Microsoft wants more users to get on board Edge, and to do just that, it's rolling out a slew of new features for the browser with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update.
The update brings Edge to EdgeHTML 16, and the company refers to it as the best version yet. The question is, are the tweaks and other additions enough to make users switch from their current preferred browsers?
Regardless, here are some of Microsoft's best attempts to convince them to take the plunge so far.
True Full Screen Browsing Experience
Microsoft has heard the people, aka Windows Insiders, and it's implementing a "true full screen browsing experience."
In this mode, nothing will be left on the screen except for the content itself, hiding everything from the address bar to buttons.
To enable it, users can either press F11 or click the three-dot icon in the upper-right corner of Edge and click on the diagonal arrow.
Edit Favorites' URL
Just like improved full screen, editing the URLs of favorites in the Favorites bar or Favorites Hub is also a user-requested feature, and now it's here.
A right-click or long press on a favorite will bring up the option "Edit URL," and that's as simple as it gets.
Pin Sites To The Taskbar
Now the crème de la crème of the in-demand features is pinning websites to the taskbar, which is arguably the best reason to use Edge.
To take advantage of Pinned Sites, just click on the three-dot icon and select "Pin this page to the taskbar." Needless to say, this will pin the current website opened on Edge.
Improved Phone, Desktop Connection
To make browsing a more seamless experience on Edge, Microsoft has added in the option that lets users start a website on an Android or iOS phone and pick up where they left off there on their PC.
However, this requires the Cortana app or Edge Preview for iOS and Android, which is the company's attempt to stay relevant in the mobile browsing space.
Take note that the phone and PC must be connected to each other for this to work.
Enhanced Accessibility
One way Microsoft is putting Edge to the top is to make the browser more accessible for more people.
Now a click anywhere on a PDF or e-book will pull up the "Read aloud" button, which will be in the upper-right corner. Meanwhile, on websites, a right-click will bring out the "Read aloud" option.
More Support For PDF Files, e-Books
Speaking of PDF files and e-books, Edge now supports more options to let users personalize them, including but not limited to highlighting with four colors to choose from, underlining, and adding comments. If something on the content seems unfamiliar, Cortana can even help out to provide more info.
That's not all either. On PDFs, there's a new "Add Notes" button beside the address bar. Powered by Windows Ink, this comes in handy when filling out forms or signing documents on touch-screen devices.
To boil things down, Microsoft is pushing out a ton of new Edge features with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update to appeal to more online users, and from the look of things, it's making a great case at that.
