Microsoft announced Edge for Mac at Build 2019. This new Edge is a revamped version of Microsoft’s browser in which they are replacing its underlying framework with Chromium. This means that it will look and work a lot like Google’s Chrome browser but with Microsoft’s own features on top. It also means that Microsoft will be releasing a browser for macOS after 15 years. We got our hands on a ‘leaked’ build of Edge for Mac and played around with it. Here’s a preview of what to expect when it makes its way to the general public.
The last time Microsoft released a browser for Mac was Internet Explorer for OS X, 15 years ago. At that time, Internet Explorer was actually a really good browser on Mac. Infact, it was the default browser for OS X for sometime, until Apple created Safari.
Edge was Microsoft’s attempt at resurrecting their browser efforts with a new name and design. There were also technically fundamental changes due to its usage of EdgeHTML as its rendering engine which was a fork of Trident, Internet Explorer’s rendering engine. However, it was based on modern standards and performance was as good as WebKit. Or so it seemed.
Microsoft Edge never became a fan favorite, thanks to Google Chrome’s benefits over it. Performance, perfect support for Google’s websites and bleeding edge of web standards meant that Chrome would be the favored browser by a majority of the users, despite Edge being Windows 10’s default browser. This is one of those instances where Microsoft’s power of default apps did not succeed.
Oh, and let’s not forget that unlike Edge, Chrome was available everywhere: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux. Edge was released on smartphones 2 years after its desktop version, but never released on Mac. Until now.
Something unexpected happened this year. Microsoft announced that it will be moving Edge to Chromium, the open source project on which Chrome, Opera and many other browsers are based on. Microsoft also shared their intentions of bringing the browser to as many platforms as possible, including Mac.
Finally, in 2019, Microsoft did release an early version of Microsoft Edge browser for Mac called Canary, which is a project name for the beta. The Canary version of Microsoft Edge is currently only accessible through the Microsoft Edge Insider program, which grants early access to new updates and betas before they roll out to market. Below are some of the highlights of the Microsoft Edge browser which is supposed to come in the near future: Support for Mac Keyboard shortcuts; Refreshed button layout to match native macOS look. Touch Bar Support; Options for Media Control Sliders; Ability to switch tables using Touch Bar; Rounder Corners design for tabs.
Edge for macOS
On first launch, you could easily confuse Edge as Chrome with a theme. Placement of tabs, menu button and many other items is very similar to Chrome. However, when you look closely, you realize that the browser is very much Microsoft’s.
Microsoft has gone ahead and customized every part of the browser. From the icons, to menus, to settings and even adding Bing to places where nobody asked for it, Edge already has a lot of polish for an unreleased browser. Whatever feature you can find in Chrome, it exists in Edge and then some. You will find support for notifications, Chrome extensions, dark theme, profiles, background sync and more.
As expected, Microsoft has released Google Sync with Microsoft account. Even Google search is replaced by Bing. If you are testing out Edge, you might want to head over to Settings > Privacy and Services > Address Bar to switch to Google. You can also chose to use DuckDuckGo if you are privacy conscious.
Microsoft has even replaced Google’s Safe Browsing feature with their own Microsoft Defender Browser Protection. Sigh, many things change but Microsoft’s love for long product names wont.
One of the stand out features is the home tab page. Microsoft has three different types of layouts available for users. The first is focused, which is very similar to Chrome’s new tab page. A search bar and quick links to your most visited websites. Unfortunately, even with a dark theme, you get a light background on this layout.
The next layout is called Inspirational. It is the same as Focused, except with an image of the day by Bing.
The third layout is called Informational. If you love sponsored content and ads, this layout is for you. It has some clickbait and some useful content, powered by Microsoft News. It can be personalized with topics that interest you but I don’t find it interesting to have new tab pages with links to content.
There’s also a custom option which lets you toggle on or off different parts of the page including Bing background images, news feeds and even your most visited websites.
But, all this doesn’t matter much. How is the performance, you may ask?
Really good.
New tabs open in an instant. Websites load as fast as they do in Chrome. YouTube works great too. I installed my favorite extensions which include Pocket, 1Password X and Onetab and they worked perfectly fine. I did have one or two memory usage hiccups where Edge was creating too many processes, but it’s not as if Chrome doesn’t eat my Mac’s memory like it’s a buffet.
I also had an issue with Microsoft sync but it seems to have started working fine. It only syncs favorites for now. I also noticed that the bookmarks bar either stays always visible or always hidden. Unlike Chrome, it doesn’t show in the new tab page, despite being hidden. I hope Microsoft fixes this soon.
Microsoft Edge Browser For Mac
Lastly, Netflix does not play in 1080p resolution in Edge on Mac. You still have to use Safari for that.
It is important to mention again that Edge is still a work in progress. A number of features are not fully implemented yet. Microsoft also announced a number of new features like Collections, Privacy dashboard and Internet Explorer mode, none of which are currently available in canary and development builds.
Download Edge for Mac
If you are an early adopter and cannot wait for to try out the new Edge browser for Mac, you can download the development or canary builds (Thanks to WalkingCat for tweeting theselinks). The difference between development and canary builds is that canary builds are updated more frequently and might have bugs. In terms of stability, this is the order you should remember: public builds > beta > development > canary.
Note that Microsoft has not put up these links on their Edge Insider website yet – their website still says ‘coming soon’.
I, for one, am happy to welcome Edge on macOS. Chrome is awesome but it’s a bloated mess now. Safari is good but it’s slow and using multiple tabs on it is just not as fluent as Chrome. I’m hoping that Microsoft somehow takes the best of both these browsers and creates one that convinces users to switch.
Update: Microsoft has officially released the Canary Channel build to all users which can be downloaded from the Edge Insider website.
Mac users might be wondering, “What is Microsoft Edge?” In a nutshell, it’s a modern web browser designed to replace Internet Explorer, which has been the default browser on Windows machines since 1995. Released alongside Windows 10, Microsoft Edge is made to compete with other highly popular alternatives such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
Initially, Microsoft was hoping that the native integration with Windows search and Cortana, a voice-activated assistant, would give the Microsoft Edge browser an advantage over the competition. But the company quickly understood that lacking cross-platform support was a big hindrance — so they updated the underlying code to allow Microsoft Edge to work with other operating systems.
Is Microsoft Edge Available For Mac?
The first announcement that hinted at the possibility of Microsoft Edge running on macOS was its move to a Chromium-powered code engine. Finally, in 2019, Microsoft did release an early version of Microsoft Edge browser for Mac called Canary, which is a project name for the beta. The Canary version of Microsoft Edge is currently only accessible through the Microsoft Edge Insider program, which grants early access to new updates and betas before they roll out to market.
Opera For Mac
Releasing the Edge Microsoft beta was a timely announcement for users who had recently switched from Windows to Mac, or used both Windows and Mac in their daily lives and didn’t want to keep switching browsers.
Generally speaking, users do prefer to use one web browser across all their devices due to the similar user experience (e.g. having common features and buttons in the same place) as well as the possibility of syncing their history, bookmarks, and preferences. And while competing browsers had been enjoying those perks for years, Microsoft lost some of that momentum with their late transition from Internet Explorer to Edge for Mac.
How is Microsoft Edge for Mac different?
Microsoft used to be very particular about protecting their proprietary design language and exclusive Windows support. But the modern user demands a more natural crossover between devices and operating systems — Microsoft Edge included.
To make the move to macOS as seamless as possible, Microsoft had to make some changes and updates to suit the Mac environment. Most notably, the interface now more closely matches the global macOS design. For example, Microsoft Edge browser for Mac has updated fonts, navigation bars, and menus to mimic other Mac apps. Mac users will also enjoy trackpad gestures and hotkeys that feel right at home. Microsoft has even added preliminary support for Touch Bar and aims to include more contextual actions in the future.
Web developers will be grateful for the IE mode in Microsoft Edge for Mac, which replicates older Internet Explorer environments to help with testing and viewing dated websites that aren’t designed for modern web browsers.
Windows users will be happy to see that the Collections feature has made the jump. Collections is similar to bookmarking, but lets you save text, images, websites, and more into one place via a simple drag-and-drop. Later, your saved material can be shared with others in just a few clicks — fantastic for collaborating quickly with colleagues, family, and friends.
As Microsoft Edge is currently in its early stages on Mac, its development team is actively asking for feedback from users to help shape the product roadmap.
How to download Microsoft Edge for Mac
If you’re looking for the Microsoft Edge for Mac download — let’s get started! First, you’ll need to be running macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or above, which you can check by clicking on your Apple menu and then About This Mac. If you’re up to date, here’s what to do next:
- Open the Microsoft Edge Insider Channels website. Note that Microsoft Edge is still in beta and might be buggy.
- Under the Canary Channel, click Download. Ensure that beneath the download button, it says macOS — if not, you’ll need to click the dropdown arrow and select it.
- Accept the license terms
- When the Edge browser for Mac download has finished, open the download package
- Click Continue ➙ Install
- Enter your password ➙ Install Software
- Once the installation is finished, it will ask if you want to delete the installation files. Click on “Move to Trash”.
- Open Microsoft Edge by finding it in your Dock or Applications folder
To enjoy the best cross-device experience after completing your Microsoft Edge download for Mac, consider logging in to your Microsoft account from the Edge browser. To do this, open Microsoft Edge, then click on the profile icon next to the URL bar and click Sign In.
More better apps for your Mac
If you’re accustomed to using Microsoft Edge and happy that it’s moving to Mac, you might also wonder about other Microsoft apps. But Microsoft is yet to release their full suite of Mac software. Thankfully though there are some amazing alternatives that readily fill the gaps without breaking the bank. In fact, you can get all the apps you need for Mac with a single subscription service called Setapp, which grants you access to more than 150 apps.
But before you even start installing new apps, you might want to clean up and optimize your Mac for best performance using CleanMyMac X — a lightweight tool made to improve, secure, and maintain your Mac in top shape in just in a few clicks.
- Launch CleanMyMac X
- Navigate to System Junk ➙ ScanThank you for your interest in Wondershare DVD Creator for Mac. Whether you work at a small team or a large enterprise, we will give you the best offer to satisfy your needs. Please complete the information below, we will get back to you within 24 business hours. Wondershare DVD Creator is a powerful and easy-to-use DVD and Blu-ray Disc burner app to burn photos and videos to DVD/Blu-ray disc with built-in editor and gorgeous free DVD menu templates so that you make personalized DVD by your needs. Wondershare dvd creator for mac.
- When the scan is done, Review Details and Clean everything you don’t need
- Repeat the process once a month or so to keep your system running smoothly
![Browser Browser](/uploads/1/2/4/9/124905128/198053895.jpg)
Looking for something similar to Microsoft Word? Try Ulysses, a writing and Markdown editor for Mac that favors a beautiful, simple interface to allow you room to do your best work. The app also lets you set a word count goal to hit every day to motivate you to write more.
Working across devices? Ulysses synchronizes your documents and work in progress across them all using a cloud-based data storage system, so you can pick up where you left off.
If you find yourself accidentally deleting files, experiencing data corruption, or being unable to access folders on your USB devices then you might want to try a high-quality file recovery tool.
Disk Drill is a simple application designed to do just that, and do it well. When you need to get a deleted file back, simply open the app, find the hard drive where the file was located in, and click Recover. A magical algorithm will take it from there.
Finally, as all of us come across PDFs every day now, a good PDF editor is a must. Try PDFpen, which rivals the best on the market for a fraction of the price. Featuring OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, PDFpen lets you convert PDFs to text and make edits and updates without a hitch. It also comes packed with every PDF editing feature you’ll ever need, including the ability to merge PDFs, sign forms, draw shapes, and redact personal information.
Best of all, CleanMyMac X, Ulysses, Disk Drill, and PDFpen are all available for a free 7-day trial with Setapp, a platform that gives you access to more than 150 Mac apps that cover everything from editing photos to keeping tabs on cooking recipes. So if you just install Microsoft Edge and Setapp — you Mac environment would be fully complete in minutes.