The latest version of the Microsoft Edge web browser is here with several minor new features. But a bigger visual change is on the way.
“In an upcoming update to Microsoft Edge, the Bing icon entry point in the Microsoft Edge sidebar will change to the new Copilot icon,” the release notes for Microsoft Edge version 118 explain. “No other changes in the experience are expected.”
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That’s a weird way to start off a discussion about new features in a new version of a product. But since Microsoft showed off prototype versions of Edge with that prettier new icon at its September special event, I suspect a lot of people have been asking about it. (And I’m among them. As you may know, I’m hoping to update a lot of the Windows 11 Field Guide over the next three weeks while we’re in Mexico, and I’m not updating the Edge parts until that visual change is available.)
Anyway, there are a few minor changes in Edge 118. They include:
No more banner advertising Microsoft Edge for Business. Microsoft Edge for Business launched less than two months ago, and apparently users who are not using this experience have complained about the browser advertising it via one of those banners that descends from the address bar (similar to the prompt you get when you use Edge but have chosen another browser as the default). So Microsoft is deprecating this annoyance and will no longer display it. See? They do listen. So complain when this kind of thing gets in the way.
Find on Page improvements. The Find on Page feature in Edge has been updated with a new AI-powered smart find feature that suggests related matches and synonyms that don’t exactly match your search term. You can learn more about this feature on the Microsoft Edge website. This does seem smart: I can’t count how many times I’ve misspelled something and couldn’t find what I’m looking for.
New features for managed businesses. Microsoft has added various new policies to Edge for IT pros in managed businesses. For example, a new SmartScreen policy will create a dictionary of domains that are exempted from AppRep warnings. And new policies for metered connections will help organizations control what happens when users try to download items on cellular connections.
