Testing the “New” Microsoft Edge Web Browser
Technology Tips – Published September 2020 in the Guide and Digest
By Don Trauger – Kennett
If you are not familiar with “Edge” it is the replacement web browser for the venerable but outdated and somewhat insecure browser – Internet Explorer. Yes, Internet Explorer remains on Windows 10 computers for those rare compatibility situations but you should not be using it routinely. The first iteration of “Edge” in 2015 was a ho hum affair. It never developed wide acceptance as most consumers gravitated toward using Chrome. In early 2020 Microsoft released the new version of “Edge” based on the Chromium engine, the same one that Chrome uses.
It was recently downloaded to me via Windows Update but you can also download it from Microsoft at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge. It’s a free add-on to Windows 10 and is also available free for Windows 7 and 8 PC’s. You should see a download button in the center of the page after you enter the above address into your Chrome or Firefox browser. The new “Edge” file will be downloaded into your Downloads folder. Double click
“MicrosoftEdgeSetup.exe” to install “Edge”.
The setup procedure is fairly easy. Once it’s installed you’ll be presented with a few screens to get you going. If you are presently a Chrome user choose “Import from Google Chrome”. When clicking “More import options” you’ll see a window showing all of the import items available. Choose all of them to import all of the Chrome settings then click “Confirm”. Next is the setup for new tabs. You’ll see “Inspirational”, “Informational” and “Focused”. In my opinion it’s a bit overblown as “Inspirational” and “Informational” merely adds a background picture to the two windows. “Focused” just eliminates a background picture. Next, is the choice to sync your data to other devices when you are signed in to your Microsoft account. Toggle the switch to “No” if no syncing is for you. The last setup screen allows you personalize advertising sent to you, courtesy of “Edge”. You might want to set the switch to “No”.
Clicking the 3 horizontal dots at the upper right takes you to a menu of items. Scroll down near the bottom and click Settings. On the left, under “Privacy and services”, turn on “Tracking prevention” and click “Strict”. Click “On startup” and choose the setting of your home page when you start up “Edge”. “Site permissions” are preset so for almost everyone there’s nothing to change. However, it’s best to review them for your needs. Clicking “Default browser” allows you to set “Edge” as the browser that, for example, will start when you click a web site link in an email or attachment. Clicking “About Microsoft Edge” will allow you to update “Edge” if necessary. You can review other settings not mentioned above as needed.
So how does “Edge” compare to Chrome? In my testing, very favorably. Since they both are based on Chromium the use of memory is about the same. Firefox uses a bit more memory than Edge or Chrome. So which is fastest? “Edge” comes out on top by a slight measure over Chrome. Firefox was faster on some sites but slower on others by a second or less.
Give “Edge” a try – you may like it.