2 min

Tags in this article

, ,

As of today, the Edge browser will disappear from Windows and users will be replaced by the Chromium Edge browser. Microsoft hopes that the new browser will catch up with, for example, Google’s Chrome browser.

The new browser will be offered to users via an automatic update. It concerns versions of Windows after 10 1709, the Fall Creators Update. The old Edge browser is overwritten by the new one, but there is the option for Pro and Enterprise users to continue using the two browsers side by side. This in view of, for example, the new form that bookmarks take in Chromium Edge, which can only be accessed via the drop-down menu. In the old version, bookmarks were available in a list.

Chromium Edge was developed using the open source engine that is also used with Google Chrome, in order to better connect to the standards used by web developers, for example. Chrome now has a market share of about 70 percent, so it remains to be seen whether Chromium Edge will be able to make a dent in that dominant position, especially since Chromium Edge is basically just Chrome in a different package.

Functions for professionals

In any case, a number of new functions for IT professionals have been added. For example, there is an expansion of Microsoft FastTrack, with which the new Edge can be rolled out faster. The App Assure program is also being expanded, which allows websites to work in Chromium Edge if they are developed for Chrome, Internet Explorer or the old version of Edge.

A new security baseline is also being published, which means that a number of pre-configured security settings are available, which are recommended by experts. This should make the browser experience more secure in a relatively easy way.