Microsoft has updated its Edge browser for Mac with several new features, including “sleep tabs,” a password generator and monitor, new visual themes, and more.
/article-new/2021/01/edge.jpg?resize=560%2C199&ssl=1)
The “Sleeping Tabs” feature aims to improve performance by freeing up system resources for inactive or background tabs. The feature is optional and can be activated in the browser settings menu.
Meanwhile, the new password generator suggests users a secure and complex password every time they sign up for a website for the first time or try to change an existing password. Edge also now notifies users if a password has been compromised in a data breach, which is similar to a feature recently introduced in Apple’s Safari browser.
Elsewhere, 24 new themes offer visual customizations that affect various parts of the browser interface, including tabs, tab pages, and the address bar. The Edge development team has partnered with Xbox to offer Microsoft franchise themes such as Halo, Gears, Forza, Flight Simulator, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and more. .
In addition, sidebar search is now generally available in Microsoft Edge. While browsing web pages, users can highlight a word, right-click, and search. A sidebar with search results will open so you can get quick answers without leaving the current page.
Automatic profile switching has also reached macOS, as described in the Microsoft blog post:
One of our most beloved features, called Automatic Profile Changing, is making its way to macOS this month. I like to keep work browsing and personal browsing activities separate, and changing your profile makes it so easy. Now, macOS provides the ability to switch places that are authenticated with a user’s work profile, making it easier to switch between work and personal browsing. To get started, check with your local administrator to see if automatic profile change is enabled for your organization. If so, sign in with your personal and work accounts at Microsoft, and you can get started.
Microsoft Edge has won over many users with its frequent feature updates and tight integration of Microsoft’s design language with the macOS design language. Tab sync features have been added recently and it was also quick to offer native support for Apple Silicon, allowing for optimized performance on Macs with the M1 chip. The browser can be downloaded from the Microsoft Edge website.