Microsoft’s New Chromium-Based Edge Browser

The default web browser that comes with Windows has made big progress in the preceding year. Microsoft made the decision to stop generating its own rendering code and instead to use the Chromium code that most web developers target these days. But Microsoft wasn’t interested in simply placing out a house-branded version of Chrome, instead offering innovations in appearance, function, and privacy.

Microsoft declared some new features for end users and developers, including updates to Collections, on-page search, enhancements to the browser’s extension store, and automatic profile switching.

New Developer Features

Microsoft’s browser logo restructure obviously suggests a new Edge. The user interface approximately identical to the appearance and impression of the Chrome browser. Its UI is very familiar.

The Microsoft Edge logo has a effortless design style that connections in with Microsoft’s new Office icons. The Edge “E” resembles a wave.

Other Edge features:

• New Microsoft Search capabilities in Bing to save time searching for data inside your company;
• New tracking anticipation by default;
• SmartScreen and Tracking anticipation to help protect users from phishing schemes, malicious software and cryptojacking malware;
• InPrivate mode across so online searches and browsing are not recognized to the user.

Edge Collections

Edge’s Collections feature is more lightweight, accessible, and suitable than most similar tools that have seemed in browsers over the years. It lets you simply create a group of sites, images, and notes that are always available in a sidebar and synced across multiple Edge instances you’re signed into, whether on PC, Android, iOS, Mac, or web.

Privacy Tools

Additional privacy controls which allow clients to pick from 3 levels of privacy in Microsoft Edge – Unrestricted, Balanced and Strict. Depending on which option you pick, Microsoft Edge modifies how third parties can track you across the web giving clients more choice and transparency for a more personalized experience.

Data security

As many people work from home, data protection is top of mind, especially for IT professionals. Microsoft Edge now supports Windows Information Protection for Windows 10 customers which undoubtedly splits personal and corporate data, adds extra protection for line-of-business apps, and provides audit reporting for compliance. This has been a top ask by several customers.

Profile Switching

The new Automatic Profile Switching feature is just what it sounds like. If, for example, you’re logged in with your personal account and then jump to a work website that needs your work identifications, the browser identifies that and switches to your work profile. This technology protects sensitive corporate content.

Extensions Sync

This one is all about cross-browser functionality, permitting users to install browser extensions for both Edge and Chrome, making seamless use of both. The company has extended this basic functionality, permitting you to synchronize your extensions between devices you use, make sure that you have the same browsing experience on all of your devices.

Pflug or WebView2

Edge’s new PWA (progressive web app) capabilities impact both developers and users. These are mainly websites that you can treat as apps, using the menu option Apps > Install this site as an app. Said Pflug, “The story with progressive web apps is always about, how can we close the gap as much as possible with the experience that users have native apps on their device?”

Windows Spellcheck

Microsoft is also announcing a new spellcheck experience for Windows users, powered by Windows Spellcheck. This feature is supported on Windows 8.1 and above. Windows Spellcheck includes support for additional languages and dialects, a shared custom dictionary, and better support for URLs, acronyms, and email addresses.

get extensions from Google’s Chrome Web Store

Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser has already confirmed to be a pretty huge success and it continues to grow. Microsoft has its own extensions marketplace, but a direct link within the Edge browser to Google’s Chrome Web Store to get more extensions.

Classic Surf Game

Microsoft is introducing the new surf game for users having installed the stable builds of chromium-based Microsoft Edge. This is a more fun way to kill the time when the internet is down on your PC. To run the game, simply type “edge://surf” in the address bar and hit enter on your keyboard.

How to Get Edge and its New Features

The new Edge already rolls out to all Windows users to be immediately upgraded to the current stable release, head to the Microsoft Edge download page, where you’ll find the installer not only for Windows 10, but also for the three previous Windows versions as well as for macOS, iOS, and Android.

Writer: Zahid Sabbir