Microsoft has updated its Edge browser for Mac with several new features, bringing “sleep guides”, a password and monitor generator, new visual themes and more.
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The “Suspended Guides” feature aims to improve performance by freeing up system resources for inactive or background guides. The feature is optional and can be activated in the browser settings menu.
In the meantime, the new password generator suggests users a secure and complex password whenever they sign up to a website for the first time or try to change an existing password. Edge now also notifies users if a password has been compromised in a data breach, which is similar to a feature recently introduced in Apple’s Safari browser.
Elsewhere, 24 new themes offer visual customizations that affect various parts of the browser interface, including tabs, guide pages and the address bar. The Edge development team partnered with Xbox to offer themes from Microsoft franchises, including Halo, Gears, Forza, Flight Simulator, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Ori and the Will of the Wisps and more.
In addition, sidebar search is now generally available on Microsoft Edge. While browsing web pages, users can highlight a word, right-click and search. A side panel will open with the search results so that they can get quick answers without having to navigate away from the current page.
Automatic profile switching also came to macOS, as described in the Microsoft blog post:
One of our most beloved features, called Automatic Profile Switching, comes to macOS this month. I like to keep my work browsing and personal browsing activities separate, and changing profiles makes it very easy. MacOS now offers the ability to switch sites that authenticate with a user’s work profile, so it’s easier to switch between professional and personal browsing. To get started, check with your local administrator to see if automatic profile switching is enabled for your organization. If so, sign in with your Microsoft work and personal accounts and you’re ready to go.
Microsoft Edge has won over many users with its frequent feature updates and tight integration of Microsoft’s design language with the macOS design language. Tab sync features were added recently and it was also quick to offer native support for Apple Silicon, bringing performance optimized for Macs with the M1 chip. The browser can be downloaded from the Microsoft Edge website.