Microsoft is currently experimenting with a new extensions toolbar menu that should provide an easier way to manage and organize the installed extensions in Edge. A Reddit user u/Leopeva64-2 spotted the new menu in the Edge Canary and Dev channels, and Microsoft is apparently doing some A/B testing with this new feature.
This new extensions menu adds the ability for users to hide or pin extensions directly from the toolbar. It makes it easier to find new extensions (with a “Find new extensions” option) and manage existing ones. According to Leopeva64-2, Edge users will also be able to enable or disable the toolbar button from the context menu.
Currently, the feature is apparently in a controlled rollout, so not everyone on Edge Insider channels may have it at this point. However, this new extensions menu can be enabled manually using a few simple steps:
- Create a shortcut of the Microsoft Edge Canary or Dev browser on your Windows 10 desktop.
- Right-click the Microsoft Edge icon and select Properties.
- Paste the following line (including the quotation marks) in the target section of the shortcut.
- For Dev Channel: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Edge Dev\Application\msedge.exe” –enable-features=msExtensionsHub
- For Canary Channel: “C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Edge SxS\Application\msedge.exe” –enable-features=msExtensionsHub
- Click on Apply and then OK to save the changes.
The next time you fire up the Microsoft Edge browser using this shortcut, the option to turn on the new extensions menu should appear in Settings > Appearance. Keep in mind that the improved extensions experience is still a work in progress, and Edge developers could make other changes to it in future builds.
The new Microsoft Edge roadmap indicates that the feature will begin rolling out to the Stable channel with version 89 in March 2021. If you’re interested to learn more about other upcoming updates, we invite you to check out the What’s Next for the browser.
