Microsoft recently announced a number of new features coming in the upcoming weeks, including AI Image Creator, Drop, Image Editor, and changes for Efficiency mode to improve battery life. The company has been making significant investments to make its Microsoft Edge browser the best browsing experience for Windows 11, macOS, Linux, and mobile users.
The software behemoth is also working on a number of additional features that should be included in upcoming browser updates, such as Edge Workspaces, grouping related tabs, blocking autoplay videos, split screen, super video resolution, and visual upgrades.
This article will describe the next features that will be added to Windows 11’s default browser.
Biggest new features coming to Microsoft Edge
These eleven new capabilities will soon be available to all Microsoft Edge users.
1. Image Creator
An AI tool called the Image Creator turns words into images using the OpenAI DALL-E model. Although Bing Chat currently has the capability, the business intends to incorporate it into its web browser.
The Microsoft Edge sidebar will provide access to the Image Creator option. The AI will build the image with a single click once you click the button, which will bring up a flyout with a prompt box for you to describe the image you desire.
2. Drop (note and file-sharing)
Whether you use the browser on your phone, laptop, or desktop, Drop lets you communicate notes and move files between devices (to yourself).
When you click the Drop button from the sidebar, a new flyout will display where you may mail files or make notes to yourself. This function is compatible with your OneDrive account. The files will be accessible for download from any device logged in with the same Microsoft account because the capability is integrated into the browser.
3. Image Editor
Instead of downloading the image and editing it with a different program, you may use Microsoft Edge’s Image Editor capability to edit any image from the internet.
You can open an overlay editor on any website by right-clicking on an image and choosing the Edit image option. Numerous fundamental picture editing capabilities are available in the interface, such as crop, rotate, color adjustment, and filters. You can even comment the image using markup. You can store the altered image on your computer for later use after you’re finished modifying it.
4. Efficiency mode changes
As part of the Efficiency mode modifications, the efficiency feature will activate automatically when the system determines that your battery is low, allowing power-saving capabilities both when you interact with the browser and when you don’t.
Additionally, the browser now offers two modes—Balanced Savings and Maximum Savings—that can help you save battery life. You can have a pleasant browsing experience and save energy by using the balanced option. Although it will affect the browser’s performance, the maximum setting will save the most power.
5. Edge Workspaces
The Edge Workspaces feature, which is presently in limited preview, attempts to facilitate tab sharing. With just one link, you may share a fresh instance of the browser with others, complete with no personal settings.
Anyone who has the link will be able to see and open new tabs that are accessible to everyone in the group as soon as you share the workspace.
The session and tabs will remain accessible until you exit the workspace or remove it because the workspace is persistent.
The most recent stable version of Microsoft Edge offers a limited preview of the feature, however access to the workspaces requires registration.
6. Grouping similar tabs
Although it’s always possible to manually rearrange tabs when browsing the web, Microsoft is developing a new function that will try to make this process more efficient. This function, called “Group similar tabs,” will help you keep relevant tabs together and reduce clutter by grouping your open tabs into groups.
It is anticipated that the Tab layout menu, where you will navigate from the horizontal to the vertical tabs view, would offer the Group similar tabs feature.
7. Block autoplay videos
Blocking autoplay videos when browsing a website is another intriguing function that Microsoft Edge will offer. A comparable capability was previously available in the browser, but it was restricted by how you used the website and if you had previously visited the page. The new function, which stops films from playing automatically, is more restrained.
The Canary channel is gradually introducing the ability to block videos that automatically play on websites. To personalize the experience, go to the Media autoplay (edge://settings/content/mediaAutoplay) page and choose the Block option under the Control if audio and video play automatically on sites setting.
8. Browser essentials
An option called “Browser Essentials” is intended to provide you with information about whether you are getting the most out of your browser.
The battery saver may be turned on or off, and it indicates which tabs are sleeping to conserve memory. You can access this option from the address bar area. Additionally, you may view websites that the browser has checked for security as you browse the internet in the Safety area.
9. Split screen
Additionally, Microsoft Edge is gaining a new feature called Split Window, which lets you compare pages side by side by seeing two tabs in the same window.
A new Split window button will appear from the address bar area after you enable the feature. You can choose another page to split the screen after clicking the button, which will split the page you are currently viewing.
We’re still working on the Split window feature. Nonetheless, it ought to be accessible via the reliable channel that activates the Microsoft Edge Split Screen feature.
10. Super Resolution
Super Resolution is a Microsoft Edge media feature that improves the quality of any video you watch by utilizing machine learning technology. For a clearer, sharper experience, Super Resolution upscales the video resolution and eliminates blocky compression artifacts.
Due to its complexity, the feature is limited to devices with graphics cards from the AMD RX5700-RX7800 series or the Nvidia RTX 20/30/40 series. Additionally, the device must be plugged into a power outlet, the resolution must be less than 720p, the video’s width and height must be greater than 192 pixels, and the video need not be protected.
Turning on the Edge Video Super Resolution (edge://flags/#edge-video-super-resolution) option will allow you to preview the feature from the Flags page.
11. Visual update
Along with the new functionality, Microsoft intends to improve the browser’s looks to fit Windows 11’s design language by utilizing acrylic and mica materials. The acrylic material gives the pieces a blur look, while the mica material adds a translucent layer on top of the frame that allows the background colors to show through.
Additionally, you will note that the browser interface has even more rounded corners, particularly on the main canvas.
Lastly, the profile menu and other features will now show up next to the tabs in the upper-left corner.
The additional improvements listed in the guide may be released later this year, while the Image Creator, Drop, Image Editor, and Efficiency mode changes are anticipated to roll out in the upcoming weeks. The business may, however, always postpone or eliminate any of the new features.