Yes, Copilot can search the web: Microsoft Copilot Chat uses Bing to bring current public information into its answers, and GitHub Copilot Chat can search the web once the setting is enabled.
As of November 15, 2026, according to Microsoft and GitHub documentation:
- Microsoft Copilot Chat: Copilot turns a few words from your prompt into a Bing query. A Sources button under the response shows that query and the pages used, per Microsoft Support.
- On or off: open Settings and more, then Chat settings, Personalization, Advanced, and use the Web search toggle. Usage limits can depend on your license.
- Work or school accounts: admins control it through the Allow web search in Copilot policy. In GCC and DoD tenants it is off by default.
- GitHub Copilot: Bing search is disabled by default; set Copilot access to Bing to Enabled in Copilot settings. On github.com, some models use model native web search instead.
Related: Can Copilot read PDFs?, Can ChatGPT search the web? and Copilot model deprecation guide
Source: Microsoft Support, How web search works in Microsoft Copilot Chat and agents, Microsoft Learn, Data, privacy, and security for web search in Copilot, GitHub Docs, Managing Copilot policies as an individual subscriber and GitHub Changelog, Improved web search in Copilot on github.com
Image: Microsoft Copilot wordmark by Microsoft, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Placed on a white background and resized. Copilot is a trademark of Microsoft. FreeAnswers is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft or GitHub.