Beta Channel is live, collections is in Canary, all the details right here.

Microsoft

We have some news to announce. We have been working on getting our Beta channel builds ready to unveil, while steaming full ahead getting new features into Canary.  We hope that you will download and try out our Beta channel, which installs side by side with our other preview channels (Canary and Dev), as well as the current version of Microsoft Edge. Beta is the most stable preview version of Microsoft Edge, and will the last stop before we go live.  Joe Belfiore has written a full blog post on what this milestone means to us, and what you can expect.

beta screenshot.png

 

In addition to our big announcement of the Beta channel, we are happy to tell you that we are beginning to test our Collections feature in the latest Canary channel builds. We announced the Collections feature in our Microsoft Build 2019 conference keynote in May, and have been working on getting it great since then.  To test out this feature, you must first enable it using the #edge-collections flag on the edge://flags page. You are then free to add, edit. delete and even export collections to your heart's content.  As always, please let us know how you think we are doing.  We love hearing from you, and your feedback, whether you love it or hate it, will help us shape this into the best browser possible. Thank you! - Elliot

 

Links:

Beta channel announcement blog post.

Collections blog post.

66 Replies

@Elliot Kirk Thanks for the info.

 

Today, I eagerly downloaded the Beta version, installed and tried it.

However, I immediately uninstalled it after testing it with Pulse Secure Application Launcher + Citrix, it kept asking me to launch Pulse Secure Application Launcher every time instead of doing it automatically like IE, and the Dev, the Canary versions.

 

This is one of the features that I disliked intensely, and this is precisely the reason why I kept using IE instead of the official Microsoft Edge.

 

I suggest that Edge must remember the user choice at the 1st time, and subsequently it just does it automatically.

I just downloaded this and it's a shame. Beta is, as far as I'm concerned, the proposed feature complete release. It still looks almost exactly like Chrome. Looks out of place in Windows 10 and fits better with Macs. Even Edge on Android looks more like it fits in with Windows 10. Vivaldi have done a better job of making a chromium based browser fit within Windows than Microsoft have. What a shame.
I am a little disappointed with the Microsoft Edge Beta. When downloading files it does not integrate with my Internet Download Manager. If I am downloading a large file I cannot close the browser until it is finished which maybe a couple of hours. The Favourites folder is now on the Favourites Bar (which I don't like). I would prefer the original favourites menu to be in the top right corner as it was previously. The Favourites Bar is loaded with sites I do not use and in the past I could hide it. Oh, also the favourites menu looks too much like Fire Fox or Google Chrome.

@Aussie157 
Well.... It's still beta, so report it and get it fixed ;)

Yep. It's why it's beta. It's the flow of things. Canary, Dev, Beta, and eventually into Stable. You might see things in Canary that never appear in Dev and things fixed in Dev that function perfect in Beta and Beta to test out the things that were tested out and fixed in Canary to Dev and so on and so on. Beta isn't the stable version and feedback will help fix or give input on features for Beta that can carry over (or not) into Stable. Maybe that input is taken for face value and you'll see something new or changed in Canary to test out and eventually flow back up to Beta. 

@Elliot Kirk Hello man, I very happy to listen about this ... I've already installed the Beta version and Beta is already my default browser :) . I will keep surfing with the Dev version everyday to help testing it. With the Beta version I am inviting many of my friends to install it too ... Congratulations, and thanks to give us the Beta version to us ... With it I do not need Old Edge anymore :) Beta Default to guarantee and Dev to surf and give feedback ;) 

@TomazON john0515, I am using edge dev on my laptop and it is working well, I am not in the w

ork area now as i am retired, I hope i can be taken seriously

@john_0515 

Absolutely, John & welcome to the Edge Insider Forum.  Us retired folks are taken seriously, same as everyone else. Always, feel free & enthusiastic to ask, comment & contribute.

Cheers,
Drew
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Nice to hear Im not alone, somewhat daunting though, john

@Elliot Kirk This is an unrelated comment to Beta Channel and Collections in Canary. I have both of those browsers in different ways. Canary is only Chrome's.  I downloaded Beta Channel just to see what the stable version was like since I had the Dev version of Chrome Edge already with no problems I've noticed. 

I am a long time user of browsers since their inception. It is my observation in many ways we are still using a very similar browser from almost the start. Of course, their are cosmetic changes, better security, and many extensions available now. I also know it is difficult to have one homogeneous effective vehicle for everyone although Edge is trying very hard. Opera some time back issued an experimental browser that apparently is discontinued for the time being that I thought was the future for browsers. My feeling is everyone is still using a rectangle box to click on all over to do the simplest tasks such as basic browsing. On a desktop (especially as the monitors people use get larger) has everyone pointing to one bottom corner, then going to the opposing upper corner to do yet another command. Nothing is multi-dimensional or opaque. In many cases the placement of items don't make logical sense in repetitive use. Yet, as far as I can tell, development is mostly about lining up partnerships which in Edge's case makes a lot of sense, but still I don't see anything truly experimental coming out of these bleeding edge channels. We are mostly typing on keypads developed in the 19th century. So, I know this has been long, is there anything on the forefront of changing the way we browse?

 

@gotohoward 

Hi Howard & welcome,

This is not directed exclusively at you, but, to Folks in general.  And, I am not being picky, playing word games or talking about semantics.  I am referring to calling the Beta Channel "the stable version".  Correctly, it is the MOST stable.  The idea is it will have the fewest flaws, surprises or faults... that issues have been found & fixed in Canary & Dev before they hit Beta.  And, it's the MOST stable in so much that it does not experience changes or additions as frequently as the other 2.  But, I just don't want anyone confusing stable with finished or non-beta.  The Beta Channel, as it's name says, IS a beta; it's theoretically the best beta and the MOST stable... but, it is (still) not the finished product that will ultimately released in it's FULLY stable, finished, non-beta form.

Cheers,
Drew 
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@Elliot Kirk 

 

Thank you for the information. I have installed Microsoft Edge Beta and just installed the Canary. I am really into this Edge Beta and I have already changed my Default Browser to  Version 78.0.254.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit). 

 

Fun times launching and testing this version of Canary! So thrilled I took time to check this out today.

@Sherry Malik 

Fun times, indeed, Sherry when you make the Channel that can have the most fun occurrences in it as Default (wink); nothing like being adventurous (smile). Kudos to you not making the (sure & comfy) Beta Channel your default.  

Cheers,
Drew
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@Drew1903 Hello Drew !! How are u friend? So ... I understand your point and u r right ... The Beta still is called beta , it may have some issues another time or other when new things coming to the Dev comes, I am enjoying it a lot, and I hope people also do ... I have until something to say : 

 

The Beta Version is great with extensions from chrome store, I am testing uBLOCK Origins, Ghostery, Dark Reader and Bitwarden from Chrome store and they are working perfectly. (If I am not totally wrong I guess only Dark Reader is not on the Microsoft Edge Insider Addons) ...

 
The Dev Version is with an issue in Chrome extensions, so the only way to use this extensions is with Microsoft Edge Insider Addons, I believe this is going to be fixed soon ... Dark Reader is not there and in the night I have to go back to the Beta to work and surf ... 
 
Canary I still not installed but I will after I reboot, it is already downloaded but I am very busy with 14 tabs in Beta Edge opened with 1.9 K Mb RAM working just fine and very quick  almost instantly in my notebook ... 
 
Canary I do not know if it is working fine the Chromium Extensions but Beta needs always be fixing because in Edge Insider Addons has just a few extensions ... 
 
I hope everyone is enjoying and testing the 3 builds and bringing here the bugs to help the Devs make edge quicker :))
 
See u all around :)

@Elliot Kirk Hi there. Thanks for making Chromium engine beautiful and polished, as well as easy on memory and other system resources (impressions come from dev version). I do like my new browser, just like the operating systems installed this machine. One of them is Windows, other one is yet-another-linux-distro which has derived from Ubuntu. I'm booting each one from time to time each day, doing my work, hanging out on web, committing crime to GitHub repo (code is suicide-friendly tbh). I'd like to know when I, and a lot of people around the world, be able to experience the love of Microsoft towards open source community with this piece of art. Thanks again, looking forward to hear from you.

@onderbakirtas  Hello man !!! Happy to hear about u ... I like Microsoft tools too ... Visual Studio to .NET Core and C# , and I work with VSCode to work with JavaScript/Node and HTML/CSS Grid/Flex to less complex websites ... I will start to learn Unity, I have two Great Udemy's courses bought ;) And .NET Core is coming next month :)) See u around pal ...

@Elliot Kirk 

 

I installed the beta version yesterday and I'm really liking it, so much so that I made it my default browser today.

 

One question

I noticed that the "open in IE" is missing from the "... Stettings" is this by design? Will IE sites just work in edge beta without any action or do I need to do something?

@Elliot Kirk 

 

I wanted to mention that I have installed a few Extensions and all are working great. Here is what I have installed: 

IP Address and Domain Information
LastPass: Free Password Manager
Office Online
Save to Pocket
uBlock Origin
 
Would like to see Webroot® Web Threat Shield Extension. As it is available from the Microsoft Store for Microsoft Edge. :smile:

@MikeDee 

Hi Mike & welcome,

IE Mode is (available) for certain Enterprise clients, only.  For others wanting to use the old, passe Internet Explorer it can be accessed from within your OS. It is found in the Start menu inside the Windows Accessories folder.  So, used directly, (by) itself, and not within any (other) browser.

Cheers,
Drew
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