New and useful features from Edge

Microsoft has been distributing the new version of Edge since January 15, 2020 via the Windows 10 updater. Users do not have to do anything themselves; the program will automatically come to the PC. The new version of Edge will automatically inherit any bookmarks and such from the old version. If you didn’t use Edge, this is a whole new start.

This article is about many new features and features of Edge. With this you really get everything out of the new browser. Not all parts are immediately active and sometimes something will be added or removed. Feel free to try out the features and see if you like them.

We explain the basic functions of Edge in the article ‘Internet with Edge’.

An unappealing name, but a very handy feature: Immersive reader. Do you see an article online somewhere to read, but is the page very busy with advertisements and links, for example? Then the Immersive Reader comes in handy. This section shows a ‘bare’ article with only the necessary images. Open the Immersive Reader as follows:

• Open the website with the article you want to read.
• In the address bar, click the Immersive Reader icon (the icon of an open book with a speaker in front).
• The article is shown against a tasteful light yellow background. Click the Immersive Reader icon again to see the normal article again.

The Immersive Reader can only be accessed from appropriate websites. If you do not see the function, then the current website is not suitable.

Videos on websites can be very distracting from the rest of the site. Edge contains a ‘picture in picture’ function, to show a video floating on a website. This works on YouTube, but also on websites that contain a video.

• Right click on a video.
• click on Picture-in-picture. This is in a white shortcut menu. If it doesn’t appear, click elsewhere in the video.
• The video plays in a smaller window. Close the video with the cross at the top right.

If you open another site in the same tab while the video is playing, the first site and the video will disappear and you will only see the new site.

In the evenings and in low light, it is useful if the browser also diffuses low light. This is where the new Dark Theme comes in handy. Edge is itself dark colored.

• Click on the button with the three dots at the top right.
• Click in the menu on Institutions.
• click on Appearance.
• To the right of ‘Theme’, click light or on System Default.
• click on Dark.

Edge changes instantly. You can also activate the light theme again via this menu. Repeat the above steps but click on light.

Very new is the Apps section, where you install websites as a kind of app on the PC. There will be a shortcut to this ‘app’ on the Desktop. Useful for sites you use a lot. Here as an example the site Google Maps as an app.

• Start Edge and open the website, for example maps.google.com.
• Click on the button with the three dots at the top right.
• Click in the menu on apps.
• click on Install Google Maps. It may also say ‘Install this site as an app’.
• In the small window also click on to install.

Google Maps opens in a smaller window. Start these ‘apps’ via the button with the three dots > apps > name of the app. Or double-click the shortcut on the Desktop.

Remove app from this collection?

• Click on the button with the three dots at the top right.
• click on apps.
• click on Manage apps.
• Find the app you want to uninstall.
• Click on the cross to the right of the app.
• click on remove.

Edge can handle so-called extensions well. Extensions are utilities from Microsoft or other makers. They add an extra function or trick to Edge. By default, you install extensions from the Microsoft Store. But Edge can also handle extensions for Chrome. The latter is not part of this article, you can read more about it on SeniorWeb at another time.

Check out the extensions like this:

• Click on the button with the three dots at the top right.
• click on Extensions.
• click on Get extensions for Microsoft Store.
• A website opens with the available extensions. Browse the sections or search for an extension using the search bar.
• Click on an extension to read more about it.
• Extensions are usually free. But to install them, you need to To buy click.
• A box will appear below the address bar. click on Add extension.

Edge adds the program. Often there will be an extra button in the address bar. View, manage or remove extensions via the button with the three dots > Extensions. Turn them off or on via a slider and with ‘Remove’ Edge removes them completely from the program.