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Right on schedule, Microsoft today launched its new Edge browser based on Google’s Chromium open source project. You can download Chromium Edge now for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, and macOS directly from microsoft.com/edge in more than 90 languages. This is Edge 79 stable, for those who like tracking version numbers. Edge 80 is slated to arrive in early February, and afterwards Microsoft will stick to a six-week cadence for stable releases, just like with Chrome.
Microsoft has yet to lay out which features will ship in Edge 80, Edge 81, and so on. When asked what to expect from the next few Edge releases, a spokesperson said developers and users should use the beta releases as an indication. If you want to peek at the pipeline, download one of the Edge Insider Channels: Beta (updated every six weeks), Dev (updated weekly), or Canary (updated daily). Insider builds can be installed side by side with Edge stable. Update: Microsoft has published a support article that lists features in the works and requests that are not currently on the roadmap.
It’s worth noting that the new Microsoft Edge, as Microsoft is calling it, has a fresh logo. For the first time in decades, Microsoft’s browser is not denoted with a blue “e” — the logo is a wave, presumably for “surfing” the web.
Update 2020: Well, Microsoft has released a separate version that runs on Windows 7 and 8. Now you can just download and install it like any other program. I’m keeping the original answer below: ———————— You don't. Windows 10 users aren’t the only ones getting Microsoft Edge from Windows Update: Now it’s heading out to those running Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 and Windows 8.1 as well. Apr 13, 2020 Edge for Windows 7 will be discontinued in July 2021. Microsoft’s modern version of Edge browser, which runs on the Chrome engine, is now available on non-Windows 10 operating systems as well. Microsoft Edge is the official browser from Microsoft that represents a total revolution with respect to the classic Internet Explorer. With a completely updated interface, it couldn’t be easier to access any of the features the browser offers.
Today’s debut has been a long time coming. Back in December 2018, Microsoft embraced Chromium for Edge development on the desktop. In April 2019, Microsoft released the first Chromium Edge builds (daily Canary and weekly Dev channels), and the Chromium Edge Beta channel followed in August 2019. In November 2019, Microsoft launched the Chromium Edge release candidate and positioned Edge and Bing as “the browser and search engine for business.” Microsoft today shared that the Insider builds have gotten “millions” of downloads. Now we’ll see if the stable release can get traction.
Features and performance
Microsoft plans to ship more consumer Edge features later this year, but this launch is largely targeted at businesses. That means AAD support, Internet Explorer mode, and Microsoft Search in Bing integration. Business and education IT administrators can download offline packages and policies for Chromium Edge. Many businesses already use Chrome and at least one Microsoft browser (Internet Explorer and/or Edge) — Microsoft is hoping these features will get them to switch to using just Chromium Edge.
Business features aside, there’s also support for Chrome-based extensions, 4K streaming, Dolby audio, inking in PDF, and privacy tools. For the last one, it’s worth noting that tracking prevention is on by default and offers three levels of control, like Firefox’s tracking protection.
Chrome extension support is probably the most important feature for most users. By default, extensions that have been ported over to Edge can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store. Chromium Edge also has an option to “Allow extensions from other stores” to get Chrome extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
There are still a few features missing from Chromium Edge, most notably history sync and extension sync. Microsoft is working on these and some other inking functionality that it still wants to port from legacy Edge, as Microsoft is calling it.
Microsoft also claims that Chromium Edge is twice as fast as legacy Edge. Curiously, the team isn’t making any claims against other browsers — at least not yet. In fact, our own testing shows Chromium Edge has solid performance.
The bigger picture here is that by leaning on Chromium, Microsoft no longer has to worry about “fixing” its underlying browser engine EdgeHTML. The company can instead improve Chromium itself, which helps all browsers that use the codebase, not just Chromium Edge. Microsoft says over the past year it has made more than 1,900 contributions to Chromium across areas like accessibility, touch, speech, and digital inking.
On the flip side, Edge is now just another Chromium-based browser. That makes it all the harder to offer a differentiated experience. Having failed with EdgeHTML, Microsoft figures Chromium is worth a shot.
Installing the new Edge: Manual or Automatic
If you’re running Windows 10 and don’t install Edge manually, you’ll eventually get it in a future update. Microsoft plans to start rolling out the new Edge “in the coming weeks,” starting with a subset of Windows Insiders in the Release Preview ring. The process will ramp up to more users “over the next several months.” It will be made gradually available on Windows Update and offered to additional devices “as data and feedback indicate that users are having a good experience.” Microsoft currently has no plans to automatically upgrade Managed, Enterprise, Education, or Workstation Pro Edition devices (documentation). If you want to block automatic delivery of the new Edge to Home and Pro devices, you can do so either via policies or the Blocker Toolkit.
When you install the new Edge on Windows 10, it will replace legacy Edge. Any shortcuts you have on the desktop, taskbar, or Start Menu will be updated to new Edge. The executable for legacy Edge is technically hidden, but it will be removed eventually. Your favorites, passwords, form fill information, and basic settings will carry over from legacy Edge to new Edge automatically. If you have Chrome or Firefox installed, new Edge will ask if you want to import those settings from there. Web apps built on EdgeHTML and Edge preview channels will continue to work without interruption. Depending on how up-to-date your Windows 10 installation is, you may be asked to install additional updates. A future version of Windows 10 will skip all this and include new Edge by default.
When you install new Edge on Windows 7, Windows 8, and macOS, it will work just like installing any other browser. New Edge will not replace whatever you have as the default (whether that’s Internet Explorer, Safari, or a third-party browser). Yesterday, Microsoft ended support for Windows 7, so it’s notable the company is still releasing new Edge for the decade-old operating system. It shows just how big Windows 7 still is — about one in four computers run it.
On Android and iOS, new Edge will replace old Edge automatically. That said, not much is new on mobile — Edge already uses Blink/Chromium on Android and WebKit/WKWebView on iOS. But you can expect the new logo, similar user interface to the desktop versions, and tracking prevention on iOS (coming soon to Android). More desktop features will make their way to Android and iOS over time.
Lastly, Microsoft’s FastTrack and App Assure programs cover Chromium Edge. The former means Microsoft will help you deploy Edge to your organization at no extra charge with an eligible subscription to Microsoft 365, Azure, or Dynamics 365. The latter means if your sites work in Internet Explorer 8 and above, Chrome, or legacy Edge, then they’ll work on the new Edge. If not, Microsoft will help you fix them at no additional cost.
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Note
You've reached the documentation for Microsoft Edge version 45 and earlier. To see the documentation for Microsoft Edge version 77 or later, go to the Microsoft Edge documentation landing page.
If you have specific websites and apps that have compatibility problems with Microsoft Edge, you can use the Enterprise Mode site list so that the websites open in Internet Explorer 11 automatically. Additionally, if you know that your intranet sites aren't going to work correctly with Microsoft Edge, you can set all intranet sites to automatically open using IE11 with the Send all intranet sites to IE group policy.
Using Enterprise Mode means that you can continue to use Microsoft Edge as your default browser, while also ensuring that your apps continue working on IE11.
Interoperability goals and enterprise guidance
Our primary goal is that your websites work in Microsoft Edge. To that end, we've made Microsoft Edge the default browser.
You must continue using IE11 if web apps use any of the following:
ActiveX controls
x-ua-compatible headers
<meta> tags with an http-equivalent value of X-UA-Compatible header
Enterprise mode or compatibility view to addressing compatibility issues
legacy document modes
If you have uninstalled IE11, you can download it from the Microsoft Store or the Internet Explorer 11 download page. Alternatively, you can use Enterprise Mode with Microsoft Edge to transition only the sites that need these technologies to load in IE11.
Tip
If you want to use Group Policy to set Internet Explorer as your default browser, you can find the info here, Set the default browser using Group Policy.
| Technology | Why it existed | Why we don't need it anymore |
|---|---|---|
| ActiveX | ActiveX is a binary extension model introduced in 1996 which allowed developers to embed native Windows technologies (COM/OLE) in web pages. These controls can be downloaded and installed from a site and were subsequently loaded in-process and rendered in Internet Explorer. | |
| Browser Helper Objects (BHO) | BHOs are a binary extension model introduced in 1997 which enabled developers to write COM objects that were loaded in-process with the browser and could perform actions on available windows and modules. A common use was to build toolbars that installed into Internet Explorer. | |
| Document modes | Starting with IE8, Internet Explorer introduced a new “document mode” with every release. These document modes could be requested via the x-ua-compatible header to put the browser into a mode which emulates legacy versions. | Similar to other modern browsers, Microsoft Edge has a single “living” document mode. To minimize the compatibility burden, we test features behind switches in about:flags until stable and ready to be turned on by default. |
Enterprise guidance
Microsoft Edge is the default browser experience for Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile. However, if you're running web apps that rely on ActiveX controls, continue using Internet Explorer 11 for the web apps to work correctly. If you don't have IE11 installed anymore, you can download it from the Microsoft Store or the Internet Explorer 11 download page. Also, if you use an earlier version of Internet Explorer, upgrade to IE11.
Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 support IE11 so that you can continue using legacy apps even as you migrate to Windows 10 and Microsoft Edge.
If you're having trouble deciding whether Microsoft Edge is right for your organization, then take a look at the infographic about the potential impact of using Microsoft Edge in an organization.
Click to enlarge
Click to download image
| Microsoft Edge | IE11 |
|---|---|
Microsoft Edge takes you beyond just browsing to actively engaging with the web through features like Web Note, Reading View, and Cortana.
| IE11 offers enterprises additional security, manageability, performance, backward compatibility, and modern standards support.
|
Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List
Supported versions: Microsoft Edge on Windows 10
Default setting: Disabled or not configured
Microsoft Edge does not support ActiveX controls, Browser Helper Objects, VBScript, or other legacy technology. If you have sites or apps that use this technology, you can configure Microsoft Edge to check the Enterprise Mode Site List XML file that lists the sites and domains with compatibility issues and switch to IE11 automatically. You can use the same site list for both Microsoft Edge and IE11, or you can use separate lists. By default, Microsoft Edge ignores the Enterprise Mode and the Enterprise Mode Site List XML file. In this case, users might experience problems while using legacy apps. These sites and domains must be viewed using Internet Explorer 11 and Enterprise Mode.
Supported values
| Group Policy | MDM | Registry | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disabled or not configured (default) | 0 | 0 | Turned off. Microsoft Edge does not check the Enterprise Mode Site List, and in this case, users might experience problems while using legacy apps. |
| Enabled | 1 | 1 | Turned on. Microsoft Edge checks the Enterprise Mode Site List if configured. If an XML file exists in the cache container, IE11 waits 65 seconds and then checks the local cache for a new version from the server. If the server has a different version, Microsoft Edge uses the server file and stores it in the cache container. If you already use a site list, Enterprise Mode continues to work during the 65 seconds, but uses the existing file. To add the location to your site list, enter it in the {URI} box. For details on how to configure the Enterprise Mode Site List, see Interoperability and enterprise guidance. |
ADMX info and settings
ADMX info
- GP English name: Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List
- GP name: EnterpriseModeSiteList
- GP element: EnterSiteListPrompt
- GP path: Windows Components/Microsoft Edge
- GP ADMX file name: MicrosoftEdge.admx
MDM settings
- MDM name: Browser/EnterpriseModeSiteList
- Supported devices: Desktop and Mobile
- URI full path: ./Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/Browser/EnterpriseModeSiteList
- Data type: String
Registry settings
- Path: HKLMSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftMicrosoftEdgeMainEnterpriseMode
- Value name: SiteList
- Value type: REG_SZ
Related Policies
Microsoft Edge does not show a notification before opening sites in Internet Explorer 11. However, with this policy, you can configure Microsoft Edge to display a notification before a site opens in IE11 or let users continue in Microsoft Edge. If you want users to continue in Microsoft Edge, enable this policy to show the Keep going in Microsoft Edge link in the notification. For this policy to work correctly, you must also enable the Configure the Enterprise Mode Site List or Send all intranet sites to Internet Explorer 11, or both.
Edge Para W7
Related topics
Use Enterprise Mode to improve compatibility. If you have specific websites and apps that you know have compatibility problems with Microsoft Edge, you can use the Enterprise Mode site list so that the websites automatically open using Internet Explorer 11. Additionally, if you know that your intranet sites aren't going to work correctly with Microsoft Edge, you can set all intranet sites to open using IE11 automatically. Using Enterprise Mode means that you can continue to use Microsoft Edge as your default browser, while also ensuring that your apps continue working on IE11.
Use the Enterprise Mode Site List Manager. You can use IE11 and the Enterprise Mode Site List Manager to add individual website domains and domain paths and to specify whether the site renders using Enterprise Mode or the default mode.
Enterprise Mode for Internet Explorer 11. Learn how to set up and use Enterprise Mode and the Enterprise Mode Site List Manager in your company.
Enterprise Mode and the Enterprise Mode Site List. Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge can work together to support your legacy web apps, while still defaulting to the higher bar for security and modern experiences enabled by Microsoft Edge. Working with multiple browsers can be difficult, particularly if you have a substantial number of internal sites. To help manage this dual-browser experience, we are introducing a new web tool targeted explicitly towards larger organizations: the Enterprise Mode Site List Portal.
Enterprise Mode and the Enterprise Mode Site List XML file. The Enterprise Mode Site List is an XML document that specifies a list of sites, their compat mode, and their intended browser. When you use the Enterprise Mode Site List Manager schema v.2, you can automatically start a webpage using a specific browser. In the case of IE11, the webpage can also launch in a specific compat mode, so it always renders correctly. Your users can quickly view this site list by typing about:compat in either Microsoft Edge or IE11.
Edge No W7
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