Google Chrome and Firefox are solid web browsers, but the Chromium-based Edge can be an even better option if you want to stay in the Microsoft family. Since Edge’s unveiling, Microsoft has continually added new capabilities to turn its browser into a sleeker and smoother program than Internet Explorer.
Given Microsoft’s approach to generative AI, the company has integrated Copilot into the browser. With the AI accessible in a sidebar, you can submit requests and generate content without having to open the Copilot web page. To take advantage of Copilot and many other (often hidden) features in Edge, here are some of the best tips and tricks.
1. Update Edge
Microsoft adds new features to Edge all the time. While the updates arrive automatically, you may need to manually update your browser from time to time. To see the current version of Edge, click the ellipsis icon in the upper right, go to Help and Feedback and select About Microsoft Edge. Any available update will automatically be installed. Click Restart Edge to restart the browser and use the latest version.
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To use Copilot directly in Edge, click the Copilot icon at the upper left. A sidebar opens with full access to Microsoft’s AI. You can choose one of the suggested topics or submit your request. You’ll be able to ask Copilot to generate an image, upload certain types of files for analysis, and view a history of your conversations. To turn off the Copilot sidebar, just click the icon again.
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3. Add a Web Page to Your Favorites
Microsoft Edge lets you store your favorite websites as favorites. Open the page you wish to save, then click the star icon in the Edge toolbar. From the Edit favorite menu, you can rename the page and even add it to a specific folder to better organize your favorites. When ready, click Done to put it in your Favorites list.
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4. Use Edge Extensions
As a Chromium-based application, you can enhance Edge with extensions from the Microsoft Store and the Chrome Web Store. Start looking by clicking the puzzle piece Extensions icon on the top toolbar of the browser and select Manage extensions from the menu. Here, you can manage all your existing extensions. Click Get Extensions for Microsoft Edge in the sidebar to view add-ons in the Microsoft Store. To install a specific extension, select Get > Add extension.
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To install extensions from the Chrome Web Store, you’ll need to enable the Allow extensions from other stores option on the Manage extensions screen. Click the Allow button to confirm. You can then browse the Chrome Web Store. Select an extension, click Get, and choose the Add extension button.
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5. Save Web Content in Collections
Edge lets you create your own collections of web pages, text snippets, and images. This can be helpful if you’re conducting research or looking for specific information and want to gather all the related content. To start a new collection, click the ellipsis icon, select Collections from the menu, then click Start new collection. Name the collection and then click Add current page to add it.
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Next, you can send a collection to Microsoft Office apps Excel, Word, and OneNote, as well as Pinterest. Click the ellipsis icon and choose a destination. Using this menu, you’re also able to open all the content in the collection or copy it to the clipboard.
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The next time you want to access one of your collections, go to the Collections pane and select the grouping you wish to view. You can create new collections, edit existing collections, delete individual items in a collection, or delete an entire collection.
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6. Organize Your Projects into Workspaces
Sometimes Edge can get cluttered with too many pages, tabs, and favorites, especially if you’re juggling multiple projects and tasks. To better organize your online activities, you can create individual workspaces. Each workspace can contain its own unique tabs and favorites. To get started, click the Workspaces icon in the upper left (the one that looks like three overlapping squares) then select Create new. Name your workspace, assign it a color, then click Done.
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Any pages, tabs, or favorites you access will be specific to your current workspace. You can also invite people to share and collaborate on a group of tabs within the workspace. To manage it, click the workspace name in the upper left. From the menu, you’re able to invite people to use it, edit it, delete it, or create a new workspace.
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7. Turn a Website Into an App
You can more easily manage a website by using Microsoft Edge to turn it into an app. By doing this, you’re able to pin the site to your desktop or Start menu. In some cases, you can also use the site when you’re offline. To set this up, open the site and click the ellipsis icon on the top toolbar. Go to Apps > Install this site as an app, then name the app and click Install to open the site in a separate window.
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To manage websites that have been installed as apps, click the ellipsis icon, select Apps > Manage apps, then right-click on the site you wish to manage. You can then open it in Edge, view site permissions, pin it to the Desktop or Start Menu, or uninstall it as an app.
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8. Pin a Web Page to the Taskbar
Do you frequently visit a particular web page? Instead of going through the hassle of opening Edge each time you want to access that page, just save it to the Windows Taskbar instead. To set this up, click the ellipsis icon, go to More Tools > Pin to Taskbar, then name the site and click the Pin button to make the website appear on your Taskbar.
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9. Try Vertical Tabs
Are your open browser tabs hard to navigate? Edge offers a vertical tabs feature that lets you see open tabs in a list format. To try this, click the Tabs action menu icon in the upper left and then select Turn on vertical tabs. Edge opens a sidebar on the left with all your tabs listed.
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10. Put Tabs to Sleep
Having too many tabs open can slow down your browser. With the sleeping tabs feature, you can tell Edge to stop using system resources on pages that have become inactive. To set this up, click the ellipsis icon, go to Settings > System and performance, then scroll to the Optimize performance section. Find the Put inactive tabs to sleep after the specified amount of time option and use the drop-down menu to choose a time between 30 seconds and 12 hours.
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You can customize the Edge sidebar and add quick access to specific websites and apps. To set this up, select the Copilot icon in the top left, then the plus (+) icon. From the Customize sidebar window, select Add current page to add the current web page or use the search bar to find another page to add. From the Apps section, you can set which apps should be in the sidebar. When done, click the Copilot icon to turn off the sidebar.
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You can also choose which icons should appear on the browser’s toolbar. At the Appearance screen, go to the Select which buttons to show on the toolbar section and turn on the switch for any feature that you’d like added to the toolbar.
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12. Read Articles With Immersive View
Sometimes you want to read an article but find the layout uninviting. You can fix this by turning on Immersive Reader, which reformats the page so the content looks like a virtual book or magazine article. To use this feature, the website must support the format. To turn it on, click the icon with the ellipsis in the circle that appears in the Address bar and select Immersive reader. The layout changes to remove ads and other distractions to help you focus on reading. Click the icon again to turn it off.
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13. Read PDFs and Books Full-Screen
If you often read PDFs and ebooks on your Windows PC or tablet, here’s a trick you’ll enjoy. Open a PDF or ebook in Edge and press F11. The page jumps into full-screen mode so you can read without the distraction of the top toolbars and browser menu. When finished, press F11 again to exit full-screen mode.
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14. Let Edge Read to You
If you prefer the audiobook experience, you can have Edge read a PDF, ebook, or web page to you. Right-click anywhere on the screen and select Read Aloud to have Edge start reading the book with its text-to-speech feature. Click the Voice Options button on the toolbar to change the voice and control the reading speed.
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15. Review and Delete Cookies
Edge gives you the ability to manage and delete cookies. Click the ellipsis icon, the select Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies and site data and click See all cookies and site data. From this menu, you can view each individual site that has stored cookies. Select the down arrow for any site you don’t want to keep and click the trash can icon to delete the cookies.
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16. Enhance Password Protections
Edge offers a password monitor to alert you about compromised logins and a password generator to suggest strong passwords for new accounts. To use these features, click the ellipsis icon and go to Settings > Profiles and make sure your account is set to sync. To use the password monitor, scroll to the Microsoft Wallet section and click Passwords > Settings, then turn on Show alerts when passwords are found in an online leak to be notified if a saved password is ever leaked in a data breach.
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To use the password generator, turn on Offer to save passwords. The switch for Suggest strong passwords should then turn on as well. The next time you’re at the screen to create a new account for a website, click in the password field. Edge should suggest a strong password. If you don’t like the generated password, click Refresh until you find a password you do like. Select it to add the password to the field.
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17. Control Your Privacy
Microsoft has built many privacy options into Windows, so it makes sense that Edge would have its own as well. The browser provides three privacy levels to help stop online trackers from monitoring your activity and collecting information about you for targeting ads. To customize this feature, head to Settings > Privacy, search, and services. Under the tracking prevention heading are three levels: Basic, Balance, and Strict.
If you want to tighten your privacy as much as possible, you may want to choose the Strict option. However, this can prevent full functionality on some websites, so using Balanced may be a better choice if you run into any issues. After selecting your preferred option, review the other settings here to view blocked trackers, add exceptions to the blocking, and clear your browsing data.
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18. Enhance Your Security
From the same Settings screen, you can block different types of security threats. To tighten your security, turn on the switches for the following options: Scareware blocker, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, Block potentially unwanted apps, and Website typo protection.
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To further control your online safety, scroll down the screen and you’ll see that Edge offers two levels for its security features: Balanced and Strict. You may want to start with the Strict level and then switch to Balanced if you run into any hiccups.
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19. Change Your DNS Provider
Edge uses the DNS provider that is set up by your ISP, unless you change it. For greater security or privacy, some people like to use an alternative DNS provider such as Google, OpenDNS, or Cloudflare. You can easily change your DNS server if you wish. Under the Security section, make sure Use secure DNS to specify how to look up the network address for websites is enabled. Click Choose a service provider, then click the text field and select a provider from the pop-up list.
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20. Change the Default Search Engine
Microsoft uses its own Bing search engine as the default way to search on Edge. If you prefer Google, DuckDuckGo, or another search engine, you can set a new default. On the Settings screen, select Privacy, search, and services > Address bar and search, then click the drop-down menu next to Search engine used in the address bar and change it to your search engine of choice. Don’t see your favorite listed? Click Manage search engines and type its name and URL to add it.
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21. Set the Start Page
By default, Edge opens to display a start page that serves up a news feed of top stories, but you can change the page. Go to Settings and select Start, home, and new tab page. For the start page, you can open a new tab, continue where you left off, or open a specific page. If you want a specific page to open, click Add a new page and enter its URL. More than one page can be added this way, each opening in a separate tab. You can also opt to see all currently open tabs upon startup.
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