Microsoft Edge is bundled with the Windows operating system and is used by millions of users. It's built on top of the same browser engine used by Google Chrome. But, many features found in this browser are not found in its competitors. If you are using Microsoft Edge as your default browser, you should know the best possible settings to make the most out of its features and options. In this easy-to-follow tutorial, we'll discuss some handpicked tricks and tips to help you use this browser more effectively. It'll enhance your web browsing experience by many folds. Let's get started!
It is advisable to create a new profile to test the features discussed below. This way, if you want to revert back to your current settings, you can do so by switching back to the original browser profile.
A good number of tips mentioned here can be applied to other web browsers as well. If your current browser supports it, feel free to use it. Open Microsoft Edge and start following this guide—NOW!
1. Customize Your New Tab Page
The blank new tab page can be customized extensively to suit your preferences. These customization settings help you change the appearance, layout, and content in different ways.
You can access its customization settings in two different ways.
You can either use the gear icon on the top right side of the new tab page or click the Settings → Start, home, and new tabs → New tab page → Customize button. The first method is the preferred one as it is easily accessible and saves you time.
Following are some of the customization options you can use for the new tab page:
- Quick links: It's one of the most common options used by almost everyone. Through it, you can create shortcuts to the most visited sites. You can also opt to make these links open in a new tab every time they're clicked.
- Show widgets: Quite similar to the widgets used on the home screen of a smartphone, here too you can populate your new tab page with different types of widgets displaying useful information. You can add, remove, and customize these widgets as per your needs.
- Show feed: If you want the latest news and articles on different topics on the new tab page, activate this option.
- Background: If you want to add a background (wallpaper) to the new tab page, use this option and select the one of your choice.
- Show weather: This one is dead simple. It'll show the latest weather information about your city on the new tab page.
There are other options as well e.g., custom themes, which be used to get a more personalized experience on the new tab page. Feel free to play with all the options to display content and layout as per your preferences.
2. Save Resources with Sleeping Tabs
If you are using a slightly low-end PC, this feature can help you keep the system running smoothly. The sleeping tabs option can be activated to save both memory and CPU usage.
Once activated, this feature releases memory and CPU usage for inactive tabs that are not accessed for a specified duration. You can customize the time duration as per your preferences.
3. Organize with Vertical Tabs
Nowadays almost every modern web browser supports both horizontal and vertical tabs. Microsoft Edge—by default—uses horizontal tabs.
If you want to use vertical tabs, you can do so easily by clicking the tab actions menu on the top right. From the dropdown menu, you can select the option to switch to vertical tabs.
As you can see, switching to vertical tabs saves a lot of screen space if you are using a widescreen monitor. I won't recommend it for smaller monitors. A switch to this mode also largely depends on the user's preference.
4. Stay Organized with Collections
Collections can be seen as the advanced version of regular bookmarks available in all browsers. In a collection, you can store notes, images, text, links, and much more.
To create a new collection, you can either click the Collections button in the toolbar or you can use the Ctrl + Shift + Y shortcut key.
Give a meaningful name to the collection so that you can understand what it contains whenever you open it at a later time.
After creating a collection, simply add the types of assets you want to store in it. Later, whenever you want to access those resources, simply open the collection and have them neatly organized in a single place.
5. Boost Productivity with Sidebar Tools
Through sidebar tools, one can get quick access to both apps and utilities like a calculator and translator. It's like a ribbon on the right side with all the necessary tools in your hands.
You can either enable it through the Settings → Copilot and sidebar option, or you can directly click the sidebar icon. Once activated, you can enable the tools and applications you need in your daily workflow.
6. Simplify Reading with Immersive Reader
If you are an avid reader and prefer long-form content on the web, this feature is made just for you. Reading long articles can be distractive if the website is littered with lots of ads and other content sections.
To declutter it, switch to the immersive reading mode either through the option in the address bar or by pressing the F9 shortcut key.
As you can see in the screenshot above, switching to immersive mode removes all the website elements except the content itself nicely formatted and center-aligned for a better reading experience.
7. Collaborate with Edge Workspaces
This feature is a boon for developers and professionals who frequently share links and online resources with colleagues or clients. Edge Workspaces enables you to share the same tab across different devices.
You can use this feature through the Workspaces icon in the toolbar. If it's not activated, go to the Settings → Appearance → Show Workspaces option to switch it on.
Start it by giving an appropriate name to the workspace. Thereafter, you can click the invite button to add the participants either through email invites or through direct link sharing.
All the invitees will be browsing the same tab opened on your web browser. This makes collaboration dead simple without any time lag or delay as everything is in sync in real time.
8. Enhance Privacy with Tracking Prevention
This is yet another feature nowadays supported by almost every modern web browser in different forms. In Microsoft Edge, it's no different as you get a tracking prevention mechanism—baked in.
You can enable tracking prevention through the Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Tracking prevention option. Choose between Basic, Balanced, and Strict mode.
In most cases, the balanced mode is good enough for everyday use, but, if you are looking for full-fledged privacy control, go with the strict mode.
9. Manage Passwords with the Built-in Password Manager
Microsoft Edge has a built-in password manager that can replace your existing solution you may be using as an extension. It works like a charm and eliminates the need to use an extra web browser extension.
You can configure it to both manually store or to autosave login information. Autofill is also supported if it does not conflict with your existing extension.
A password generator is also available to ensure the weak ones do not seep in. Feel free to give a try to this built-in password manager and see if it can be a good replacement for your existing solution.
10. Pin Websites as Apps
For a large number of websites or services, native Windows Apps are available. Generally, we use these services from within the web browser. But, there's an option to use the native Windows app instead.
One way to install these apps is through the Windows app store. But, a convenient method is by going to the Apps → Install this site as an app option.
If the Apps icon is available on the toolbar, you can install the desired app from there too. Once installed, you can access these apps either through the start menu or by pinning them to the taskbar.
11. Enable Efficiency Mode for Battery Saving
If you experience frequent power cuts or travel extensively, your laptop may run on battery for a longer period. To prolong the battery's life, you can enable the Efficiency mode option.
You can enable it through the Settings → System and performance → Optimize Performance option. Once enabled, you can choose between the Balanced savings and Maximum savings mode.
The efficiency mode works by reducing the background app activity and may affect your browsing experience as it may slow down a bit.
12. Edit PDFs Directly in Edge
Another powerful tool that comes bundled with Microsoft Edge is the PDF editor. It's enabled by default and provides some of the basic editing tools to create a custom version of your PDF file.
The editing tools include annotation, highlighting, erasing, and signing options. In other words, you can use it to make small edits to an existing PDF file.
13. Organize with Tab Groups
When working with multiple browsing tabs that are logically connected with each other, tab grouping can be used to better visualize and access them.
To do so, right-click on the tab you want to add to a group and select the Add tab to new group option from the context menu.
If a group already exists, you can add this tab directly to that group, or you can create a new one by giving it an appropriate name and then assigning a custom color to it. All the tabs in a group are easily accessible from a single location through a colored icon on the tab bar.
14. Switch to Dark Mode
In the modern internet era, almost every application or website supports both light and dark mode and Microsoft Edge is no different. It supports custom themes which include a dark theme as well.
You can switch to dark mode through the Settings → Appearance option. Here, apart from dark mode, you can activate other custom themes too.
15. Capture Screenshots with Web Capture
Another excellent tool that comes with Microsoft Edge is the screenshot utility. You can use it to take both full and custom screen area screenshots.
You can either use the Ctrl + Shift + S keyboard shortcut or click the web capture icon in the toolbar to get quick access to this utility.
After taking the screenshot, you get the opportunity to annotate it before saving it. You can also make a copy and share it with other contacts right from within the screenshot utility.
16. Sync Across Devices
If you are using Microsoft Edge on multiple devices, configuring your custom settings and maintaining bookmarks separately on each one of them can be a cumbersome process. But, there's an easy way to tackle this problem.
To enable syncing, make sure you have a profile created with a logged-in Microsoft account. Thereafter, you can go to the Settings → Profiles → Sync option to enable and customize the syncing options.
Generally, users sync bookmarks and general browser settings. But, feel free to sync other information as well, if required.
Final Thoughts
Microsoft Edge has evolved into a powerful and feature-rich browser that meets the needs of both everyday users and professionals. By including these tips and tricks in your daily routine, you can increase your productivity and enhance your overall web browsing experience.
Try these features today and unlock the full potential of Microsoft Edge for a better browsing experience.
