI’s assistant, available at chatgpt.com and in OpenAI’s own apps. Microsoft is a major OpenAI partner, but signing in to one does not sign you in to the other, and your chats are not shared between them.
Microsoft adds Copilot Search to Bing, blending search results with AI answers.
Copilot becomes an opt in part of Edge.
Bing shows a large Copilot panel above ChatGPT and Gemini results.
Microsoft starts merging the consumer Copilot app and Microsoft 365 Copilot into one app.
The August 2026 merger matters if you use Copilot already. Starting August 18, the combined app dropped Copilot Podcasts, the consumer version of Deep Research and group chats, so download anything you want to keep. None of this changes how ChatGPT works, and Bing still lists ChatGPT in its results.
How to go straight to ChatGPT
- Type chatgpt.com directly into your browser’s address bar instead of searching for it. The address bar takes you to the site without a results page.
- Bookmark it or pin it as a tab so it opens with one click.
- Install the official ChatGPT app. OpenAI offers desktop apps for Windows and macOS and mobile apps for iPhone and Android. On Windows, get it from the Microsoft Store to avoid fake copies.
- If you do search, scroll past the Copilot panel and check that the link points to chatgpt.com or openai.com before you click.
How to change your default search engine
If you would rather not see Bing at all, change the search engine your browser uses for address bar searches:
- Microsoft Edge: open Settings, choose Privacy, search, and services, then Search and connected services and Address bar and search. Pick a new option in the Search engine used in the address bar menu, such as Google or DuckDuckGo.
- Google Chrome: open Settings, choose Search engine and select a new default.
- Firefox: open Settings, go to Search and choose a new default search engine.
- Safari on Mac and iPhone: open Safari settings and change the search engine there.
Changing your browser default does not change the search box on the Windows taskbar, which still uses Bing for web results in the US. To avoid it, open your browser and search from there instead.
FAQ
Is the Copilot banner malware or a virus?
No. It is a promotion that Bing.com adds to its own results. It appears in any browser that uses Bing, and it disappears when you switch to another search engine.
Is Copilot the same as ChatGPT?
No. They are separate assistants from Microsoft and OpenAI with separate accounts, apps and chat histories, even though the two companies work closely together.
Can I turn off the Copilot promotion in Bing?
Bing offers no setting to hide it. The practical options are going to chatgpt.com directly or using a different default search engine.
Does Bing promote Copilot for other AI tools too?
Yes. Similar Copilot placements have appeared for searches about Gemini, Claude and other assistants.
The verdict
The Copilot banner on Bing is a marketing nudge, not a barrier. Microsoft wants searches for rival AI tools to end in Copilot, and it has used the same playbook with Edge and Bing for years. If ChatGPT is what you want, type its address, use the official app or switch your default search engine, and the detour disappears.
Updated October 2026: covers how Bing promotes Copilot on ChatGPT searches, the history behind it, the August 2026 Copilot app merger and how to reach ChatGPT directly.
Featured photo: Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash.
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