Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft is implementing version 88 of its Chromium-based Edge browser to the Stable channel, which means mainstream users. This version of “Chredge” contains a number of new features, which have been tested for almost months.
Edge 88 gets 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 when the credentials they have stored for autofill have been detected on the dark internet and, if so, give a notification in the browser indicating that users are acting. Password Monitor could take several weeks to show up for new Edge users, Microsoft officials said in a January 21 blog post.
Also: Best password manager in 2021
Edge 88 also includes an option to use a built-in password generator, which launched in September 2020 in Edge’s test forms. The password generator can be used when users log in to a new account or change an existing password. Users will see this as a browser suggested password in the password field. If selected, the automatically generated password will be saved and synced with Edge by devices.
Password Generator is available for Windows 7, 8 and 10, as well as macOS. Users must be logged in 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 sign in to Edge with a Microsoft work or school account.
History and tab sync also start. (Many mainstream users, including myself, have seen these sync features appear in recent weeks.) History and tab sync are available for PCs and mobile customers who log in with the same profile on different devices. This feature can be enabled by going to Edge settings> profiles> sync and turning on the switches.
MacOS users can now use the automatic profile switching feature in Edge, which allows users to switch between work and personal browsing activities. And Microsoft also gives users the option to view incoming email directly from the new tab in Microsoft Edge using a new smart tile for Outlook. This is another feature of ‘stay in your stream’ that may not be appealing to all users; those who want it can open the new page, click on the plus sign next to quick links and add Outlook as a suggestion to view their three most recent emails and / or a new email or meeting request directly from the to start a new page.
Microsoft has added a sleep tab feature to the new Edge that releases system resources for inactive tabs in the name of performance. Users interested in this can enable the sleep tabs 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 sidebar 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 gather jobs from various sources on the Internet that users can find by searching for ‘work near me’. And Microsoft plans to add even more shopping features to Bing and Edge in the coming months, officials said in today’s blog post. In November 2020, Microsoft introduced some new shopping and coupon features to Bing and Edge.
If you’re wondering what happened to the vertical tabs feature that Microsoft announced in March 2020 for the new Edge, it’s still coming. An updated version of the feature was introduced to testers earlier this week; it’s still going to take a while before it goes to our mainstream users.