Microsoft gives Edge a fresh start. Not surprising, considering the number of users is so far behind Chrome and Firefox. And that for a browser that is standard in Windows 10. The new Edge runs on Chromium and the latest test version is stable enough for daily use, according to the makers. What can you do with it?
Currently, this version of the Edge browser is still optional. Over time, it is intended to replace the default Edge browser within Windows 10. An important advantage is that Chrome extensions are supported. And that's far more than were ever developed for the first Edge browser. We install it and go through the most important settings with you.
Install Microsoft Edge Beta
It is important to know that this Edge is not yet available in Dutch. The instructions below are therefore mostly in English. Download Microsoft Edge Beta here for Windows 10, or choose the option More platforms and channels. The browser can also be downloaded here for Windows 8.1, 8, 7 and macOS.
After choosing one, click Accept and download and then you start MicrosoftEdgeSetupBeta.exe. The browser will start automatically and you will find a shortcut for it in the taskbar.
You will immediately be presented with an introductory menu. Click right away Confirm, then things like bookmarks, passwords, and history are imported from Chrome. If you don't want this, choose Start from scratch. Or manually determine which data you do and do not want to transfer via Customize import. In the next step you choose the appearance of your homepage.
inspirational is quite simple: a search bar with a nice background photo and an overview of frequently visited sites. Focused looks like it, but without a background photo. Informational shows the latest news. You can determine the topics that interest you under personalize. click on Done to make your choice. Edge is now ready to use.
Dark mode, default search engine and more
It is now worthwhile to first go through the settings of the browser. Enter in the address bar edge://settings/ and press enter. Let's take a look first Appearance. Here you can set a dark mode under Theme, Dark. Great for those who are often at the computer late at night.
below Privacy and Services can you Send "Do Not Track" request switch. Sites can then no longer chase you. Keep in mind that this does not equate to anonymous browsing, it takes a little more.
You may have noticed that Bing is the default search engine. You can also adjust this under Privacy and Services, heading Address bar. Bee Search engine used in the address bar choose an alternative, such as Google or the privacy-friendly DuckDuckGo. under Manage Search Engines and Add add your own sites, but that doesn't seem to work yet.
With that we have discussed the most important settings, but feel free to click around.
Install Chrome Extensions for Edge
As mentioned earlier, thanks to Chromium, you can also add Chrome extensions to Edge. That works as follows. First go to edge://extensions/it's still empty there. Put the option at the bottom left Allow extensions from other stores at. Then go to the Chrome Web Store and find your favorite extension. click on Add to Chrome to add it to, yes, Edge!
Microsoft plans to release a major update to the browser every six weeks. In the meantime, bug fixes and security updates will be made. What do you think of the new Edge browser?
