Microsoft Edge
By Microsoft
Microsoft Edge is a web browser developed by Microsoft that ships as the default browser on Windows. Since 2020 it has been built on the open-source Chromium project and its Blink rendering engine, replacing Microsoft's earlier EdgeHTML…
Definition
Microsoft Edge is a web browser developed by Microsoft that ships as the default browser on Windows. Since 2020 it has been built on the open-source Chromium project and its Blink rendering engine, replacing Microsoft's earlier EdgeHTML engine, and it adds Microsoft-specific features such as enterprise management tools and built-in Copilot AI integration. Edge is also available for macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, extending Microsoft's browser beyond its original Windows-only scope.
Overview
Edge was first released in 2015 as the successor to Internet Explorer, using Microsoft's own EdgeHTML rendering engine in an effort to modernize Windows' default browsing experience while maintaining some legacy compatibility. That original version struggled to gain adoption and lagged behind Chrome and Firefox in web-standards support and extension availability. In 2020, Microsoft rebuilt Edge on top of Chromium, adopting the Blink rendering engine and V8 JavaScript engine that also power Chrome. This shift meant Edge gained near-complete compatibility with sites built and tested against Chrome, since they now share the same underlying rendering behavior, while Microsoft continued to layer its own user interface, features, and services on top of the open-source base, similar to how Google differentiates Chrome from plain Chromium. Within the browser landscape, Edge occupies a position analogous to Brave, Opera, and Vivaldi in that it is a Chromium derivative rather than an independent engine, differentiated mainly by first-party features rather than rendering behavior. Its main distinguishing features versus Chrome include built-in Microsoft Copilot integration for AI-assisted browsing and writing, a vertical tabs layout, deep integration with Windows and Microsoft 365 accounts, and enterprise-focused management tools for IT administrators deploying browsers across organizations. In practice, Edge is used heavily in enterprise and Windows-centric environments where IT departments value its Group Policy integration, Internet Explorer mode for legacy internal web applications, and compatibility with Microsoft 365 services like SharePoint and Outlook on the web. Because it ships preinstalled on every Windows machine, it also serves as the default browsing entry point for many users who never switch to another browser. Edge's trade-offs mirror those of other Chromium derivatives: because it shares Blink with Chrome, it inherits the same memory usage characteristics and, more significantly, means Chromium's development choices, driven largely by Google, indirectly shape Edge's own roadmap. Its Copilot integration has also drawn scrutiny from users who prefer a browser without built-in AI features they cannot fully disable. Microsoft has also used Edge as a distribution point for its own services, including default search engine prompts and periodic in-browser suggestions to switch from other browsers, a practice that has drawn regulatory attention in some jurisdictions concerned about default-setting behavior on the dominant desktop operating system. Despite that friction, Edge has steadily grown its share of the Windows desktop browser market since the Chromium switch, benefiting from its status as the preinstalled option most users encounter before ever downloading an alternative.
Key Features
- Built on the open-source Chromium project and Blink engine
- Includes built-in Microsoft Copilot AI integration
- Provides Internet Explorer mode for legacy enterprise web apps
- Offers vertical tabs and workspace organization features
- Integrates with Microsoft 365 and Windows accounts
- Includes enterprise management via Group Policy and Intune
- Supports Chrome extensions through the Microsoft Store or Chrome Web Store
- Ships as the default preinstalled browser on Windows
Use Cases
Alternatives
Frequently Asked Questions
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