The company made improvements to the legacy Edge browser over the years. And eventually, it added support for a handful of extensions. But it never really took off. And because it was so deeply tied into the OS, it could only be updated via Windows Update. So, new features weren’t added as quickly as you’d expect from other browsers like Chrome or Firefox.
The New Edge
Microsoft started over and has built a new version of Edge based on Chromium. And the new Edge has received a much better reception. It has been out for over a year now and many people are already using it. Microsoft updates the new Edge on a regular basis and is continually adding new features like Startup Boost and Sleeping Tabs. It supports a lot more extensions that you can install from Microsoft. And since the new Edge is built with Chromium, the same underpinnings of Chrome, you can install Google Chrome extensions. You can download the new Edge now for Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. You can even install beta versions. However, Microsoft has been rolling out the stable version of the new Edge gradually. And the old legacy version is still on some Windows 10 user’s PCs. But that is about to change. The company will officially replace the old version of Edge with the new chromium-based version through a Windows update.
Microsoft Edge Legacy is Out
Support for Microsoft Edge Legacy ends on March 9th and it will no longer receive security updates. The new Edge will be replacing the old Edge on April 13th through a cumulative update. Microsoft writes: This update will replace the old Edge on Windows 10 1803 or newer. It won’t affect Windows 7 (which itself is no longer supported) or Windows 8.x devices. If you are already using the new Edge, the update will just remove the old Edge. We have already written several articles on how to use the Edge and will continue covering it moving forward. Stay tuned.
