Microsoft Edge for Linux updated with cross-device sync support

Linux users who "dual boot" their computers can now sign in to Edge to sync their bookmarks, extensions, settings, and history between their devices.

Microsoft Edge for Linux now supports cross device sync.

Ever since Satya Nadella took over at Microsoft, the company has moved closer to the open-source community -- the company is now the single largest contributor to open-source, and has brought Microsoft products like Teams and its Edge browser to Linux-based operating systems like Ubuntu, Fedora and Arch Linux.

While Microsoft Edge, the company's default browser for Windows 10 is also available for macOS and mobile devices, the Linux web browser that was announced last year is still in alpha testing mode. The company releases regular updates to the browser on the “Dev” channel, and the latest feature to come to the browser is a very important one for Edge users - syncing of features and history across devices, according to a report by OMG Ubuntu.

Browser syncing is now one of the most important features that users expect in any modern web browser and having the feature arrive on Linux systems will come in very handy for users who are already using Edge on Windows and want their bookmarks, extensions, settings, and history to sync between their devices. Edge will also sync your browser passwords, but you should probably be using a password manager instead of your browser for that.

However, users who are already opening the Software Center to look for an update to Edge must note there's a catch. Sync currently works only with regular Microsoft accounts, so you'll probably need to make sure you have one before you start syncing. And the feature may still not show up for you unless you're on version 91.0.838.x of the browser or later.

The move to support Linux desktops comes after Microsoft decided to drop support for their own browser engine for Edge and choose the open-source Chromium browser engine that powers Google Chrome and most other browsers on the web except Firefox. Having a browser engine that has already been adapted to work for Linux must have definitely come in handy while porting it to the platform.