A while back, Microsoft Edge was just the default Windows 10 web browser. After ditching the old EdgeHTML engine in favor of Chromium, it has finally started to gain serious traction. And rather surprisingly, Microsoft Edge is now also available on the Mac. But how does it stack against Apple's own native Safari browser for macOS?
- Microsoft Edge offers a fresh take on web browsing on Mac. Built with open-source Chromium, the browser includes several customization tools to make it your own.
- Edge on macOS tweaks to match the OS conventions for fonts, menus, keyboard shortcuts, title casing, and other areas. If you face errors when trying to install or update Edge on macOS, then this guide offers tips to fix these errors. Edge on macOS – Installation & Update errors.
- The Beta channel is the most stable Microsoft Edge preview experience. With major updates every 6 weeks, each release incorporates learnings and improvements from our Dev and Canary builds. Also available for. Windows 8 / 8.1.
- MacOS: Edge graphical issue I have performed a fresh install with no extensions, no imports, and no logins. On my Mac (16' MBP) I get the following graphical glitch on many pages, including the settings/preferences page.
The new Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium and was released on January 15, 2020. It is compatible with all supported versions of Windows, and macOS. With speed, performance, best in class compatibility for websites and extensions, and built-in privacy and security features, it's the only browser you'll ever need.
Safari runs like a charm on the Mac with great performance and battery life. But being based on the Chromium engine does give Microsoft Edge an advantage coming into unfamiliar territory. Google Chrome uses the same browser engine, so adopting Chromium guarantees Edge greater web compatibility.
I've used Microsoft Edge alongside Safari ever since its arrival on the Mac. Here's my take on how Microsoft Edge fares against Safari on Mac.
User Interface
Microsoft Edge doesn't attempt to do anything special compared to Chromium alternatives such as Opera or Vivaldi. But its user interface just works. The default tabs provide a search bar that you can comfortably type into and quick links to sites that you frequently visit. You do get a rather annoying news feed, but it's something that you can quickly turn off.
The browser features a slightly larger-than-average address bar, which makes performing Omnibox searches a breeze. The nifty profile icon also allows you to manage, create, and use multiple profiles conveniently. At the same time, the Edge menu gives instant access to browser settings, extensions, progressive web apps, and other features.
However, Microsoft Edge does feel rather clunky and rough. Animations and transitions feel jarring, and I've often experienced input lag while navigating the user interface. However, those issues aren't that serious to put a dent in your browsing experience. After a while, you won't even notice.
On the other hand, Safari feels smooth and polished to near perfection. But its tiny tab strip and address bar aren't exactly geared toward great user experience. The fact that you have to use the confusing menu bars whenever you want to configure the browser seems rather dated.
Performance
It's almost impossible to beat Safari on the Mac in terms of performance. After all, Apple knows its hardware and software the best. But Microsoft Edge doesn't lag behind with its new Chromium engine. In my experience, Microsoft's browser performs almost on par with Safari.
Furthermore, Microsoft Edge technically has better compatibility withwebsites, once again, due to Chromium engine integration. So if you have trouble accessing asite in Safari, you can almost guarantee that it would load up justfine in Edge.
But what about battery life? Just like any native macOS application, Safari excels in that department.But Chromium has improved its efficiency over the yearson the Mac. So don't expect any rampant battery draining issues withEdge.
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Read MorePrivacy Protection
Safari provides native protection against third-party cookies that monitor your browsing activity across websites. You can also ramp things up with content blocking extensions, which help a lot to thwart even more web trackers while improving page load times.
Microsoft Edge also doesn't disappoint when it comes to preserving your privacy. The browser comes with an integrated content blocking module dubbed Tracking Prevention. It offers three different levels of protection (Basic, Balanced, and Strict), which range from blocking tracking cookies, malicious scripts, to personalized advertisements.
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Click here to see our macos articles pageExtensions Support
Starting with version 13 of Safari for macOS, Apple completely dropped support for legacy extensions, which was a terrible move (at least in my opinion) despite the concerns over privacy. Hence, the current crop of 'supported extensions' is minimal.
Also, most compatible extensions require a fee to work in the first place. As a power user, I now find Safari a hard sell on the Mac.
The new Microsoft Edge, however, offers an impressive and growing library of extensions. Just head over to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. You can find a ton of add-ons that can dramatically boost your productivity, enhance your shopping or social media experience, and more.
To make things even better, Microsoft Edge lets you install extensions designed for other Chromium browsers such as Google Chrome.
Data Syncing
While Safari is great at syncing bookmarks and passwords via iCloud to your iPhone and iPad, the browser isn't available outside the Apple ecosystem. Therefore, accessing your data on other platforms is often next to impossible. On Windows, the most you can do is sync your Safari bookmarks to Chrome or Firefox. And yes, better forget Android altogether.
Microsoft Edge for the Mac, on the other hand, is truly cross-platform. You can easily access your browsing data (bookmarks, passwords, extensions, etc.) not just on the iPhone and iPad, but also on Windows and Android. Of course, you must have a Microsoft Account to sync your Edge browsing data, but it's incredibly easy to create one.
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Pick Your Weapon Wisely
Microsoft Edge is shaping up to be a terrific web browser on the Mac, with unique features such as Collections starting to differentiate it from the myriad Chromium clones out there. It also receives frequent updates and feature revisions, something that Safari sorely lacks.
Both browsers offer solid privacy-related features, so a switchover depends completely on what else you prefer. If you like a user interface that's easy to use, an extensions library that allows for endless possibilities, or the ability to sync your data across multiple platforms, then Microsoft Edge is worth trying out.
For those of you who don't stray out of the Apple ecosystem much, love the performance and battery life in Safari, or its pure stability and reliability, it's just better to stick to the Mac's native web browser.
Next up:Decided to go with Microsoft Edge on your Mac? Check the next link to easily import your browsing data from other browsers to Microsoft Edge on your Mac.
Edge Browser Mac Os
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Are you getting confused between
Mac users might be wondering, “What is Microsoft Edge?” In a nutshell, it’s a modern web browser designed to replace Internet Explorer, which has been the default browser on Windows machines since 1995. Released alongside Windows 10, Microsoft Edge is made to compete with other highly popular alternatives such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome.
Initially, Microsoft was hoping that the native integration with Windows search and Cortana, a voice-activated assistant, would give the Microsoft Edge browser an advantage over the competition. But the company quickly understood that lacking cross-platform support was a big hindrance — so they updated the underlying code to allow Microsoft Edge to work with other operating systems.
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Is Microsoft Edge Available For Mac?
The first announcement that hinted at the possibility of Microsoft Edge running on macOS was its move to a Chromium-powered code engine. Finally, in 2019, Microsoft did release an early version of Microsoft Edge browser for Mac called Canary, which is a project name for the beta. The Canary version of Microsoft Edge is currently only accessible through the Microsoft Edge Insider program, which grants early access to new updates and betas before they roll out to market.
Releasing the Edge Microsoft beta was a timely announcement for users who had recently switched from Windows to Mac, or used both Windows and Mac in their daily lives and didn’t want to keep switching browsers.
Generally speaking, users do prefer to use one web browser across all their devices due to the similar user experience (e.g. having common features and buttons in the same place) as well as the possibility of syncing their history, bookmarks, and preferences. And while competing browsers had been enjoying those perks for years, Microsoft lost some of that momentum with their late transition from Internet Explorer to Edge for Mac.
How is Microsoft Edge for Mac different?
Microsoft used to be very particular about protecting their proprietary design language and exclusive Windows support. But the modern user demands a more natural crossover between devices and operating systems — Microsoft Edge included.
To make the move to macOS as seamless as possible, Microsoft had to make some changes and updates to suit the Mac environment. Most notably, the interface now more closely matches the global macOS design. For example, Microsoft Edge browser for Mac has updated fonts, navigation bars, and menus to mimic other Mac apps. Mac users will also enjoy trackpad gestures and hotkeys that feel right at home. Microsoft has even added preliminary support for Touch Bar and aims to include more contextual actions in the future.
Web developers will be grateful for the IE mode in Microsoft Edge for Mac, which replicates older Internet Explorer environments to help with testing and viewing dated websites that aren’t designed for modern web browsers.
Windows users will be happy to see that the Collections feature has made the jump. Collections is similar to bookmarking, but lets you save text, images, websites, and more into one place via a simple drag-and-drop. Later, your saved material can be shared with others in just a few clicks — fantastic for collaborating quickly with colleagues, family, and friends.
As Microsoft Edge is currently in its early stages on Mac, its development team is actively asking for feedback from users to help shape the product roadmap.
How to download Microsoft Edge for Mac
If you’re looking for the Microsoft Edge for Mac download — let’s get started! First, you’ll need to be running macOS 10.12 (Sierra) or above, which you can check by clicking on your Apple menu and then About This Mac. If you’re up to date, here’s what to do next:
Open the Microsoft Edge Insider Channels website. Note that Microsoft Edge is still in beta and might be buggy.
Under the Canary Channel, click Download. Ensure that beneath the download button, it says macOS — if not, you’ll need to click the dropdown arrow and select it.
Accept the license terms
When the Edge browser for Mac download has finished, open the download package
Click Continue ➙ Install
Enter your password ➙ Install Software
Once the installation is finished, it will ask if you want to delete the installation files. Click on “Move to Trash”.
Open Microsoft Edge by finding it in your Dock or Applications folder
To enjoy the best cross-device experience after completing your Microsoft Edge download for Mac, consider logging in to your Microsoft account from the Edge browser. To do this, open Microsoft Edge, then click on the profile icon next to the URL bar and click Sign In.
More better apps for your Mac
If you’re accustomed to using Microsoft Edge and happy that it’s moving to Mac, you might also wonder about other Microsoft apps. But Microsoft is yet to release their full suite of Mac software. Thankfully though there are some amazing alternatives that readily fill the gaps without breaking the bank. In fact, you can get all the apps you need for Mac with a single subscription service called Setapp, which grants you access to more than 150 apps.
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Ms Edge On Mac Os
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But before you even start installing new apps, you might want to clean up and optimize your Mac for best performance using CleanMyMac X — a lightweight tool made to improve, secure, and maintain your Mac in top shape in just in a few clicks.
Launch CleanMyMac X
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Looking for something similar to Microsoft Word? Try Ulysses, a writing and Markdown editor for Mac that favors a beautiful, simple interface to allow you room to do your best work. The app also lets you set a word count goal to hit every day to motivate you to write more.
Working across devices? Ulysses synchronizes your documents and work in progress across them all using a cloud-based data storage system, so you can pick up where you left off.
If you find yourself accidentally deleting files, experiencing data corruption, or being unable to access folders on your USB devices then you might want to try a high-quality file recovery tool.
Disk Drill is a simple application designed to do just that, and do it well. When you need to get a deleted file back, simply open the app, find the hard drive where the file was located in, and click Recover. A magical algorithm will take it from there.
Finally, as all of us come across PDFs every day now, a good PDF editor is a must. Try PDFpen, which rivals the best on the market for a fraction of the price. Featuring OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, PDFpen lets you convert PDFs to text and make edits and updates without a hitch. It also comes packed with every PDF editing feature you’ll ever need, including the ability to merge PDFs, sign forms, draw shapes, and redact personal information.
Best of all, CleanMyMac X, Ulysses, Disk Drill, and PDFpen are all available for a free 7-day trial with Setapp, a platform that gives you access to more than 150 Mac apps that cover everything from editing photos to keeping tabs on cooking recipes. So if you just install Microsoft Edge and Setapp — you Mac environment would be fully complete in minutes.
Edge On Macos X
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