Note: This is no longer the most recent top feedback summary. You can always find the latest at https://aka.ms/MSEdgeTopFeedback.
Greetings, Insiders! Even though we’re all working from home, that doesn’t mean we aren’t working. We have several updates to provide you all this week. Let’s jump right in!
Last week, we asked what you think we should do when it comes to our Addressed list as it grows. This week, we are going to start hiding the Addressed items behind a spoiler tag (huge shout out to @HotCakeX for suggesting this). This way, we can still have it all in one place but not have a massive list when you are trying to scroll down to respond. Like this change or want to offer another one? Please comment and let us know! Same as with our feature feedback, how we present this information to you is always open to suggestions.
On to the meat of our post! First, Some users are unable to access any web page is now Addressed. On Answers, the customer support team posted a solution to this issue. If you are still seeing this after trying out those or the steps Symantec posted (swap out Chrome for Edge, in this case), please reach out!
In addition to addressing that known issue, we’ve added a link to Arvind’s tweet under the status for casting with info on how to enable the casting flag while we continue to work on this feature. Even though we have no updates around the issue at this time, we wanted to ensure that the work around was easily accessed by users like yourselves.
We are really excited to announce today that we are moving every item we had Under Review last week to a Planned status! Enable navigation of PDF files via table of contents is now moved to Planned. Additionally, all of the new tab page items that were Under Review are now Planned for March. We know that users are particularly curious about those three, and we will have more information for you on those soon.
Lastly (but certainly not least), we have moved Provide option to keep specific cookies when choosing to clear browsing data on close from Planned to Planned for March.
Remember, when we move items to Planned for …, we mean that this will be addressed in our Canary channel, while our Addressed items are marked that way when they are in implemented in both Dev and Canary channels. You can read more about our status definitions below our feedback list.
Here’s our updated list this week:
Status
Feedback
On this list for
Addressed
Some users are unable to access any web page
3 weeks
Planned for March
Provide option to keep specific cookies when choosing to clear browsing data on close
17 weeks
Planned for March
Enable sync of installed browser extensions between devices
18 weeks
Planned for March
Option to set a custom photo as the New Tab Page background photo
29 weeks
Planned for March
Add an option to hide the Bing search bar on the new tab page
29 weeks
Planned for March
Allow the search bar in the new tab page to be configured with other search providers
29 weeks
Planned for March
Provide an option to set a custom URL for a new tab instead of showing the new tab page
29 weeks
Planned for Summer
Enable sync of browsing history between devices
18 weeks
Planned
Allow more top sites on the New Tab Page
1 week
Planned
Highlighter tool for PDF files
3 weeks
Planned
Enable navigation of PDF files via table of contents
In this Microsoft Tech Community, there is a feature called Idea where we could share feedbacks and it show like New, InProgress, Planned, etc. So in one page , we will see status of feedbacks and we could filter them out. Let say I want to see all feedbacks which has been submitted or the one which has been addressed or in review. Something similar to UserVoice, I believe it would be better to use that feature to show feedbacks and you could set it that only Microsoft Edge team could add new idea, so external users won't add anything and only leave us to comment on them and upvote. In long term, it would be nice to let user to submit feedbacks. Showing list of feedbacks in table and as list in comment is not very user friendly, I need to search through posts to see if feature is coming or is planning and we need something like Idea style in this forum or UserVoice style to see status of each feedback. One other way, would be pin a post with all feedbacks and edit their status every time while also add new post like this one but have one pin post to show all feedbacks and their status and it would be nice to use different color for each status.
Is it possible for the Edge team to share Their own To do list with us as well?
because sometimes or most of the times, we see New features in Edge canary that weren't on the Top feedback list but sill the team worked on them and implemented them. (to name a few recent features that weren't on this Top feedback list:
the default browser section and Family section in Edge settings
the PiP button on global media control
the greetings message and showing weather after that on NTP
It'd be interesting to know that list which the team has in addition to this public top feedback list.
Also Edge devs could check other browsers to get some ideas how to proper implement some most wanted features... not just this, I really miss some basic features from Opera/Vivaldi browser :) Maybe in close future we will see them, fingers crossed, keep good work!
And I hope that sync (history, opened tabs, some other parts of settings) is on the top in the TODO list.
The Spoiler list shows the following problems as being addressed:
Favorites sync issues, including sync not working, deleted favorites reappearing, and favorites being duplicated
13 weeks
Mar 4, 2020
However, I am still having the described problems when trying to sync favorites between devices using EdgeDev and between EdgeDev and the stable version of Edge. The problems simmered down for a day or so between devices running EdgeDev, but flared up again after I removed duplicate Favorites in the stable version of Edge by hand. The problems with syncing favorites forced me to stop using the HTML version of Edge in the past. I was hoping this would be solved by now, as it is not a problem when using either Chrome or Firefox.
The Spoiler list shows the following problems as being addressed:
Favorites sync issues, including sync not working, deleted favorites reappearing, and favorites being duplicated
13 weeks
Mar 4, 2020
However, I am still having the described problems when trying to sync favorites between devices using EdgeDev and between EdgeDev and the stable version of Edge. The problems simmered down for a day or so between devices running EdgeDev, but flared up again after I removed duplicate Favorites in the stable version of Edge by hand. The problems with syncing favorites forced me to stop using the HTML version of Edge in the past. I was hoping this would be solved by now, as it is not a problem when using either Chrome or Firefox.
Thank you for your attention to this issue.
They explained here that not to use Stable and Beta channels with Dev/Canary.
"As mentioned last week, we have an update to the Favorites sync issue. This is now resolved in Dev and Canary builds, which means it means the criteria for us to mark it as Addressed in this list. However, if you are using the Beta or Stable builds and syncing your favorites through those to Dev or Canary, there is a chance you will continue to see the issues listed. This is expected until the fix is pushed through to those builds. If you are experiencing favorites syncing issues in Dev and Canary and are not using a Beta or Stable build, please submit feedback through the browser so the team can investigate. Thanks so much to everyone who provided feedback around this so that the team could fully investigate and address these syncing issues!"
Also Edge devs could check other browsers to get some ideas how to proper implement some most wanted features... not just this, I really miss some basic features from Opera/Vivaldi browser :) Maybe in close future we will see them, fingers crossed, keep good work!
And I hope that sync (history, opened tabs, some other parts of settings) is on the top in the TODO list.
Yeah Vivaldi is very innovative in terms of UI IMO.
Not entirely sure how this forum/post is meant to work, but taking a shot at sharing a very important suggestion here. I think this is something that is holding back many, many, many users from switching fully to Edge.
Been using Chrome for many years, and while it is very stable, I've grown tired of lack of development, and more importantly, tired of "customer unfriendlyness" in some key aspects, mainly in handling PDF documents and the flash phase-out process management.
Have contemplated a switch to Edge for a 1-2 years now, and with the new version, the step to do so is very small. Looks like many many similarities, and almost only improvements over the Chrome experience. Except....!
There's always been one thing that has held me back. I thought this was solved now, but looks like it's not.
--> Re-open "Recently closed" tabs.
How is it that this super-obvious, almost simplistic, feature demand, something anyone would take for granted, can't be set up properly in Edge? It's mind-boggling!
Microsoft is infamous for it's poor "update process management", forcing users to restart their computers and their entire workflow all the time, but offering very little to make this easier. The web browser is obviously one such thing. But Chrome had the answer there.
With Chrome, the re-open feature works more or less seamlessly. If a session is "abruptly shut down", the browser offers to re-open the tabs of the latest session. AND, most importantly, you can always go to History and find a solid and accurate list of "Recently closed" tabs.
--> How is it that Edge never really has the feature for a list of "Recently closed" tabs working?
Is this so hard?? I can't see why. I suspect that someone at MS has a slight OCD-problem with having to make the browser scrub cache and files with history, leading it to do more of that than intended. Seems like purely sloppy coding.
--> Almost anytime I want to used the "Recently closed" list, it's empty!!!
It only seems to track recently closed in the middle of a session, not in-between, which is really the only time a user needs it. It's definitely not working between forced updates.
--> So I ask you, how many forced updates, without being able to use the list of "Recently closed" tabs to re-start the browser session, do you think it takes before a potential user again(!!) decides to give up on Edge and stay with Chrome for a while longer??
Hi! there! Thanks for posting and updating this. Thumbs up, very commendable.
Have a suggestion on something I think holds many, many, many users from switching to Edge fully.
Been using Chrome for a number of years but always considering a switch to Edge, and very much so in the past few months. Chrome is starting to feel old and they mishandle some aspects of the user experience, e.g. pdf-documents and how the phase out of flash is managed and communicated.
With the new Edge version, the switch from Chrome looks like a no-brainer, at first. Very, very similar, and mostly just improvements. However, there is one thing that's always held me back from this switch, and while I thought it was now finally fixed, it seems it was not.
--> How is it that Microsoft cannot get the "Recently closed" tabs feature to work??
It's mind-boggling! Is it that hard to do? Can't see why. Seems more like someone in the development team has an OCD-issue with making the browser scrub cache and files containing history, leading it to do more of that than intended.
Microsoft, while fantastic in many respects, is infamous for the poor user experience associated with updates of MS products. For W10, you are frequently forced to restart and thus to restart your entire workflow. Over and over and over again. But MS does little to make this easier for the user.
Chrome, however, does. And this was one main reason I stuck with it. Whenever a work session for whatever reason crashes (very rarely these days), or a computer restart was forced upon me due to some update (still comes very often), I could always trust Chrome to have my back.
If the session is "shut down abruptly", the user is offered to restart the browser with the same set of tabs as in most recent session. AND, most importantly, the user can ALWAYS go to History, and there, under "Recently closed", there is an solid, accurate and consistently available list.
--> With Edge, this is still not fixed! Almost any time I want to use "Recently closed", the list is empty!! Certainly after a (forced) update, the list is empty and all is lost.
So, I ask, how many times of having to restart after an (forced) update of W10, finding the "Recently closed" list in the browser empty and useless, does it take before a user givers up and reverts back to Chrome?
Lots of issues in one single comment.
restart requirement in Windows 10 after installing a cumulative update, which is a monthly update, is not new. any OS update in every operation system today needs a restart. Mac, Android, IOS, Windows and Linux.
I'm using Windows 10 insider fast ring, it receives a major update roughly every 1 week, it still doesn't cause any issues, because after 1 week of using computer, I can let it restart at least once.
Whenever I need to restart my Windows or for any reason need to close Edge with all tabs open, I use this to reopen all my previous tabs. you can use it too.
I'd be interested in knowing why they rolled out a new Edge that was forced on the consumer, has poor user interface, messed up my stored u/n, p/w so every site asks for confirmation, set all my favorites as "other favorites" and made it nearly impossible for the common user (like me) to safely revert to the legacy edition.
Hi, you can safely revert back to the legacy edition if you just uninstall it. uninstall it like any other program, either from Windows 10 settings or from control panel.
@ikjadoon wrote: Just wanted to drop a brief thanks for allowing users to change the search engine (or remove it completely) on the New Tab Page. Really a user-centric change. There's DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, Google, etc.
I went over this a few times.
it neither lets us remove the search bar in NTP nor change its search engine, there is only a brief tweak in how it works which the search bar in NTP passes the search to the address bar. it's not useful at all
we still can't choose a separate search engine for the search bar in the middle of New tab page. we can't remove it.
Can't speak to Microsoft's intention on that one. However, from my perspective, that functionality is better served by using a stand-alone password manager, such Bitwarden. In that way, your passwords are available to use across any browser. I resisted using a password manager for years. Finally broke down and took the leap and now can't rationalize my delay.
