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Microsoft is pushing another update to the Dev branch for its upcoming new version of Edge that’ll be based off of the Chromium layout engine. The company has added a handful of new features to help bring it closer to completion, in addition to reliability enhancements and other improvements including better form controls to improve touchscreen and accessibility use.
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Perhaps the most noticeable new addition that many users are sure appreciate is the smooth scrolling experience that classic Edge was well known for. Chromium-based browsers have never been the best at scrolling performance, so the addition to the new Edge is certainly welcomed.
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Additionally, Microsoft has also added other useful additions, as well, including new Family Safety features for those on Windows 10 in addition to an option in the new tab page for accessing work or school content as opposed to general news. Mac users will also appreciate easier access to the latest features with the new button to access Microsoft AutoUpdate, as well as support for right-clicking in menus. Here’s the full list:
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- Added a setting to show or hide the feedback smiley face from the toolbar.
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- The first round of Family Safety features is now available on Windows 10.
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- Added an option to the New Tab Page for users signed into the browser with a work or school account to show Office content from their organization instead of news content.
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- Added a toolbar to Reading View for easy access to Read Aloud and text viewing options.
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- Added the touchscreen scrolling behavior that the existing version of Edge was known for.
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- Added a button in Settings on Mac to open Microsoft AutoUpdate.
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- Added right-click support to menu items on Mac.
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- Added the ability to automatically remove extensions from a user’s device when they’ve been removed from the store they were installed from.
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Microsoft has also pushed numerous fixes and reliability improvements. These includes issues with CPU usage, Netflix streaming, and browser crashing for various actions. Here’s what’s improved:
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- Fixed an issue where the browser has high CPU usage when idle.
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- Fixed an issue where the new tab page sometimes crashes when scrolled.
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- Fixed a browser crash when using the new tab page.
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- Fixed a browser crash when using IE mode.
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- Fixed a browser crash when using Collections.
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- Fixed a browser crash when importing data from another browser.
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- Fixed a webpage crash when viewing PDF documents.
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- Fixed an issue where webpages sometimes crash when typing in passwords.
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- Fixed an issue where Netflix shows error D7354 when trying to play a video.
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- Fixed some hangs.
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- Fixed an issue where attempting to print a webpage while it’s in Reading View only prints a single paper’s worth of content instead of the entire webpage.
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- Fixed an issue where certain Read Aloud voices don’t work properly.
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If you’ve got the Dev version of Edge already, you can go ahead and head to the browser settings and check for updates. Microsoft’s Tech Community has more information on all of the changes, if you’re interested in all of the details before you dig in.
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How do you like the changes so far? What would you like to see before the browser’s public release? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.
\n\nFurther reading: Chromium, Edge Insider, macOS, Microsoft, Microsoft Edge, Windows 10