The public beta version of Microsoft Edge now has many new features, all of which are meant to make it easier for users to work together, be honest, and use the internet.
Workspaces were first shown to the public in October 2022. They let people share a group of browser tabs with other people. The tool will be accessible via a new button in the Edge browser’s upper left corner. You can open a new workspace window with a unique name and color scheme by clicking it. Collect whatever tabs you desire, then click the Share Workspaces button, giving you a hyperlink to share. If those receivers choose to, they can keep adding to the tab group before sending it back to you.
Workspaces, according to Microsoft, is “not browser screen sharing, nor does it share browser data” “with others in a group. According to the release, “confidential data such as logins, cookies, [or] passwords” would not be shared either. People only see the tabs.
Before using Workspaces in Edge, you must first have a Microsoft account (obviously) and a recent version of the Edge browser on either a PC or Mac. While this is a limited preview, not everyone will be able to test the function, but there are plans to expand it to more users in the future “over the next several months.” Workspaces are now limited to five invitees; thus, groups will be tiny.
The following significant change is the return of autoplay blocking with a new block setting that disables all automatic media playback on websites. Initially, the Limit option allowed you to disable auto-playing videos on previously visited sites. One caveat to this feature: Autoplay blocking is only available in the Canary Channel version of Microsoft Edge (opens in a new tab), so you’ll need to install the other browser, and even then, only a select few will be able to test it. There are, however, initiatives to increase user availability.
The Performance Hub is more restrictive than Browser Essentials, a metrics panel that will eventually replace it. It describes primary “performance and safety features like Efficiency Mode, Sleeping Tabs, and SmartScreen scanning.” You can see how many websites Edge analyzed to see whether there was any malware lurking and how many risky downloads it banned.
According to the release timetable, Browser Essentials will be available on Edge 112, which is presently being rolled out (opens in a new tab). If you still need the update, Microsoft says you may try it by joining the Windows Insider Programme’s Canary or Dev channels. If you see a heart icon in the toolbar, you have it.
Because these are works in progress, the company is asking consumers for feedback. Each feature has its way of providing input, such as thumbs up or thumbs down in the menu. We did contact Microsoft to find out when everything would be available. This story will be updated in the future.