Forum Discussion
Synchronization in Linux Edge
I am using more and more microsoft services and I was very happy to know that Edge is also on Linux, which is the system I use. I installed the browser but still not available synchronization, which is very important to me. Would you have any predictions of when this feature will be available?
Congratulations to the entire development team!
Sorry I posted this in the wrong place but I can not contain my curiosity and willingness to use Edge on Linux.
alextibor Microsoft issued this statement on October 20, 2020:
Some end-user features and services may not yet be fully enabled. In particular, our initial release supports local accounts only, and does not support signing in to Microsoft Edge via a Microsoft Account or AAD account, or features which require signing in (such as syncing your settings, favorites, etc.). These features will be available in a future preview.
Since that mention, Microsoft has been absolutely silent on the issue, despite repeated questions from Edge-Linux testers/users. As a result, no one outside Microsoft has any idea when to expect Edge-Linux to allow us to sign into our Microsoft Accounts or sync. It isn't even listed as a "Known Issue" on the weekly Dev announcements.
So I have no idea what to think, but I'm not holding my breath for a quick resolution.
In addition to the sign-in/sync issue, Edge-Linux is not reliably updating on Ubuntu 20.10, so I'm often one or two Dev releases behind on Linux. I went from 803 directly to 818, for example, entirely bypassing 810. I report the issue via Feedback when it happens, because it seems likely that Microsoft is not pushing weekly Dev updates to Ubuntu, one of Microsoft's expressly supported distros.
Between the two issues, I've more or less put Edge-Linux on the shelf as unworkable/untestable at the present time, something to come back to when Microsoft issues a Stable version for Linux that allows sign-in and sync.
I agree with you that Edge is a very good browser, and I would like to see Microsoft get a move on with Edge-Linux. At present, (a) I use Edge on Windows, (b) Firefox on Linux, and (c) both on Android and iOS. I keep a set of common favorites/bookmarks in both Edge and Firefox, but the rest are Windows-side oriented on Edge and Linux-side oriented on Firefox. It is a workaround, to be sure, but it works for me, spending about 60% of my time in Linux.
Many thanks for the reply!
Unfortunately, I was discouraged by this. I hope that the development team will be able to resolve all of this soon.
Microsoft will eventually sort it all out. Keep in mind that Edge-Linux is in Dev at this point and incomplete by definition. I suspect that the Edge-Linux team is small, and resources are stretched thin. The slow development of Edge-Linux doesn't bother me in theory because I understand market share and cost/benefit, but I do get frustrated. But I can see progress and I won't be surprised to see Edge-Linux released in Stable configuration -- with sign-in and sync -- by mid- to late- summer.
