Microsoft is launching some new enhancements to its Edge browser this month. While the software maker announced vertical tabs almost a year ago, the feature is finally on its way to all Edge users this month. You can stack tabs on the side of the browser instead of the traditional long list tabs at the top.
The vertical tabs feature is ideal for 16: 9 screens, and you can click to switch between tabs or group some together. It arrives just weeks after Microsoft implemented a sleep tab feature in Edge, designed to automatically release system resources for inactive tabs when you have a large amount of tabs open. This prevents Edge tabs from consuming memory and CPU resources.
Microsoft is also improving the Edge startup experience this month. A new boot-up feature is making the browser start up 41 percent faster after a device is recharged. “Initial tests show that the boot time with this feature improves from 29 percent to 41 percent,” said Liat Ben-Zur, a Microsoft executive working on the company’s “Modern Life” initiative. “The startup boost will be activated automatically this month, and you can access your browser settings menu to further personalize Microsoft Edge.”
If you are still using Bing in some way and have not yet switched to Google, Microsoft is also improving the way search results work from Edge. Results for popular searches such as recipes will soon include enhanced imagery. Major topics like ‘giraffes’ or ‘Kenya’ will also summarize visual results in an infographic at the top of the search results. According to Microsoft, these new search results would be available in the coming weeks.
Finally, Microsoft Edge users will also see a new view of history in the browser this month. If you navigate to the history, it will soon fall off the toolbar instead of going to the settings section. It should now be much easier to search, open or manage search history.