Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser is now available in Beta

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it was creating a new version of its Edge browser, this time building it using Chromium, hoping to offer better support for a broader range of websites, extensions, OS’ and features.  

Now, Microsoft’s Chromium-based Edge browser has entered Beta, marking one of the browser’s final steps before becoming an official/finished product. Right now, the browser is available to download on Windows 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 as well as macOS. 

The reasoning behind Microsoft’s move to Chromium is twofold. Firstly, Microsoft is wasting a lot of time and money maintaining its existing Edge browser. Moving to Chromium simplifies things, as it means that Microsoft can rely on the Chromium community for much of this effort. Beyond that, moving to Chromium will also make it easier for developers to create extensions for their new browser. 

The second reason is that Microsoft wants to enable ARM64 support, which will allow its Edge browser to be used with a wider range of devices, including mobile phones and ARM-based Windows notebooks. 

With Edge’s Beta release, the browser will support 14 languages and three levels of privacy, Basic, Balanced and Strict, which are designed to prevent website-based tracking. New features will be added to Microsoft’s Edge browser beta in the coming months.