Microsoft has released the first test versions of its new-look, Chromium-based Edge browser on Windows 10.
Microsoft announced back in December that it would move the Edge over to the Chromium rendering engine. Leaked builds hit the web a few weeks ago, but now you can try an official build from Microsoft.
“In these first builds we are very much focused on the fundamentals and have not yet included a wide range of feature and language support that will come later,” said Joe Belfiore, Microsoft’s corporate vice president for Windows, in a blog post Monday. “You’ll start to see differences from the current Microsoft Edge including subtle design finishes, support for a broader selection of extensions and the ability to manage your sign-in profile.”
It relies on the Chromium open source base. It’s integrated with several Microsoft services, including Windows Defender SmartScreen (to detect phishing and malware), Bing and Microsoft News.
How to Install And get Started:
Installing the new Edge browser is a pretty straightforward affair. Head to Microsoft’s download site, and pick a channel. Pick Dev Channel for a more stable option, Canary for bleeding edge and a first look at new features and probably new bugs.
Once you’ve installed, you’ll be prompted to choose a new tab page style. This is similar to the new articles options on the traditional Edge, and if you don’t want to be bombarded with news from MSN, or fancy images, choose the focused option.
Also, Microsoft states in its blog that this is for 64-bit Windows 10 only for now. They promise support for other platforms, like Windows 7, Windows 8.1, macOS, and other channels, like Beta and Stable later.
Microsoft is working with Google to help push Chromium forward. It’s already contributed to the project in several areas, including accessibility, touch and scrolling. It plans to work with the “larger Chromium open source community to create better web compatibility for our customers and less fragmentation of the web for all web developers.”