Windows 10 comes with a brand new web browser called Microsoft Edge. It's got a lighter design, it's blazing fast and Cortana is baked right into it.

At the bottom, under 'Web browser', click your current browser (typically Microsoft Edge). In the 'Choose an app' window, click Google Chrome. To easily open Chrome later, add a shortcut to your taskbar: On your computer, open Chrome. In the Windows taskbar at the bottom, right-click on Chrome. Click Pin to taskbar.

Edge washes away everything we hated about Internet Explorer, but how does it compare to Google Chrome, the world's most-used web browser?

See also: Windows 10 review: A needed upgrade with missing pieces

• A new Microsoft Edge is attempting to dethrone Google by attacking from the inside. Claiming better performance across the board, Microsoft is combining the best of two worlds. One of the biggest advantages of Edge is the ability to run Google Chrome extensions.
• Companies that rely on Chromium can modify the browser; Vivaldi, Opera and Brave do this to create custom experiences that differ significantly from Chromium and Google Chrome. Microsoft's Edge browser will be different to a degree as well, and the following list of features highlights just some of the differences between Edge and Chrome.

We pitted Edge against Chrome (version 44.0.2403.89m) on an HP Spectre x360 laptop with a 2.2GHz Intel Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, and ran a series of benchmark tests to see if Microsoft's new web browser is faster or at least on par with Chrome.

Each web browser was tested as new, meaning Chrome didn't have any extensions to slow it down and the history and cache were reset on each browser after every trial.

Two important things to note: Chrome does come with Adobe Flash pre-installed. We didn't disable it during our benchmark tests as that's the state it would be downloaded in by a normal user.

All tests were performed three times and then the average taken.

Futuremark Peacekeeper

Peacekeeper is a JavaScript benchmark that runs through a number of tests from rendering capabilities, to HTML5, to Document Object Model operations (an API used to create dynamic websites) and text parsing. You can find all of the nerdy details about the tests here.

The higher the Peacekeeper score is, the better overall performance the browser is.

As you can see in the benchmark scores above, Chrome smokes Edge in speed and overall performance.

Winner: Google Chrome

SunSpider JavaScript

SunSpider is another JavaScript benchmark, but unlike Peackeeper, it only tests JS and none of the other stuff. Developed by Apple's WebKit team in 2007, it's a commonly used benchmark to compare web browsers as it takes into account features like encryption. You can learn more about the specifics of SS here.

We used the latest 1.0.2 version and here are the results (lower is better):

In this test, Edge beats Chrome with an average of 103.5ms, showing it's more equipped to tackle 'real performance problems that developers have encountered' (how SunSpider describes its test).

Winner: Microsoft Edge

V8 Benchmark Suite - Version 7

Google developed its own JavaScript benchmark to test JS performance for Chrome (because Internet, presumably). You can find details on the test here.

Generally it favors Chrome, but let's see how well Edge performs with it. The higher the score, the better.

Once again, Google Chrome comes out on top, but not by much.

Winner: Google Chrome

Real-world speed

The benchmarks above provide a good picture of how web browsers compare with one another, but they're far from the only metrics that matter. In my non-synthetic 'real life-tests,' I loaded Mashable.com, NewYorkTimes.com and Facebook.com, and then timed the two. These were the results:

Google Chrome just barely edges out Microsoft Edge, but you probably won't notice the difference in real life.

Winner: Google Chrome

Google Chrome is still king, but...

So what did we learn? Well, Google Chrome is faster than Microsoft Edge, but...only if you don't have any extras like extensions installed. When you add those in, Chrome slows down to a crawl.

Edge is no slouch, though. It's a very capable browser and after testing it out, I really like it a lot. If Internet Explorer left a bad taste in your mouth, you'll be happy to hear that Edge is a complete reset in the best way possible.

Extensions are coming to Edge and that could — and almost certainly will — slow its performance down, but right now it's nothing but a great start for Windows 10.

BONUS: Windows 10: The Review

Google Chrome Microsoft Edge Comparison

Symptoms

When you try to sign in to Microsoft Teams in Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome, the site continually loops, and you can never sign in.

Cause

This issue occurs if your organization uses Trusted Sites in Internet Explorer and doesn't enable the URLs for Microsoft Teams. In this case, the Teams web-based application cannot sign in, as the trusted sites for Teams are not enabled.

Resolution

Change Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer or Google Chrome settings using administrator rights or a Group Policy object (GPO).

Microsoft Edge

1. In the Edge Settings window, select Cookies and site permissions then select Manage and delete cookies and site data under Cookies and data stored.

2. Turn on Allow sites to save and read cookie data (recommended) and make sure Block third-party cookies is turned off. Alternatively, follow step 3 if you need to keep third-party cookies blocked.

3. In the same window, under Allow, select Add to add the following sites:

   • [*.]microsoft.com
   • [*.]microsoftonline.com
   • [*.]teams.skype.com
   • [*.]teams.microsoft.com
   • [*.]sfbassets.com
   • [*.]skypeforbusiness.com

Internet Explorer

1. In Windows Control Panel, open Internet Options.

2. In the Internet Options window, select Privacy and Advanced.

3. Select Accept for First-party Cookies and Third-party Cookies, and select the Always allow session cookies check box.

   Alternatively, follow steps 3 and 4 if you need to keep third-party cookies blocked.

4. In the Internet Options window, select Security > Trusted Sites > Sites.

5. Add the following sites:

   • https://*.microsoft.com
   • https://*.microsoftonline.com
   • https://*.teams.skype.com
   • https://*.teams.microsoft.com
   • https://*.sfbassets.com
   • https://*.skypeforbusiness.com

Note

It's always good to validate and enable all trusted URLs for Teams and review the requirements in this article: Office 365 URLs and IP address ranges.

Google Chrome

1. In the Chrome Settings window, on the Privacy and security tab, select Cookies and other site data.

2. Under Sites that can always use cookies, select Add and select the Including third-party cookies on this site check box.

3. Add the following sites:

   • [*.]microsoft.com
   • [*.]microsoftonline.com
   • [*.]teams.skype.com
   • [*.]teams.microsoft.com
   • [*.]sfbassets.com
   • [*.]skypeforbusiness.com

Third-party information disclaimer

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.

Google Chrome Microsoft Edge Chromium

Still need help? Go to Microsoft Community.