Microsoft has updated its Edge browser for Mac with several new features such as “sleep tabs”, a password generator and monitor, new visual themes, and more.
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The “Sleep Tabs” feature is designed to improve performance by freeing up system resources for inactive or background tabs. The feature is optional and can be enabled in the browser settings menu.
Meanwhile, the new password generator suggests users a secure and complex password when they log in to a website for the first time or try to change an existing password. Edge now also notifies users if a password has been compromised by a data breach, which is similar to a feature recently introduced in Apple’s Safari browser.
Elsewhere, 24 new themes offer visual tweaks that affect different parts of the browser interface, including tabs, tabs, and the address bar. The Edge development team has partnered with Xbox to offer themes from Microsoft franchises including Halo, Gears, Forza, Flight Simulator, Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Ori and the Will of the Wisps, and more.
Additionally, sidebar search is now generally available in Microsoft Edge. While browsing web pages, users can highlight a word, right-click and search. A side panel will open with search results so they can get answers quickly without having to navigate away from your current page.
Automatic profile switching has also come to macOS, as detailed in Microsoft’s blog post:
One of our most loved features, called Automatic Profile Switching, is coming to macOS this month. I like to keep my work and personal browsing activities separate, and switching profiles makes it so easy. Now macOS offers the ability to switch sites that authenticate with a user’s work profile, making it easier to switch between work and personal browsing. To get started, check with your local administrator whether automatic profile switching is enabled for your organization. Then sign in with your personal and work Microsoft accounts and you’re good to go.
Microsoft Edge has won over many users with its frequent feature updates and tight integration of Microsoft’s design language with macOS’s design language. Tab sync features were recently added, and it was also quick to provide native support for Apple Silicon, giving Macs with the M1 chip optimized performance. The browser can be downloaded from the Microsoft Edge website.