Microsoft rolled out the first preview versions of Microsoft Edge earlier this month, as it turns out, these builds have been extremely well received by Windows 10 users.

Without a doubt, this can only be good news, especially for Microsoft, as the Redmond-based software giant has been struggling for many years to develop a compelling alternative to Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

After Internet Explorer and the original version of Microsoft Edge, codenamed Project Spartan, the Chromium-based browser appears to be exactly what so many users expected the software giant to deliver: an application that has the same functionality as its rivals, but which remains fast and secure all the time.

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve seen lots of users who gave up on Google Chrome and moved to Microsoft Edge full time. And while this isn’t something I can recommend you to do, as the Chromium-powered Microsoft Edge is still a work in progress, their reasoning certainly makes sense from a browser perspective.

First of all, most users praise the speed of Microsoft Edge. And truth be told, there’s a reason for it, as the new browser is certainly super-fast on Windows 10. However, let’s not forget that being a work in progress also means that the browser isn’t finished yet, so certain components that could eventually have an impact on performance aren’t there at this point.

We’ll see how snappy Microsoft Edge is compared to its rivals when the stable build is finalized, but at this point, it just seems like the app is heading in the right direction.

Then, everyone is pleased with the rich support for extensions. While this can’t be a reason for giving up on Google Chrome, especially because this browser is the one that extensions are built for, access to such a large collection of add-ons can only be good news for Windows 10 users. Despite the original Microsoft Edge also featuring support for extensions, the software giant struggled to convince developers to port their add-ons to this browser, so the number of downloads in this category was rather small.

But the main thing that makes Microsoft Edge so popular isn’t necessarily related to the browser, but to the company that makes it. By joining the Chromium project and contributing to its future, Microsoft managed to shoot two birds with one stone.

First of all, it brings its top features to Chromium and can thus offer them in its new browser as well. Living proof is the smooth scrolling feature that will soon become available for all Chromium browsers.

And second of all, Microsoft scores big in terms of image, despite the fact that the company was originally criticized for surrendering to Google in the browser world. By building a browser that can finally compete against Chrome, all by using Google’s own weapons, Microsoft gives users a reason not to look for a third-party browser anymore and just stick with what’s likely to become the new Windows 10 default.

For Microsoft customers, the integration with the Microsoft Account and other related services is certainly good news as well, not only on Windows, but also on the other platforms where the browser will be offered. Microsoft is expected to roll out a preview version on the Mac as soon as the next month at the Build developer conference.

In the meantime, Microsoft Edge is already becoming successful at a time when it was supposed to only provide us with a quick glimpse into what’s to come from Microsoft in the browser market.

You can try it out yourselves if you want by downloading Microsoft Edge using this link and let us know if you like the new browser in the box after the jump.