A new version of the Microsoft Edge web browser based on Google’s Chrome starts rolling out today for Windows, of course, but also macOS.
Among the most notable benefits is support for Chrome extensions.
Edge first debuted with Windows 10 several years ago, but hasn’t found a big audience. According to Statcounter, it has a 3.5% browser market share in North America, compared to Safari with 33.8% and Chrome with 51.3%.
Microsoft Edge for macOS is essentially Chrome
Microsoft’s response is to hook Edge to Chrome’s coattails. Specifically, the browser makes use of the Chromium web engine. “We adopted the Chromium open source project in the development of the new Microsoft Edge to create better web compatibility for our customers, and less fragmentation of the web for all web developers,” notes Microsoft.
This change means that web developers don’t need to be concerned that their web pages look right and work correctly on Edge — if they work on Chrome, they’ll work on Edge.
Everyday Windows users who just open the default browser are getting a better one. macOS users who work in large organizations that ask employees to use Edge will also have access to a better browser.
The new version of the Microsoft Edge for macOS based on the Chromium engine is available to download now.
To be clear, this isn’t the first version of Edge for Macs — there’s been one available for years. Today’s is just the first built on Google’s open-source web engine.
