Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft is launching version 88 of its Chromium-based Edge browser for the Stable channel, that is, ordinary users. This version of “Chredge” includes a number of new features, almost all of which have been in testing for months.
Edge 88 is receiving the Password Monitor feature that Microsoft announced in March 2020. Password monitor is not the same as a password manager like LastPass or Dashlane. The Chredge Password Monitor feature will notify users if the credentials they have saved for autocomplete have been detected on the dark web and, if so, will provide a notification within the browser suggesting that users take action. Password Monitor could take a few weeks to appear for new Edge users, Microsoft officials said in a blog on Jan. 21.
Besides that: Best password manager in 2021
Edge 88 also includes an option to use a built-in password generator, which debuted in Edge test builds in September 2020. The password generator can be used when users are signing up for a new account or changing an existing password. . Users will see this as a browser-suggested password drop-down list in the password field. If selected, the automatically generated password will be saved and synchronized on all devices using Edge.
The password generator is available for Windows 7, 8 and 10, as well as for macOS. Users must be connected to Edge with a Microsoft work or school account and password synchronization must be enabled. Password Monitor is also available for Windows 7, 8 and 10 and requires users to log in to Edge with a Microsoft work or school account.
Tab history and sync are also in progress. (Many regular users, including myself, have seen these sync features come up in the past few weeks.) History and tab sync are available for desktop and mobile clients who log in with the same profile on all devices. This feature can be activated by going to Edge Settings> profiles> synchronization and activating the buttons.
MacOS users can now use the Automatic Profile Switching feature in Edge, which allows users to switch between professional and personal browsing activities. And Microsoft is also offering users the option of viewing emails received directly from the new tab page on Microsoft Edge using a new smart block for Outlook. This is another one of those “keep pace” features that may not appeal to all users; anyone who wants can open the new tab page, click the plus sign next to the quick links and add Outlook as a suggestion to see your three most recent emails and / or start a new email or meeting request directly on the new tab page .
Microsoft has added a drop-tab feature to the new Edge, which frees up system resources for inactive tabs in the name of performance. Users interested in this can enable the sleep guides option in the browser settings menu. Microsoft has also added new user-selectable themes for Edge in this release. The previously announced sidebar search feature, which opens a side panel when users highlight a word, right-click and search, is also part of the Chredge 88 update.
In semi-related news, Microsoft is also adding more features to Bing, including a way to aggregate job openings from different sources on the web that users can find by searching for “jobs near me”. And Microsoft is planning to add even more shopping features to Bing and Edge “in the coming months,” officials said on today’s blog. Microsoft released some new shopping and coupon features for Bing and Edge in November 2020.
If you’re wondering what happened to the vertical guide feature that Microsoft announced in March 2020 for the new Edge, it’s still coming. An updated version of this feature was released to testers earlier this week; it will be a while before it reaches us conventional users.