With the launch of Windows 10, the Redmond-based company announced Microsoft Edge, the browser with which the company founded by Bill Gates wanted everyone to use will forget about Internet Explorera browser that had become a burden on any computer, although it was the best option for using electronic certificates.
While it is true that Microsoft’s idea was good, by offering support for extensions, it was not developed correctly and, despite being the default Windows browser, the market share was practically non-existent. Everything changed in 2021, when Microsoft Edge was completely renewed basing the browser on Chromium, the same one used by Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi and others.
Being based on Chromium, all extensions compatible with Chrome and available in the Chrome Web Store were cEdge compatible. Despite being a loyal user of Chrome since it hit the market, I have always been tempted to forget about the Google browser and switch to Edge in order to enjoy all the advantages that come with its integration into the operating system and manage all the content through your Microsoft account, without having to also use your Google account.
Easily configure Edge
Unlike Chrome, where you download it, install it, set up your user account and goodbye, the Edge setup process takes much longer, as it offers a large number of options to customize its operationmany of which I have never had the need to use.
Finally, after thinking about it a lot and with everything that changing browsers entails, I decided to switch to Edge, thanks to the MSEdge Tweaker application, I was able to make the change without problems. MSEdge Tweaker is an open source script that invites me to disable all functions that you will not need without having to enter the configuration options, options that, by the way, are much broader than those offered by Chrome.
We can download this code from the developer’s website here. All you have to do is download it and run it as administrator permission. At that moment, a menu will be displayed with all the options that we can deactivate to configure Edge based on our needs.
Among the options that we can configure we find:
- Turn off the splash screen
- Disable importing from other web browsers on startup
- Turn off browser sign-in and sync services
- Disable the collections feature.
- Disable the sidebar.
- Deactivate the shopping assistant
- Disable sponsored links on new tab page
Once we have disabled all the options, we can run Edge on our computer and start using it to see how it is an excellent alternative to Google’s Chrome.
I do not regret
After having made the change, I have been wondering for several days why I had not changed before. Edge, unlike Chrome, allows you to open two tabs in split screen, a vital function for searching and comparing information without having to open different browser sessions. I cannot fail to mention the management of the vertical eyelashes It allows me to have more space at the top, a feature that is also not available in Chrome.
Bookmarks, history and extensions they synchronize with the laptop that I use when I leave the house, through the Microsoft account, the same account with which I use the computer. But, the best of all is its low consumption of resources. Edge, as we mentioned above, is natively integrated into Windows and cannot be uninstalled.
The fruit of this integration, which we will not find in any other browser, allows us to offer the better performance on any team, even if it is short of resources. Even if you use Google services such as Google Docs, Google Drive or even Google Photos, you will not notice that Edge is slower than Chrome, so they are all advantages and, for now, there are no drawbacks.