The relaunch of Microsoft Edge by the company has been a declaration of intent. The main novelty of the browser comes with the base that supports it: Chromium . This makes it possible to install Google Chrome extensions through the application options.
But that is not here. With the latest update to Chromium-based Edge, those from Redmond have included a series of features that promise to bring the Chrome experience even closer to the Microsoft tool, features that we will talk about below.
Installing themes and extensions from Google Chrome is now possible in Edge
So is. The latest update of Microsoft Edge Canary, the trial version of the Windows browser, includes the possibility to install themes present in Chrome . The option in question can only be used through the Edge flags , however, everything indicates that it will end up reaching the stable version in the near future through a more accessible method.
The other feature that Microsoft takes breast of in continuous updates comes with the extensions. At the beginning of March the news broke: Edge currently has more than 1,200 compatible extensions , which are accessible from Microsoft's own store. Some of the most popular extensions that we can find in the application are, Adblock Plus, Grammarly, YouTube Enhancer, Reddit Enhancement Suite, UBlock Origin, Honey and Evernote Web Clipper, among others.
The browser also offers the ability to install add-ons through the Google Chrome store .
What's to come to Microsoft Edge
Microsoft's attempt to match its bet with Google's does not stop at the news that we have just mentioned. The company has already announced that the extensions installed in the browser will be automatically synchronized with the Microsoft account that we have previously registered.
With the Picture in Picture mode we can "get" the video from any web page to the Desktop without having to depend on third party extensions.
Another novelty that is supposed to arrive in the coming weeks will come from the hand of performance. Microsoft talks about a performance improvement of up to 13% . There is also talk of the Picture in Picture mode, a function that will allow us to view videos from any web page in small floating windows, a feature that Chrome brought a few months ago to the stable version of the browser.
Why is it a good idea to use Microsoft Edge instead of Chrome
During the launch of Microsoft Edge based on Chromium, the company claimed to have eliminated more than 50 services intended to collect user data . The improvement in this aspect does not only come from the hand of privacy, but also from optimization.
It's a fact: Edge is much better optimized for Windows and Mac than Chrome. The application not only consumes a lower amount of RAM, but also reduces its energy consumption to extend the life of batteries in portable equipment. In terms of privacy, the browser has three modes (Basic, Balanced and Strict), three modes that limit the tools of the different web pages to track user actions, something that the Google application cannot boast of.
Is it the best substitute for Chrome? Time will tell, although for the moment he is on the right track. It remains to be seen if it ends up catching on with the mass public as it failed to make its HTML-based version of the same name.