Even though Google Chrome has a dominant hold on the browser market, Microsoft has continued to update and tweak its Edge browser to accommodate their share of the market and try to make some headway. Edge 86 was released earlier this month.
The new Edge’s most prominent feature is a rollback function which allows IT administrators to restore an earlier version of the browser if they so choose. Microsoft also enhanced the built-in PDF viewer with support for document tables of content.
Additional Edge Browsers Changes
Microsoft updates their Edge browser about every six weeks, generally immediately following a Google Chrome refresh. The previous Edge upgrade was released Aug. 27.
- The new Edge browser has patched 19 previous security vulnerabilities. This is not unusual in a changing security landscape, as the latest version of Google Chrome patched 35 flaws in its October release
- Although Edge is designed to update automatically in the background, an upgrade can be forced by IT admins. Start by selecting “About Microsoft Edge” from the Help and Feedback menu; the tab which opens will display updates or display the download process.
- ple installing Edge for the first time can manually download version 86 for Windows or macOS. The Android and iOS browsers can be found in the Google Play and App Store.
The Rollback Feature
Mimicking the Chrome capability, Edge now allows users , typically via the IT department, to scale back to an earlier version through a rollback. To help the rollback process, Edge retains one or more “snapshots” of User Data, also called the user’s profile, that contains information including browser history, saved bookmarks and stored cookies.
The PDF Viewer
The newest Edge browser, Edge 86, also got a more robust PDF viewer; Microsoft added support for documents’ tables of content. Chrome and Edge have been in a battle over this feature of late, which each browser copying function from the other while adding a few tweaks of their own.Data Collection
Edge collects a broad range of information from users. While Microsoft claims that this data collection is “necessary to keep the product up to date, secure, and performing as expected,” critics claim it is nothing more than a fancy way of explaining data harvesting, as all user data is sent back to Microsoft.
What is Coming Up Soon for Edge?
Microsoft occasionally promotes features for upcoming versions of the Edge browser.
Last week, Microsoft explained how managing bookmarks or “favorites” will change in version 87, the upgrade due to release in November. “Your favorites are now displayed in a classic tree view, and you can edit, organize, and even search your favorites in-line without having to go to the full page,” William Devereux, a senior program manager on the browser team, said in a post to a company blog.
That bookmark tree can be pinned to a sidebar so it is always accessible and visible. Users will be able to choose a favorite, or manage the folder, such as deleting or renaming a favorite, directly from the sidebar.
Microsoft will release Edge 87 around Nov. 19, but the above feature, although teased, may or may not be included.
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