Microsoft's New Edge Browser Released, What You Need to Know

[King_of_lion]

Microsoft's Chromium-based Edge browser is officially released and is now available for download. This new browser ditches Microsoft's home-grown EdgeHTML rendering engine for Google's open-sourced platform called 'Chromium' and the Blink rendering engine, which will add greater compatibility and performance. This first Stable release is Microsoft Edge 79 and can be downloaded immediately from the Microsoft Edge site for both Windows and Mac. Otherwise, Microsoft Edge will be installed automatically over the next coming months via Windows Update. Microsoft plans on first releasing Microsoft Edge to Windows Insiders in the Release preview ring and then slowly expanding to all other Windows 10 users via Windows Update. TOP ARTICLES 4/5 READ MORE Windows 7 Gets Final Monthly Rollup Update Before End Of Life When the new Microsoft Edge is installed, it will replace the existing Edge browser that normally comes with Windows 10. If you do not wish to replace this browser and want to block its install via Windows Update, please see the last section of this article. It is also possible to run both the classic Edge and the new Microsoft Edge side-by-side using these instructions. Below we have outlined many of the new features in the new Microsoft Edge browser. What's new in Microsoft Edge The new Microsoft Edge is based on Google Chrome so it has many similar features. Microsoft, though, has also added some features to their browser that makes it stand out from the rest, which we have outlined below. Block potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) Chromium-based Microsoft Edge blocks Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) that may display unwanted ads, modify the search engine of the browser, or claim to update your drivers when actually performing malicious or unwanted behavior. This 'Block potentially unwanted apps' feature blocks Edge from downloading or installing potentially unwanted programs on Windows 10 systems. The feature is not enabled by default and can be enabled from Edge's privacy settings, as highlighted below: Open Edge settings. Navigate to Privacy and services settings. Edge PUPs Locate "Block potentially unwanted apps" section and enable the feature. Media Autoplay Blocking Like the classic Edge, Chromium Edge also comes with a setting to block media autoplay. This prevents videos on random websites

Media autoplay block settings can be configured from Edge > Settings > Content (edge://settings/content/mediaAutoplay). Tracking Prevention Microsoft Edge includes a Tracking prevention feature that blocks third-party tracking scripts on web sites you visit to improve your privacy. Edge privacy You can disable this feature off from Edge > Privacy settings or enable the advanced settings to block all trackers. Use Collections to stay organized The browser includes a new feature called 'Collections' that helps users organize similar data and save it under one collection. Collections This is helpful when comparing shopping items from different stores like Amazon or Microsoft or collect or combine information from multiple sites for a project. To enable Collections in Microsoft Edge, follow these steps: In the address bar, enter edge://flags or edge://flags#edge-collections. If you open edge://flags menu, you will have to search for Collections. Collections Click the dropdown and choose Enabled. Click the Restart button located at the bottom banner to relaunch Microsoft Edge with the Collections feature. Stream 4K Netflix Video Microsoft Edge is the first Chromium browser to stream Netflix content at 4K resolution. This is done through Microsoft's PlayReady DRM implementation.