Can You Download Microsoft Edge On Mac
A while back, Microsoft Edge was just the default Windows 10 web browser. After ditching the old EdgeHTML engine in favor of Chromium, it has finally started to gain serious traction. And rather surprisingly, Microsoft Edge is now also available on the Mac. But how does it stack against Apple's own native Safari browser for macOS?
Safari runs like a charm on the Mac with great performance and battery life. But being based on the Chromium engine does give Microsoft Edge an advantage coming into unfamiliar territory. Google Chrome uses the same browser engine, so adopting Chromium guarantees Edge greater web compatibility.
Now every time you feel like using Internet Explorer or New Microsoft Edge on Mac, launch the virtual machine and use your favorite browser. Using either Developer mode or the virtual machine you can get Internet Explorer on Mac and enjoy using it. You get it all with the new Microsoft Edge—performance, compatibility, and speed to make browsing the web even more effortless. The new Microsoft Edge has built-in features designed to give you more control over your data and to protect your privacy online. The new Microsoft Edge comes complete.
I've used Microsoft Edge alongside Safari ever since its arrival on the Mac. Here's my take on how Microsoft Edge fares against Safari on Mac.
User Interface
Microsoft Edge doesn't attempt to do anything special compared to Chromium alternatives such as Opera or Vivaldi. But its user interface just works. The default tabs provide a search bar that you can comfortably type into and quick links to sites that you frequently visit. You do get a rather annoying news feed, but it's something that you can quickly turn off.
The browser features a slightly larger-than-average address bar, which makes performing Omnibox searches a breeze. The nifty profile icon also allows you to manage, create, and use multiple profiles conveniently. At the same time, the Edge menu gives instant access to browser settings, extensions, progressive web apps, and other features.
However, Microsoft Edge does feel rather clunky and rough. Animations and transitions feel jarring, and I've often experienced input lag while navigating the user interface. However, those issues aren't that serious to put a dent in your browsing experience. After a while, you won't even notice.
On the other hand, Safari feels smooth and polished to near perfection. But its tiny tab strip and address bar aren't exactly geared toward great user experience. The fact that you have to use the confusing menu bars whenever you want to configure the browser seems rather dated.
Performance
It's almost impossible to beat Safari on the Mac in terms of performance. After all, Apple knows its hardware and software the best. But Microsoft Edge doesn't lag behind with its new Chromium engine. In my experience, Microsoft's browser performs almost on par with Safari.
Furthermore, Microsoft Edge technically has better compatibility withwebsites, once again, due to Chromium engine integration. So if you have trouble accessing asite in Safari, you can almost guarantee that it would load up justfine in Edge.
But what about battery life? Just like any native macOS application, Safari excels in that department.But Chromium has improved its efficiency over the yearson the Mac. So don't expect any rampant battery draining issues withEdge.
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How to Set Up Microsoft Edge Chromium on Mac: A Complete Guide
Read MorePrivacy Protection
Safari provides native protection against third-party cookies that monitor your browsing activity across websites. You can also ramp things up with content blocking extensions, which help a lot to thwart even more web trackers while improving page load times.
Microsoft Edge also doesn't disappoint when it comes to preserving your privacy. The browser comes with an integrated content blocking module dubbed Tracking Prevention. It offers three different levels of protection (Basic, Balanced, and Strict), which range from blocking tracking cookies, malicious scripts, to personalized advertisements.
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#macos
Click here to see our macos articles pageExtensions Support
Starting with version 13 of Safari for macOS, Apple completely dropped support for legacy extensions, which was a terrible move (at least in my opinion) despite the concerns over privacy. Hence, the current crop of 'supported extensions' is minimal.
Also, most compatible extensions require a fee to work in the first place. As a power user, I now find Safari a hard sell on the Mac.
The new Microsoft Edge, however, offers an impressive and growing library of extensions. Just head over to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. You can find a ton of add-ons that can dramatically boost your productivity, enhance your shopping or social media experience, and more.
To make things even better, Microsoft Edge lets you install extensions designed for other Chromium browsers such as Google Chrome.
Data Syncing
While Safari is great at syncing bookmarks and passwords via iCloud to your iPhone and iPad, the browser isn't available outside the Apple ecosystem. Therefore, accessing your data on other platforms is often next to impossible. On Windows, the most you can do is sync your Safari bookmarks to Chrome or Firefox. And yes, better forget Android altogether.
Microsoft Edge for the Mac, on the other hand, is truly cross-platform. You can easily access your browsing data (bookmarks, passwords, extensions, etc.) not just on the iPhone and iPad, but also on Windows and Android. Of course, you must have a Microsoft Account to sync your Edge browsing data, but it's incredibly easy to create one.
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How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Edge Chromium
Read MorePick Your Weapon Wisely
Microsoft Edge is shaping up to be a terrific web browser on the Mac, with unique features such as Collections starting to differentiate it from the myriad Chromium clones out there. It also receives frequent updates and feature revisions, something that Safari sorely lacks.
Both browsers offer solid privacy-related features, so a switchover depends completely on what else you prefer. If you like a user interface that's easy to use, an extensions library that allows for endless possibilities, or the ability to sync your data across multiple platforms, then Microsoft Edge is worth trying out.
For those of you who don't stray out of the Apple ecosystem much, love the performance and battery life in Safari, or its pure stability and reliability, it's just better to stick to the Mac's native web browser.
Next up:Decided to go with Microsoft Edge on your Mac? Check the next link to easily import your browsing data from other browsers to Microsoft Edge on your Mac.
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextHow to Import Browsing Data to Microsoft Edge Chromium
Also See#Microsoft Edge #safari Did You Know
Microsoft Windows 1.0 was first released in November 1985.
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-->Learn how to access Microsoft Edge Legacy after installing the new version of Microsoft Edge.
Note
This article applies to the Microsoft Edge Stable channel.
While most organizations will want to replace Microsoft Edge Legacy with the new version, there are some situations where users will need access to both versions. For example:
- Helpdesk and support staff who interact with users who are using either or both versions of Microsoft Edge.
- Developers who support customers who are using either or both versions of Microsoft Edge.
Important
Running Microsoft Edge Legacy side-by-side with the new version of Microsoft Edge is not recommended for use in production. This configuration should only be used in specific cases where testing with both browser versions is required.
The Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop app will reach end of support on March 9, 2021 in favor of the new Microsoft Edge. This means that Microsoft Edge Legacy will not receive security updates after that date. This change is applicable to all experiences that run in the Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop app. Learn more.
Before you begin
Note
Starting with Windows 10 version 20H2 Microsoft Edge Legacy is no longer included. Starting with this version of Windows 10 the side-by-side experience is not supported.
The procedures in this article apply to systems that have been updated with the latest security updates. When the new version of Microsoft Edge is installed, the old version (Microsoft Edge Legacy) will be hidden. By default, all attempts to launch the old version will redirect the user to the newly installed version of Microsoft Edge. This article describes how you can keep using Microsoft Edge Legacy after you install Microsoft Edge.
Quickstart: Side-by-side experience with Microsoft Edge Beta Channel and Microsoft Edge Legacy
Before using the detailed instructions in this article, consider the following two steps to let your users run Microsoft Edge Legacy and the Microsoft Edge Beta channel side-by-side.
Can You Download Microsoft Edge On Mac
Prevent the automatic install of the Stable Channel of Microsoft Edge by Windows Update.
Tip
Use the Blocker Toolkit to disable automatic delivery of Microsoft Edge.
Install the Beta channel of the new version of Microsoft Edge.
Note
Read Additional information for information about Registry Key settings.
This side-by-side solution is less complex and requires less management than the detailed solution described in this article. However, this solution does mean that you'll be running the Beta Channel rather than the Stable Channel.
Side-by-side experience with Microsoft Edge Stable Channel and Microsoft Edge Legacy
Installing the Stable Channel of the next version of Microsoft Edge at the system-level will cause the current version (Microsoft Edge Legacy) to be hidden. If you want to let your users see both versions of Microsoft Edge side by side in Windows, you can enable this experience by setting the Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience group policy to Enabled.
This group policy is documented here
To set up the side-by-side browser experience policy:
Install the Policy Definitions from Microsoft Edge for Business.
- Pick the CHANNEL/BUILD and PLATFORM you want to use, and then click GET POLICY FILES.
- Extract the zipped files.
- Copy msedge.admx and msedgeupdate.admx to the
C:WindowsPolicyDefinitionsdirectory. - Copy msedge.adml and msedgeupdate.adml (from the appropriate language/locale directory) to the
C:WindowsPolicyDefinitions[APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE/LOCALE]directory.
Open the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).
Under Computer Configuration, go to Administrative Templates>Microsoft Edge Update>Applications.
Note
If you don't see the Microsoft Edge Update folder, verify that step 1 was completed correctly.
Under Applications, double-click 'Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience'. See our best practice guidance before continuing to the next step.
Note
By default, this group policy is set to 'Not configured', which results in Microsoft Edge Legacy being hidden when the new version of Microsoft Edge is installed.
Select Enabled and then click OK.
Does Edge Work On Mac
Setting this policy will set the following Registry Key to '00000001':
- Key:
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftEdgeUpdate - Value Name:
Allowsxs - Value Type:
'REG_DWORD'
Best practice guidance
For the best experience, the Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience should be enabled before the new version of Microsoft Edge is deployed to your users' devices.
If the group policy is enabled after Microsoft Edge is deployed, there are the following side effects and required actions:
Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience won't take effect until after the installer for the new version of Microsoft Edge is run again.
Note
The installer can be run directly or automatically when the new version of Microsoft Edge updates.
Microsoft Edge Legacy will need to be re-pinned to Start or the Taskbar because the pin is migrated when the new version of Microsoft Edge is deployed.
Sites that were pinned to Start or the Taskbar for Microsoft Edge Legacy will be migrated to the new version of Microsoft Edge.
Additional information
After the systems are fully updated and the Stable channel of the next version of Microsoft Edge is installed, the following registry key and value is set:
Can You Download Microsoft Edge On Mac Catalina
Key:
ComputerHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWOW6432NodeMicrosoftEdgeUpdateClientState{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062}Key value:
BrowserReplacementImportant
This key is over-written every time the Microsoft Edge Stable channel is updated. As a best practice, we recommend that you DO NOT delete this key to allow users to access both versions of Microsoft Edge.
See also