Microsoft Edge update will eliminate and all-too-common frustration for web users

Microsoft Edge
(Image credit: Microsoft)

Getting access to some of the most popular online tools for Microsoft Edge should soon be easier than ever thanks to a new update.

The company has revealed it is working on an upgrade for its browser that will give users quick access to their favorite tools directly in the Microsoft Edge sidebar.

The update means you'll no longer be hunting around for the likes of Calculator, Internet speed test, and Unit converter when you need them most.

Microsoft Edge top tools

The entry for the update on the Microsoft 365 roadmap doesn't contain a lot of information on how the update will work, or even what it will look like, so we'll have to stay tuned for more details soon.

However, Microsoft has set a goal of general availability by August 2022, so we may not have too long to wait. The company says the update will initially only be available for web users, so hopefully a mobile version might also be along soon.

The launch will be the latest in a long series of updates to Edge as Microsoft looks to make sure the browser stays useful for users across the world.

This includes a recent addition that will allow users to pause all extensions from running on specific websites with a single click, giving them greater control over extensions running on risky or sensitive websites.

Microsoft recently introduced redesigned context menus that appear when a user right-clicks somewhere in a window, following complaints from users that it was far too large when it appears, and is cluttered with a huge list of options that are not particularly useful.

Recent Statcounter figures showed Microsoft Edge has either lost or failed to gain market share in four of the last six months.

It put Edge at a 4.05% share of the market (across both desktop and mobile platforms), which equates to an estimated 200 million users - a long way shy of both Google Chrome (64.34%) and Apple’s Safari (19.16%), but ahead of Firefox (3.41%).

Mike Moore
Deputy Editor, TechRadar Pro

Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK's leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he's not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.

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