Some more details have been spilled about Microsoft’s new version of the Edge browser, built on Chromium (the same engine as Google’s Chrome browser) – and an apparent full (preview) build of Chromium-based Edge has been leaked online. Let’s deal with the latter leak first, which (as spotted by Neowin) comes from the PCBeta forum (via Aggiornamenti Lumia). You can download the setup EXE from the linked Chinese forum, but we have to point out – you do so very much at your own risk, with this being a source we wouldn’t be at all confident about ourselves. A safer route is to consider the aforementioned spilled details, and these come from The Verge, which got an early look at the new browser thanks to an ‘anonymous’ source. And apparently, the revamped Edge already looks slick, feels polished, and performs speedily when surfing the web. Many features from the original Edge browser remain, although overall, the new effort is a mix of Chrome and Edge, as you might expect. After all, Microsoft needs to make it seem different enough to persuade folks to give it another chance, and it will inevitably have Chrome influences. However, the developers are implementing animations and visual touches to ensure that the Chromium-powered Edge will feel like a Windows browser, which is obviously vital for Microsoft to do, as well. Another area of importance is extensions – which add extra bits of functionality to the browser – and we’ve already heard that the new version of Edge will have a plentiful library of add-ons, as Microsoft calls them, thanks to the Microsoft Edge Insider Addons web page which popped up recently. Installing third-party extensions from Chrome is a snap, apparently (Image Credit: The Verge) (Image credit: The Verge) The Verge further observes that as well as those extensions, you can flip a switch in settings to let you install Chrome extensions straight from Google’s web store – the tech site tested out a number of these, and they already work just as they do in Chrome. Microsoft had confirmed support for Chrome extensions late last year, but it’s obviously good news to see the actual realization of this feature, and the fact that it’s already easy-to-use, and apparently working well, even in an early version of the new browser. On an overall level, this means folks will have plenty of choice for their add-ons, with Microsoft determined not to fail on this front like the initial incarnation of Edge (which famously didn’t carry support for extensions when it first launched, and this crucial feature took a long time to arrive – and even when it did, numbers were very thin on the ground). Syncing feeling Sync support is also incoming for extensions, although that isn’t live yet, and apparently won’t be available straightaway, but in the ‘coming months’. For now, the only thing you can sync across your devices is favorites. So, in short, it seems that Edge v2 is shaping up very nicely, and could well be a viable alternative for those who want a Chrome-like browser, but would prefer their strings attached by Microsoft rather than Google. Certainly, more choice in the browser world won’t hurt – although there are those who argue that Microsoft switching Edge to Chromium is further playing into the hands of Google effectively monopolizing the web in the overall big picture. So arguably we might have less choice in some respects, but the point is we have more viable options – because the problem with Edge as a standalone product was that it simply wasn’t reliable enough as an everyday browser, and suffered some compatibility bugbears (because everyone builds their sites primarily for Chrome, as it’s by far the most popular browser out there).<doc-sep>Hands-on with a leaked build of the new Microsoft Edge browser based on Chromium For months now, Microsoft has been working on a version of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium. It promises to make big improvements to Edge, which is not very popular, and after using it I can say it really does. This new update is fast and has a lot more features that you may be more familiar with if you use Chrome. We were able to use the new version of Microsoft Edge through a leaked build for Windows Insiders. The design of the new Microsoft Edge is very similar to the old look. At first glance, it’s hard to know that it’s even new. The only noticeable difference is the lines around the address bar and the Microsoft account profile pic to the right of the address bar. The design itself isn’t the important part of this upgrade, that’s the Chromium base. Chromium itself is the base of the most popular browser, Google Chrome. It’s the open source version of Google Chrome that’s developed by Google for every platform including Chrome OS. It is one of the fastest and more stable browsers out there. Plus, it has many great features like a dark mode and extensions. As for actually using Chromium Edge, it is much faster. In my unscientific testing of loading the XDA Portal home page, it was about double the speed of the older Edge browser. I noticed this on almost every website I visited. As for HTML5 web tests, Microsoft Edge based on Chromium scores much lower. It was even lower than pre-Chromium Edge. Another advantage I noticed of Chromium Edge is extensions. The older version of Edge supported a limited amount of extensions through some developers who decided it was worthwhile to make extensions. This new version of Microsoft Edge supports more than just Edge extensions, it supports all extensions from the Google Chrome Web Store after toggling a single switch. I was able to install both Grammarly and Google Translate, and both are working perfectly as if I was on Google Chrome. Another feature people will love is the dark mode included in Chromium Edge, but it isn’t enabled in this leaked version of Edge by default. It requires the feature to be enabled in the flags for Microsoft Edge. Once this flag is enabled, if you are using the Windows 10 dark mode, it will be enabled in the browser. The older version of Edge also has a dark mode but its good to see Microsoft is aiming to have this feature included in even the beta. All of these Chromium features on top of Microsoft’s own features makes it instantly one of the best browsers. It has an arguably better design than Chrome while integrating more deeply into Windows 10 itself. The original Microsoft Edge was not a bad browser, but it lacked certain things that Chrome users have come to rely on. This new version changes all of that. If any browser that isn’t Chrome is going to be included by Microsoft in Windows, its good to know that it’s this new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge.<doc-sep>
Microsoft is rebuilding its Edge browser on Chromium. The software maker has been testing versions of this browser internally at Microsoft, and now The Verge has secured an exclusive first look at the early work thanks to a source who wishes to remain anonymous. While the previously leaked screenshots made Edge look very similar to Chrome, Microsoft is adding its own touches and animations to make it look and feel like a Windows browser. When you first install the Chromium version of Edge, Microsoft will prompt you to import favorites, passwords, and browsing history from Chrome or Edge (depending on your default). The setup screen also prompts you to pick a style for the default tab page before you start browsing. Most of the user interface of the browser is a mix of Chrome and Edge, and Microsoft has clearly tried to add its own little touches here and there. There’s a read aloud accessibility option, and it simply reads the page out loud like it does in existing versions of Edge. Some features that you’d expect from Edge are missing, though. Microsoft hasn’t implemented its set aside tabs feature just yet, and write on the web with a stylus isn’t available. A dark mode is only available via a testing flag right now. Grid View Microsoft’s new version of Edge supports Chrome extensions Microsoft also has support for extensions, and a dedicated extensions page for ones that it has approved. You’ll also be able to install Chrome extensions from Google’s online store, just by flipping a switch in the extensions settings. We’ve tried a number of extensions like 1Password and Ghostery, and they work just like you’d expect them to in Chrome. Microsoft is offering up sync support for extensions in the settings interface for this new version of Edge, but it doesn’t look like it will be available straight away. The page notes that “more of the features listed above will become available for sync in the coming months.” You can only currently sync favorites, but not settings, history, extensions, open tabs, passwords, and autofill information. For an early version of Edge built on Chromium, Microsoft’s new browser feels very polished. It’s also very fast to launch and browse around with. If Microsoft can keep up this good work and keep Edge optimized in the future, I can’t see a reason to need to use Chrome on Windows anymore. I would never have recommended Edge before as it was often slow, clunky, and didn’t always work with websites properly. This new Edge feels entirely different, thanks to its Chromium backend. It’s not yet clear when Microsoft will make this new version of Edge available publicly, but given the most recent internal builds are stable and work well, it’s likely to arrive very soon. We’ll keep you updated on exactly when Microsoft plans to start beta testing its Chromium-powered Edge browser. Update, March 24th 7AM ET: Microsoft Edge (Chromium) does support dark mode via a testing flag.