Microsoft Build 2020: Everything new coming to Edge browser

One of the key announcements was the overhauling of the Microsoft Edge Add-ons site.

Sidebar Search is another major feature that is coming to Microsoft Edge. (Microsoft/YouTube)

Microsoft announced a bunch of features for its web browser, Microsoft Edge at the Build 2020 developers conference. The conference, which was all-digital this time, witnessed the launch of new Edge functionalities and abilities for users. One of the key announcements was the overhauling of the Microsoft Edge Add-ons site, which will make searching and finding extensions easier for users. To make it visually appealing, Microsoft will bring new categories, new search capabilities and a new layout starting this month.

The Redmond-based tech firm says it is working on improving the Progressive Web Apps and making its integration with Windows 10 better. “We're working on updates to make this integration even smoother—you'll be able to manage them from settings, use them to share (and receive shared content), and more,” says Kyle Pflug, principal PM lead, Microsoft Edge Developer Experience. Those who are a part of Windows Insider preview builds can get early access to new PWAs.

Furthermore, the Collections section in Microsoft Edge browser is getting an upgrade. It is now integrated with Pinterest to let users discover content for their research or project.

“People use Collections to capture their favorite design ideas, recipes, home improvement links, and even to research their next big purchase across multiple sites. This new integration with Pinterest will help you find ideas to spark inspiration, save time, and be more productive by suggesting content related to what you have already collected,” adds Pflug.

When this feature is enabled, it lets users see Pinterest suggestions at the bottom of the Collection. Clicking on it will open a board of similar trending Pins. In future, users will also be able to send Collections to OneNote in addition to Excel and Word.

Sidebar Search is another major feature that is coming to Microsoft Edge. This, as the name suggests, is a tab that opens up on the side explaining the meaning of a word or showing you search results for it from the web. This saves you the time to copy the word, open a new tab altogether, paste it and see the results. Here, users can select the word, right click and select the ‘Search in Sidebar for [selected word]'. If the user is signed in to his/her Azure Active Directory account, Sidebar Search can even show you company results.

This feature will be coming to Insider Previews soon.

Moving between work and personal profiles will be easier in future using Microsoft Edge. The browser will allow users to set a default profile for any link that they open, something that will lead to a consistent experience. In addition, there's a new Automatic Profile Switching feature that detects if the link users are trying to open needs work credentials. If yes, the browser opens it in the user's work profile.

There's an update on the ‘Bing' front as well. Now, when an Edge user signs-in to Bing with work credentials, a new result page will appear next to other familiar pages such as Images, Shopping, and News.Using this, people can view work-based results such as files, people, internal websites, and more. This feature has already rolled out.