Microsoft on Wednesday officially announced the launch of the first “stable” version of its Microsoft Edge browser for both the Mac and Windows platforms. The new browser, based on Google’s open-source Chromium browser, can be downloaded here.
Microsoft has offered beta versions of the Microsoft Edge browser for several months. Today’s version marks the first “stable” version of the browser. Microsoft says it developed Edge to provide better web compatibility with improved performance while ensuring there is less fragmentation of web development.
Edge for the Mac has been designed to feel similar to the Edge experience on Windows but has been optimized to make it feel more Mac-like. Extensions can be installed from the Microsoft Add-ons store or other Chromium-based web stores like the Chrome Web Store.
Tracking prevention is enabled by default, and the browser also offers customization options, built-in search powered by Bing, and an Internet Explorer mode for viewing ancient web pages. The browser sports a new wave-style logo that replaces the traditional “e” logo used by previous Microsoft browsers.
The Edge browser is available across numerous platforms, including Android, Windows, macOS, and iOS. Microsoft will make regular updates available for the new browser in Canary, Dev, and Beta versions on a daily, weekly, and multi-week basis. The next stable version of Edge should arrive sometime in February.
