Microsoft is abandoning its own rendering engine and replacing it with Google’s Chromium engine. Microsoft has officially released the Chromium-based Edge browser on its Developer and Canary channel. This is a tipping point in web history as both Microsoft and Google are competitors and it is surprising to see Microsoft collaborating with Google on open source projects. Anyway, here we will show you how you can download the new Edge browser and try out new features in Microsoft Edge including Chrome extensions.
Get Chromium powered Microsoft Edge
1. Follow this link and select the Channel you want to use. It is recommended Download the developer build as it is the most stable version. The beta channel is not live yet.
2. Run the setup file and let it download Microsoft Edge from the internet. This is an online installer, so you will need internet access.
3. The browser will open itself just like the Chrome browser after installation.
4. As you can see now Running the official Chromium-based Microsoft Edge Open source project on developer channel.
How is the overall Experience?
Microsoft Edge is quite similar to Google Chrome and the performance is really good too. Web page creation is also quite fast. All this is when the browser is still in the development channel. It will only get better before the final build is released. The most exciting thing about using the new Edge is that you can install Chrome extensions.. Extensions have always been Edge’s week spot, and this new Chromium base solves that problem. Here’s how to install Chrome extensions on Edge.
Install Chrome Extension and PWA in Microsoft Edge
1. click on 3-dot menu in the upper right corner and select Extensions.
2. Bottom rightEnable “Allow Extensions from other stores”. Also, allow change.
3. You can now install Chrome extensions as you would with Chrome. In our tests, almost all popular extensions worked without errors. Note that Chrome themes are not yet supported.
4. As you can see, the LastPass plugin works flawlessly on Microsoft Edge.
5. You can Even install Progressive Web Apps (PWA) from Microsoft Edge. Just click on the 3-dot menu and click Install App.
6. A a new window will be created just like an applicationand you can also pin the app to your taskbar. Organised!
Reducing Privacy Concerns in the New Chromium Edge
owned by Microsoft Published a list of Google services it removed from Chromium-based Microsoft Edge. It should ease the concerns of Windows users who are not keen on handing over their data to Google. However, Microsoft has its own data mining and it remains to be seen how the company fares without advertising revenue. Anyway, at this point Microsoft wants you to believe that your data is not shared with Google, and that’s a good sign.
SEE ALSO: How to Set Up Activity Sync on Windows
Excited to Test the New Microsoft Edge?
Frankly, it’s the first time I’ve loved using a Microsoft product. It worked surprisingly well and without any lag or scrolling issues. However, Microsoft Edge is still in development and if you want to switch to Edge permanently, you will have to wait for the stable release. The new Edge is pretty similar to Chrome, both in terms of UI elements and functionality. If you’re a die-hard Windows user, let me tell you the new Edge looks really promising. Microsoft’s new approach to collaboration with open source projects is finally paying off. Are you excited to test the new Microsoft Edge? Let us know about your experience in the comment section below.
