Your New Default Browser: Microsoft Edge Chromium

After much anticipation, Microsoft finally feels like it is on the internet’s cutting edge with its new Chromium-based Edge browser released early this year. Microsoft made a big decision by switching from their Edge HTML browser engine to Chromium.

What is Chromium, you may ask?

Chromium is an open-source structure that backs Google Chrome and now Microsoft Edge browser. Edge is very similar to Google Chrome with many features and browser extensions that use the same rendering engine. Now you can have the best of the two worlds in Edge since the Google engine updates every 6-weeks with Microsoft privacy settings.

There is a wide range of new features that will make you consider downloading Microsoft Edge and making it your default browser.

Collections

One of the most popular updates to Edge is the Collections feature. It helps organize your ideas by saving articles on personalized boards that are easily organized. You can drag websites, images, and add notes to customize the Collections to your own needs and interests.



It’s a pretty nifty feature when you want to plan a wedding, a trip, or while simply doing research online. When you finish a collection, you can send it to Excel, Word, OneNote, and Pinterest for further customization or to share it with others. Cool, huh?

Collections Example

Tracking Prevention

The main feature that sets Edge apart from any browser so far is its Tracking Prevention. Your privacy is Microsoft’s top priority and they have proven that with this new functionality.

With Tracking Prevention, you will be able to recognize and get rid of many website trackers that keep following you with personalized ads. If you click on the Blocked trackers, you will realize how many of them there are and how helpful Edge’s tracking prevention capabilities are.

Tracking Prevention Settings

Immersive Reader

This feature is one of my favorites and among the top reasons I use Edge Chromium. You can go online and read an article without all the ads that distract you from getting through it. Immersive Reader simplifies the article, removing any interruptions. You can change the text’s size, background color, and highlight all nouns, verbs, and adjectives. The system can even read you the article aloud, giving you the chance to follow along or simply kick back and listen to the content.

Immersive Reader Example

Smart copy

Smart Copy allows the user to copy and paste content by preserving links, and fonts. This ensures that tables, headings, and paragraphs are correctly pasted into a document or email without the hassle of having to reformat them in the new document or file.



This feature is currently live in Microsoft Edge 89, which is scheduled to be released in March 2021.

Smart Copy Example

Password Monitor

Talking about privacy and security, Password Monitor will constantly scan the web to make sure your credentials and private information haven’t been stolen. If any of your details are compromised, Password Monitor will notify you of which login is at risk and will take you right to the respective site to immediately update your password.

Password Monitor Settings

Coupons and Promo Codes Built-in

If you’ve used “Honey” or “Retailmenot” extensions that help you find online deals, you are going to love the built-in coupon and promo codes from Edge. It works wonders! I tried it, and it found better coupon codes than the other two famous coupon extensions were able to track down.



It’s important that you know the comparisons and coupons only work for US users of the browser right now.

Coupons and Promo Codes Example

PDF Edits

Do you want to mark something on a PDF right in your browser? You can do it so with Edge. You can draw, highlight, and then print or save it. You don’t need a plug-in or extra software to handle this step of your workflow.

PDF Edit Example

Copy and Paste only on Windows

Another cool feature that Edge has is that they improved the way to copy and paste a web URL. This new feature copies and pastes a URL as a hyperlinked title instead of as a web address, providing instant anchor text as opposed to a long link. Also, if you want to paste the web address instead of the hyperlinked title you can do so, by choosing to paste in plain text.

Copy and Paste Settings

Less RAM

One more incredible benefit of using Microsoft Edge is that it uses substantially less RAM than Chrome, despite both being built on Chromium. If you want a lighter browser, choose Edge. It’s lighter than Firefox.

There’s No Better Time to Try Microsoft Edge

If you don’t haven’t download Microsoft Edge yet, try it and let us know what you think. The Edge Chromium browser is available for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, macOS, iPhone, iPad, and Android.

You are sure to love the many updates Microsoft has made and will find it vastly improves your flow of work.