But simply downloading the nightly “Canary” build, as we did, and installing it showed that Microsoft was more interested in migrating users from Chrome rather than shifting from the old Edge to the new. Until Microsoft actually begins replacing the “old” Edge with the “new” Edge, we don’t know exactly how the process will work. Virtually every browser available minimizes the setup and installation process as much as possible. When you see the new logo to the right in your taskbar, you’ll have the new Edge (but without the “CAN” badge, which designates the Canary Windows 10 build on the PC we used for this screenshot). Like the old Edge, the new Edge is integrated into Windows 10, though versions will be available for Windows 8/8.1 and even Apple’s macOS.

Businesses will have a choice of whether to accept the new Edge, but consumers won’t. Because the new Edge is built upon the Chromium open-source engine (earning it informal monikers such as “Edgium” and “Chredge”), Edge is now closer to Chrome than ever before, and can tap into Chrome’s vast library of extensions. Microsoft may have painstakingly gathered around 100 productivity extensions for Edge, with more for ad blockers and other utilities, but it still can’t hold a candle to the hundreds (thousands?) of extensions available via the Chrome Web Store.īeginning January 15, Microsoft will begin replacing the old Edge with the new Edge on consumer PCs with Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro, though Release Preview Insiders will be the first to get it. When you see this new Microsoft Edge logo in your taskbar, you’ll have the new Edge browser.Įdge’s thin market share is an opportunity for Microsoft to switch horses midstream.

All chromium based browsers