Until recently, I was using Brave browser when they decided to go against everything they stood for and break trust. My colleagues keep raving about Microsoft Edge so I decided to give it a shot. I kept installing browser extensions in Microsoft Edge to streamline my workflow and compiled this list of the best Edge extensions.
Avoid going crazy with these as too many extensions will only degrade computer performance. These Edge browser extensions will increase your productivity, help you stay focused and help you perform various tasks with ease.
Let’s start.
1. URL Generating
We all turn to Google when we need to search for something. The process is tedious as you have to open the links before you can see what it has to offer and if this is what you are looking for. The URL Render Edge extension solves this problem by displaying or rendering the website directly inside the Google Search results page.
Using the extension is pretty simple. Hover the mouse icon over one of the search results and watch the page render/load in a popup on the right. You can change the position or resize the window, but that’s not all. It’s an interactive window, meaning you can click on links and even watch YouTube videos.
URL Generating can save a lot of time while doing research or finding yourself flipping through search results. It works on many search engines other than Google.
2. Panic Button
Playing games or watching videos pretending to work/study? You are not alone. We all need a break from time to time, but this is a difficult discussion to have in front of parents/bosses. Enter the Panic Button extension. It will instantly hide all your open tabs with one click and no one will know you are on Twitter.
It works like a tab manager by marking all open tabs in a temporary folder that you can restore or delete. It is easy to use and very effective. Fair warning. Click the big red button every time you have a panic attack. It will then redirect you to the HideMyAss VPN page.
3. Go To Damn Work
Wow! I know how obscene it sounds. This is a brutally honest extension and that’s how he talks. Go Fucking Work will remind you to work when you are distracted. When I tried to open Facebook while it was working, it showed me a message that appears in the screenshot below. Reminds me of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman. full metal jacket film.
Once installed, the extension with a mouth like Deadpool will direct you to motivational messages when you open distracting and unproductive sites. However, you must honestly manually identify such sites in the options. There is no default list. You can add break times for when you really need a break and can’t focus anymore.
4. Momentum
There are other ways to focus on your work other than being abused for fun. Momentum takes a different approach. It will create a personal, customizable dashboard where you can display the time, date, welcome message and cool wallpapers.
You can set a daily goal or a single task that you need to focus on for the rest of the day. This is something that really matters. Momentum will then display that task with a motivational message every time you open a new tab. Other widgets you can customize are weather, links, and bookmarks, a productivity-focused Microsoft Edge extension.
The pro version includes popular to-do app integrations, personal quotes and wallpapers/photos, Pomodoro timer, etc. It offers additional features such as
5. Push-bullet
Pushbullet is one of the most efficient Edge extensions on the list. It will gather all your devices under one roof. After you create an account and connect all devices, you can send links, files, images and texts from your browser to smartphones or other computers.
That’s not all. You can also access the phone’s messages, photos and notifications directly from within your browser. You won’t have to touch your smartphone again while working on the computer.
The free version allows most features with some restrictions. Take a look at this.
6. Nimbus
Nimbus is a screen capture tool with almost everything you need. Capture the whole screen or part of it and when it’s done, you can annotate the screenshot and edit it to your liking. You can also record videos, which can come in handy when creating how-to and troubleshooting guides.
You can also give the Nimbus webcam access to record video here if you want. Depends on what you’re aiming for. You can annotate videos with tools like shapes, blur, highlight, crop, and more. Premium version will unlock more features like custom watermarks.
Nimbus is a powerful extension that will take care of all your screenshots and screenshot needs.
7. Grammarly
Grammarly helps you write better and faster by analyzing your writing, often without your intervention. It comes with many useful tools that work in popular word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Automatically corrects common typos instantly. And there is more.
It will also correct grammar, sentence formation, tone and suggest better words than your chosen one. Whether you write emails, newsletters, or are a writer/blogger like me, Grammarly is a must-have extension.
8. Dark Reader
Dark mode is very popular these days but still not available everywhere. I mean, popular browsers don’t yet offer a true dark mode where all sites are displayed with a black background. The Dark Reader extension for the Edge browser will fix this problem.
Now any site you open will have a dark background. You can choose to whitelist a site if you want to view it on a white background or if the extension is causing some kind of conflict. Other than that, it works like a charm.
living on the edge
Microsoft Edge browser works with any extension you like on Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers. There are many other extensions you can install but avoid going crazy. You don’t want to compromise your computer’s performance for this great extension that you rarely use or need.
Share your favorite Microsoft Edge browser extensions with us in the comments section below. This is a good way to discover new and useful extensions. I would love to see your list.
Next: Microsoft Edge comes with a feature called Collections. If you are not sure what it is or how to use it, click the link below to learn more about it now.
