If Microsoft released a stable version of its new Chromium-based Edge back in January, the new web browser has yet to replace the legacy Edge browser on all Windows 10 PCs. Well, the company announced this morning on the first day of its Build 2020 developer conference that the new Edge will be “delivered via a measured roll-out over the course of the next few weeks.” The public rollout will be done via Windows Update, and all start menu pins, tiles, and shortcuts from the old Edge will migrate to the new Edge.
The company also announced several new features coming to its new Edge browser this morning, with most of them rolling out in the next couple of weeks
- Edge Collections get Pinterest and OneNote integrations: Collections in Microsoft Edge are getting better with optional suggestions from Pinterest, allowing users to easily check similar pins or export collections to a Pinterest account. The Pinterest integration will appear in Insider channels within a week along with the ability to Send collections to OneNote (sending Collections to Word and Excel is available today).
- Contextual Search: Instead of opening a new tab for a quick search, Microsoft Edge will soon provide contextual search by highlighting a word or phrase, and selecting “search in sidebar” from the context menu. Contextual search will show up in Insider builds in the coming weeks, and it will also show company results when logged in with an Office 365 account.
- New syncing options for IT Pros: Commercial customers whose environments are still on premise will soon be able to use Edge’s syncing features. IT Pros will also be able to choose what type of data employees can sync or not.
- A revamped Edge Add-ons site: Microsoft will redesign its Edge add-on site to make it easier to navigate, with better search and curated collections. The revamped experience will roll out later this month
- Better PWA support: Microsoft wants PWAs installed via Microsoft Edge act more like native apps. By enabling the new “Web Apps Identity Proxy flag” in Microsoft Edge Canary, PWAs will now appear in the Start Menu, be able to share and receive shared content, and more.
Since Microsoft released the first Edge Insider builds last year, the new web browser has been evolving pretty fast. Microsoft has also made several contributions to the Chromium project, including scrolling and accessibility improvements that will benefit all Chromium-based browser. Again, if you haven’t downloaded it yet on your PC, the new Edge should roll out automatically via Windows Update over the next couple of weeks.
