Microsoft Chromium Edge Browser – All Your Questions Answered

Mohit Singh General 1359

Finally, Microsoft has shifted to open source Chromium project to develop its new browser as Google did several years ago. Since the evolution of new browsers like Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome, Internet Explorer/Microsoft Edge has lost its charm.



It’s not surprising that Microsoft has realized that no one wants to use slow and old browsers. Now for the first time, Microsoft and Google engineers will collaborate for the single project called Chromium Project.

What is Chromium project?

Chromium is an open source project started by Google in 2008 and the browser Google Chrome is also based on it. Since it’s an open source project anyone can contribute to the project and use the Chromium source code.

Chromium web browser is less stable than Chrome and crashes more often. But the base of Google Chrome comes from Chromium. Chrome is just like chromium but with some advanced features.



The main purpose of the Chromium project is to allow Google to get input from outside sources and use those ideas for Chrome which is not open source. There are other popular browsers which are built on chromium like Opera, Vandex, Vivaldi, etc.

Why Microsoft joined the Chromium Project?

Before adopting Chromium in Dec 2018, Microsoft spent a lot of time in analyzing and even taking advice from Bill Gates. Nadella and his team decided to go ahead with the decision, and Microsoft announced it publicly in December.

The main reason was the failure of the Edge browser in a big way. One of the factors was the distribution and growth of Edge. Despite Windows 10’s installation is growing day by day but the number of users using still remain handful. People prefer Chrome or Firefox over Microsoft’s Edge.

Why Mozilla isn’t happy with the Microsoft Chromium project?

Firefox built by Mozilla is the second most used browser in the world. In a blog, Mozilla criticized the decision of Microsoft by stating it is terrible to empower a single company (Google) full control of online infrastructure. Mozilla now remain one of the few prominent browsers which is not under Chromium project.



Mozilla knows that its Market Share will surely decrease after the public release of Microsoft new browser.

What are the new features in the browser?

The browser has the same core as Google Chrome but Microsoft has modified it in a unique way. It has several new features which makes it even better than Google Chrome.

The following are the new features in Microsoft Chromium

1.Top notch support for Streaming Media Services

Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox can stream of quality upto1080p and with certain extensions but this browser will support 4K, which will certainly enhance your online binging experience.

2.Windows Defender Integration

Google chrome has a safe browsing security feature for security and in a similar way, Edge will use Windows defender SmartScreen feature to protect against malicious objects.

3.Microsoft Account and Azure Support

It is obvious that Edge will provide better integration of Microsoft services than other browsers. It will need a single sign in to access all the features of Microsoft account and Azure.

4.Exclusive Extensions

The users will be able to install extensions from Microsoft or Chrome web store. Microsoft Edge will have a lesser number of extensions compared to google chrome.

5.Internet Explorer mode

It will allow users access to old sites in its new browser via IE mode. It is integrated into the new browser so users aren't forced to use internet explorer directly to access old sites.

6.Image /Text Drag and Drop (Collections)

You can easily access any information and transfer it to a word or excel file with just one click. In this way, users can easily collect images, text, and information into a note. In simple terms intelligent export of data and information to apps like word and excel.

7.Voice Support

Read aloud options will be available and sounds will be more natural than ever. Thus it will provide seamless text to speech experience.

8.Enhanced privacy features

Satya Nadella has already said that the new browser will give more control to the user over privacy. The user can choose three different levels unrestricted, balanced and strict mode.

What are the upcoming features?

Following features will be added soon to Microsoft chromium edge browser

1.Grammar Tools

You don’t have to rely on third-party apps to check grammar, an inbuilt toll will be there that that break words into syllables and highlight parts of speech.

2.Smooth Scrolling

Some developers complained that scrolling was not smooth there was some kind of lag, thus it is going to improve scrolling performance and responsiveness.

3.Reading View

It will improve the online reading experience of the user in such a way that articles are shown in a format optimized for reading and free of distractions.

4.Translation

This is one of the most important features missing in the current version, but it will be added later.

5.AAD Sign in

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service, which helps users sign in and access resources. Sign in with your school or work account to sync and automatically sign into websites that use this account.

When you will be able to download the browser?



In April Microsoft released the Chromium beta version for testing purposes. So, for the next few months, the browser will go on testing phases. So, we can expect after January 2020 it will become the default browser in all Windows 10 systems once the browser entirely tested and rolled out.

Right now Canary and Development version is only designed for 64-bit installations of Windows 10, and Microsoft is planning to support Windows 8, Windows 7, and macOS in the future. The Beta versions only designed for developers and after several months of testing it will be released for the general public. You can try Edge built on Chromium today, and check out Microsoft Chromium Edge

