Top feedback summary for September 24

Microsoft

Note: This is no longer the most recent top feedback summary. You can always find the latest at https://aka.ms/MSEdgeTopFeedback.

 

Hello insiders, we’re back again with our weekly update to the top feedback summary.

 

Welcome to readers from the Beta channel who are seeing some of the work from the past 6 weeks light up today with a major update to Beta. Remember, if you are using Microsoft Edge Beta you can install the Dev channel to see the weekly progress that we’re sharing in these feedback updates. You can install and run Beta and Dev at the same time on the same device, and if you log in with a work or school account, you can even keep things like favorites and passwords in sync between the channels to make it easy to switch between the two. Just head over to https://www.microsoftedgeinsider.com/download to get the Dev channel (and the Canary channel!)

 

This week we’re happy to highlight a new setting which allows you to control the ability of media to automatically play when you browse to a page. The new setting can be found in Settings by choosing Site permissions and then Media autoplay. You can choose from two options which restrict whether video and audio can play automatically. If you choose Limit, media will autoplay based on how you’ve used media on that site in the past. If you choose Block, all sites will be blocked from playing media automatically. Give this a try and let us know how it’s working for you. We intend to invest more in this feature going forward, and are considering changes like making this a site-specific setting, and prompting users with an option to block autoplay when it happens.

 

This week we also have two new items on the list:

  • We’re getting complaints that opening a new tab is too slow.
  • Insiders are requesting a prompt when closing a window with multiple tabs, asking if users just want to close a single tab versus all tabs.

 

Here is the full updated list of top feedback:

 

Status

Feedback

On this list for

Addressed

Provide an option to prevent auto-play of video and audio when you open a website

5 weeks

Planned for October (Updated from Under Review)

Provide the ability to change the title of tiles on the new tab page

5 weeks

Planned for October (Updated from September)

Show the New Tab Page in dark theme when the browser is in dark theme

5 weeks

Planned for October (Updated from September)

Add the ability to turn off the news feed on the new tab page

5 weeks

Planned for October (Updated from September)

A round of improvements to scrolling experience, with more (including performance) to come down the line

5 weeks

Planned for October

Inking for PDF files

5 weeks

Planned for October

Need for better handling of links when there is more than one profile

5 weeks

Planned for October

Option to set a custom photo as the New Tab Page background photo

5 weeks

Planned for October

ClickOnce deployment of Windows applications from web pages

5 weeks

Planned for November

Enable search in the extensions store

5 weeks

Under Review

Opening a new tab is too slow

New!

Under Review

Ask users if they want to close all tabs when they close a browser window

New!

Under Review

Support mouse gestures for common actions like navigation and tab close

1 week

Under Review

Provide a transparent theme for the browser frame

1 week

Under Review

Add the ability to change the location for news content on the new tab page

3 weeks

Under Review

Some users are asking for a home button in Edge. Since we already have one, we could improve discoverability or just enable it by default.

3 weeks

Under Review

Touchpad two-finger scrolling is sometimes triggering a right click instead

3 weeks

Under Review

The address bar and its text are too big, and should be smaller like Chrome

3 weeks

Under Review

Add an option to hide the Bing search bar on the new tab page

5 weeks

Under Review

Allow the search bar in the new tab page to be configured with other search providers

5 weeks

Under Review

Bring the tab set aside feature from the current version of Microsoft Edge

5 weeks

Under Review

Bring the tab preview feature from the current version of Microsoft Edge

5 weeks

Under Review

Bring the reading list feature from the current version of Microsoft Edge

5 weeks

Under Review

Bring the Ask Cortana feature from the current version of Microsoft Edge

5 weeks

Under Review

Provide an option to set a custom URL for a new tab instead of showing the new tab page

5 weeks

Under Review

Update the user interface with the Fluent Design System

5 weeks

Under Review

Make tabs more square and less rounded, like the current version of Microsoft Edge

5 weeks

Under Review

Support themes from the Chrome Web Store

5 weeks

Under Review

Allow sign-in to the browser with a Google account

5 weeks

Under Review

Provide different options for sorting favorites

 

5 weeks

Under Review

Provide run / open / save / save as options when downloading files

5 weeks

Quality Area

Bring more extensions to the extensions store

3 weeks

Quality Area

Edge should use less memory than it does

5 weeks

Quality Area

Edge should use less CPU than it does

5 weeks

Quality Area

Scrolling should feel smoother for web pages

5 weeks

Quality Area

Scrolling should feel smoother for PDF files

5 weeks

Quality Area

Update does not always work reliably

5 weeks

 

Definitions:

 

Addressed – Feedback is addressed in current Canary builds.

Planned for… – We’re working on this and currently plan for it to be addressed in the Canary channel before the end of the month indicated

Under Review – We are reviewing this feedback internally and do not have a plan to share at this time.

Quality Area – We will give extra weight to fixes and opportunities in this area. Please continue to report specific bugs and make specific asks. 

119 Replies

@David Rubino  - Could you please specify which version - Dev/Canary have the 'new' features/settings enabled? It's frustrating to see a setting that I'd like to use being available only to find out that it's missing or only available to a privileged few. 

@David Rubino, I'm hoping the browser inking option gets built in.  I submitted feedback on that.

@David Rubino Chiming in because I'm on a Mac, and I also don't see the Media Autoplay option.

Version 79.0.279.0 (Official build) Dev (64-bit)

@David Rubino 

 

Still no mention of having (as an option, if necessary)  middle-click (touchpad three-fingered tap) on a favorite leaving the favorites menu open. Can't use this (or any other) browser that does not have this, so only open each Edge Canary and Dev build once simply to test if this has been included.

@Wakey  - The autoplay switch is in Version 79.0.285.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit). It also has the 'new' Privacy and services page layout.

@cjahn50 Thanks. I only knew about it because when I upgraded to my version this morning, the "We’ve updated you to the latest build" welcome page mentioned the feature. So of course I went looking for it, found out it wasn't there, and then found my way to this forum. I guess they jumped the gun on the notification.

 

 

Screen Shot 2019-09-25 at 12.58.22 PM.png

@Deleted that's mostly Chromium part, not MS :)

@David Rubino please make ability to start browser directly in InPrivate mode from pinned right-click menu in taskbar, like it was in IE

@That_s_Me 

Like this?

 

Annotation 2019-09-25 234733.png

 

it's from Edge insider Canary Version 79.0.285.0 (Official build) canary (64-bit)

@HotCakeX yes! I'm using dev channel, so I suppose I'll get it next week. Nice. Thanx, cake! :)

@HotCakeX   "- Windows 10 is equipped with technologies like memory compression that come in handy on systems with low amount of RAM.
- that comparison is irrelevant here, so is the task manager screenshot up there. because we're talking about systems with 4GB RAM or less, not those with 16GB. of course Edge will use more than 2GB of RAM on systems with 16GB RAM, that won't cause any issue, that's how OS manages RAM to speed up tasks.
- taking such comparisons for granted and Thinking they are correctly done is like putting a Bugatti on a race track, watching it performing it's best at the highest speed possible and then tell your fiends: "see, I told you this car uses too much fuel, it needs to be fixed"."

 

You are right on all counts.

 

The screenshot below reflects Edge Chromium RAM use after a day of desktop-style browsing (that is, repeatedly opening/closing 5-8 tabs at a time as I read news and other sites, as opposed to the two-tab-maximum practice that I usually follow on low-resource computers**) on a Dell Inspiron 3180 (A9-9420e clocking 1.8/2.7, 4gb RAM):

 

RAM-DELL-TS-3180.jpg

 

As you can see by comparing it to the earlier screenshot you are discussing, RAM use at the end of the day was significantly less on the laptop (1.5 gb) than it was on the desktop (2.2 gb), no doubt due to memory compression and the other factors you mention. It looks like memory compression is having an effect.

 

What concerns me about Edge Chromium, though, is that it hit "orange" on both computers, the laptop and the desktop, in moderately heavy use. When the Memory block hits orange, it is a warning about high resource use.  It is a signal that a user might be burdening the computer.  At least that is how I understand it.

 

And that leads me to observe that we need to think about this in context.  I think the comparisons, both the Edge (Classic) versus Edge Chromium versus Firefox comparisons discussed on this forum in May/June, and the side-by-side comparisons of Chromium-based browsers that @Wouldiwas_Shookspeared did over the last week, give a better sense of the issue than this sidetrack that we've gone down.

 

Edge Chromium resource use is higher than either Edge (Classic) or Firefox, side-by-side, and Edge Chromium is not yet significantly better at resource use than other Chromium-based browsers.

 

I am glad that Microsoft recognizes the issue and is working on it, because high resource use on Chromium-based browsers is problematic, in my opinion. I hope that Microsoft can reduce Edge Chromium's resource footprint as much as possible before releasing the browser.

 

====================

**Following the two-tab-maximum practice, RAM use seldom goes above 500-700 mb, and that's not a problem, even on a low-resource laptop.

 

 

 

@David Rubino, I didn't see on the list but want to know, I see Content Type in new tab page on Edge for Mac of two choices Office 365 or Microsoft News.  I'd like to see the Office 365 option for Edge for Windows as well. 

 

Also curious to know when syncing of Work/School accounts will happen for Edge for Mac.  Also password syncing from Windows to iOS.  I know I can save a password to a website in iOS and it syncs with Edge for Windows but not the other way around,

Just got the Media Autoplay and dark mode new tab page in the most recent Canary, thank you :)

However, when using dark mode and clicking "new tab", there's a short flash of pure white before the dark new page shows up. I already sent feedback through the smiley icon, but it's worth noting here too. The flash of white is so extreme it can actually hurt ;)

@David Rubino 

Still waiting for some additional configuration options for Tab control, like opening new tabs from Favorites with focus, regardless if on the Favorites Bar or anywhere else. 

Also, a feature that is in a Chinese browser (Maxthon) called "Split Screen" would be fantastic. Similar to the attached. An Icon on the Status Bar activates it.

@David Rubino I wish to add my vote to those who asked to "Allow the search bar in the new tab page to be configured with other search providers." It's allowed for the main search bar, so I don't know why it wouldn't be allowed for the new tab page as well. Thanks for the opportunity to comment - I'm enjoying the new Microsoft Edge and I've already made it my primary browser, even though it's still in beta.

@David Rubino I can see that a "set aside tabs feature" like in current Edge is under review. I loved that feature. It was the best/quickest way to save a session I'd ever seen. However, I think this same functionality could easily be rolled into Collections. If Collections had a button to "save all open tabs as new collection" I think that would do it. This would preserve the same function while keeping the UI streamlined.

I prefer the large address bar, Chrome's tiny address bar is annoying. I also prefer this design a lot more than the old edge with fluent design.

PLEASE don't add support for Google accounts

@JordanQ 

 

@David Rubino @Elliot Kirk 

Hi, your suggestion is great, with that and my suggestion here

together, Collections could be a total replacement for both reading list and set tabs aside.

imagine set tabs aside feature had an offline functionality too, so the tabs you put aside for later (in a collection) would be available for offline usage and review, and That would be exactly the same as reading list feature!

so instead of implementing 3 features that more or less overlap each other in terms of their functionalities, Edge team developers could just focus on improving the Collections. let me know what you think :)

 

 

@David Rubino 

Show the New Tab Page in dark theme when the browser is in dark theme:

I think it would be nice to be able to change the New Tab Page color to a variety of different colors, like red, blue, black, or white, for example.

 

Inking for PDF files:

If the inking is available for PDF files, can you add Inking to web pages as well?

 

The address bar and its text are too big, and should be smaller like Chrome:

I like the big address bar, it makes it easy to type and see what website your on.

 

Provide run / open / save / save as options when downloading files:

I can't tell you how much I love and miss this feature. I hope its implemented soon!