You may have already used the original version of Microsoft Edge, but the new Chromium-based web browser has added a few tricks. With its rebirth in early 2020, Edge dropped EdgeHTML in favor of Chromium, making it feel a bit like Google Chrome; it even supports Chrome extensions. Still, Edge has its own unique features and feel.
While we bet one of the first things you do on a new Windows PC is rush to the web and download Firefox, Chrome, or your other browser of choice, there are still reasons to consider Edge. After all, we found it performs well against the competition.
Unlike the old edition of Edge, the new one works in more than just Windows 10, including Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, and even macOS. If you don’t already have the new version, grab it for your operating system from the Microsoft Edge Download site. In Windows 10, the new flavor will automatically replace the older version.
Save Web Content in Collections
The new version of Edge allows you to create your own collections of web pages, text snippets, and images. This can be helpful if you’re conducting research or looking for specific information and want to gather together all related content. You can start a new collection by clicking the Settings icon in the upper-right corner. Select Collection, then click the “Start new collection” link.
If you want to save a web page, first open it in the browser, then click the “Add current page” link to save it in the collection. Saving highlighted text and images can be done by dragging the selection to the Collections pane.
Click the Add Note icon to type a note or add a description for this collection. These collections can then be sent to Microsoft Excel or Word by clicking the ellipsis icon and choosing a destination. You can also open all the content in the collection or copy it to the clipboard using this settings menu.
The next time you want to access one of your collections, go back to the Collections pane and select the one you wish to view, or just click the Collections icon on the toolbar. You can create multiple collections, edit a collection, delete individual items in a collection, and delete an entire collection.
Add to Your Favorites
Just like Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge offers a Favorites option in which you can store your favorite websites. To add to your Favorites, open the page you want to add in Edge. Then click on the star icon in the Edge toolbar to open a menu.
The menu will automatically appear with the Favorites tab open. You have the option to rename the page and can add it to a specific Favorites folder, if you have created one. Click Add to put it on your Favorites list.
Use Edge Extensions
In the new version of Edge, you can install extensions from the Microsoft Store and Chrome Web Store. Click the Settings icon and select Extensions. The screen shows you all installed extensions. Click the "Get extensions" link to view add-ons in the Microsoft Store. Here, you can search for and browse available extensions. Install an extension by clicking the Get button, then hitting the Add extension button.
As a Chromium-based application, Edge can also grab extensions from the Chrome Web Store. To do this, first go to the Extensions pane, turn on the switch next to “Allow extensions from other stores,” and click the Allow button to confirm. You can then go to the Chrome Web Store, select an extension, and click the Add to Chrome button.
Turn a Website Into an App
You can more easily manage a website by turning it into an app with Microsoft Edge. By doing this, the site can be pinned to your desktop or Start menu. In some cases, it will also allow you to use the site when you're offline.
Set this up by first browsing to the site. Click the Settings icon and select Apps. Select the “Install this site as an app” option, name the app, then click Install. The site opens in a separate window. To manage sites installed as apps, go back to the setting for Apps and select the Manage apps option. Right-click on the site you wish to manage. You can then open it in Edge, view site permissions, pin it to the Desktop or Start Menu, or uninstall it as an app.
Pin a Web Page to the Taskbar
Let's say there's a web page you frequently visit. Instead of going through the hassle of opening Edge each time you want to access the page, you can save it to the Windows Taskbar instead. Now the website is available to you as soon as you log into Windows.
To do this, click the Settings icon and move to More Tools > Pin to Taskbar, then name the site and click the Pin button. The site should now appear on your Taskbar like it was an application.
Mute a Tab
Do you want to silence web pages that automatically start playing audio or video as soon as you open them? This can be especially tricky if you've opened several tabs and aren't sure where the sound is coming from. Firefox and Chrome have long offered ways to mute such audio. You can perform the same feat in Edge.
The tab that's sounding off should display a speaker icon. Right-click on that tab and select the Mute tab. More easily, just click on the speaker icon. To restore the sound, right-click on the tab and select Unmute tab or click on the speaker icon again.
Reading View
Have you ever found an article or story on the web that you'd like to read, but the layout isn't particularly inviting? You can change that by turning on Reading View, which reformats the page so the content looks like a virtual book or magazine article. Some pages on the web support the Reading View option, and some don't.
For pages that do support it, a book icon appears at the right end of the Address bar. If you see that icon, click it. The layout then changes to one more comfortable for reading. To turn off Reading View, click the same icon again.
Read PDFs and Books Full-Screen
If you often read PDFs and ebooks on your Windows PC or tablet, here's a trick you'll like. Open a PDF or ebook in Edge and Press F11. The page jumps into full-screen mode so you can read without the distraction of the top toolbars and browser menu. When you're done, press F11 again to exit full-screen mode.
Edge Reads to You
If you don’t feel like reading the PDF or ebook, you can listen to it. Right-click anywhere on the screen and select the option for Read Aloud. Edge starts reading the book. Click the Voice Options button on the toolbar and you can change the voice and control the speed. The Read Aloud option also works for regular web pages.
Edge Gets Darker
Edge's Dark theme is now darker than in older versions of the browser. Click the Settings icon and select Settings > Appearance, then click the drop-down box for Theme and change it to Dark. You may notice that the theme appears darker and offers better contrast so you can now more easily see icons and menus.
Change the Start Page
By default, Edge opens to display a Start page that serves up a news feed of the top stories at the moment, but you can change the page. Click the Settings icon and select Settings > On Startup for three options. You can open a new tab, continue where you left off, or open a specific page.
If you want a specific page to open, type the URL you want to open each time you launch Edge. More than one page can be added this way, each one opening in a separate tab. You can also opt to see all currently open tabs upon startup.
Change the Default Search Engine
Microsoft uses its own Bing search engine as the default way to search on Edge. No big surprise there, but if you prefer Google, DuckDuckGo, or another search engine, you can set a new default.
In Edge, click the Settings icon and select Settings > Privacy and services > Address bar. Click the drop-down box for “Search engine used in the address bar,” and change it to the search engine of your choice.
If you don’t see your favorite site listed, click “Manage search engines." Here, you can add a search engine by typing the name and URL, or remove any you don’t want.