Microsoft Edge makes it easier to keep work and home browsing separate

Workspaces in Microsoft Edge
(Image credit: Leo Varela)

Microsoft Edge will soon make it easy to keep groups of work and personal browser tabs separate.

The coronavirus pandemic means that more people are currently working from home than ever before. This in turn means that unprecedented numbers of people are having to balance not only work and home life differently, but also work and personal computing.

Microsoft Edge is going to be gaining a feature that will make this much easier. Building on the Tab Groups found in Google Chrome, the browser is essentially a combination of the idea of grouped tabs with that of virtual desktops – like the feature that's built into Windows 10.

Workspaces will give Edge users the ability to group a number of related tabs together – these could be tabs relating to work, tabs relating to personal browsing, tabs relating to shopping or different projects. The workspace can be named and customized with a color to make it easier to identify, and then access from a new W button in the regular tab strip, regardless of whether horizontal or vertical tabs are in use.

Over on Reddit, user Leo Varela shared screenshots and animated GIFs of Workspaces in action. Each Workspace can contain multiple tabs, and Leo points out that if you close an Edge window without deleting a workspace, it will remain available the next time you launch the browser.

Keep 'em separated

Other Reddit users speculate whether or not workspaces will work like Containers in Firefox, occupying separate processes that can be signed into different accounts at the same time. It is difficult to assess this at the moment as the Workspaces features is only available in the Canary build of Microsoft Edge.

But even if you have this experimental preview version of the browser installed, it is no guarantee that you will be able to try out the new feature. It seems that Microsoft is currently only making Workspaces available to a limited number of users. If you'd like to try your luck, you can download Edge Canary and cross your fingers.

Via MSPowerUser

Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson
Freelance writer

Sofia is a tech journalist who's been writing about software, hardware and the web for nearly 25 years – but still looks as youthful as ever! After years writing for magazines, her life moved online and remains fueled by technology, music and nature.

Having written for websites and magazines since 2000, producing a wide range of reviews, guides, tutorials, brochures, newsletters and more, she continues to write for diverse audiences, from computing newbies to advanced users and business clients. Always willing to try something new, she loves sharing new discoveries with others.

Sofia lives and breathes Windows, Android, iOS, macOS and just about anything with a power button, but her particular areas of interest include security, tweaking and privacy. Her other loves include walking, music, her two Malamutes and, of course, her wife and daughter.

You can find her on Twitter and Mastodon.

Read more
Google Chrome browser icon
A new split-screen feature is coming to Google Chrome, and it's surprisingly powerful
The Microsoft Edge logo on a black background displayed on a laptop screen.
Microsoft just gave Edge a great new feature to ensure the browser doesn’t slow down the PC, and it’s tempting me to switch from Google Chrome
Google Chrome logo on desktop and mobile
Google Chrome launches better warning labels to make sure you know you're using a company profile
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Microsoft’s Project Phoenix could make Edge look better than ever in Windows 11 – but I’m not sure it’s enough to take the fight to Google Chrome
Chrome icon on Android
Google plans on a handy fix for all those duplicate Chrome tabs, but it's only for Android
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Don’t panic – Microsoft’s Edge browser isn’t about to subject you to a flood of unblocked adverts (not yet, anyway)
Latest in Edge
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Don’t panic – Microsoft’s Edge browser isn’t about to subject you to a flood of unblocked adverts (not yet, anyway)
The Microsoft Edge logo on a black background displayed on a laptop screen.
Microsoft just gave Edge a great new feature to ensure the browser doesn’t slow down the PC, and it’s tempting me to switch from Google Chrome
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Microsoft gets rid of ‘Edge uninstall’ advice page after facing criticism over it having nothing to do with removing the app, and just promoting the browser instead
Microsoft Edge
Sorry, you're not getting Microsoft Edge off of your PC, at least according to its new 'uninstall' document
Woman using a Windows computer with Microsoft Edge
Microsoft’s Project Phoenix could make Edge look better than ever in Windows 11 – but I’m not sure it’s enough to take the fight to Google Chrome
Happy PC gamer shows heart sign with hands
Microsoft could tempt PC gamers away from Chrome with nifty new ‘Game Assist’ mode for its Edge browser
Latest in News
Apple iPhone 16 Pro HANDS ON
Leaked iPhone 17 dummy units may have given us our best look yet at all four models
A super close up image of the Google Gemini app in the Play Store
It's official: Google Assistant will be retired for phones this year, with Gemini taking over
Quordle on a smartphone held in a hand
Quordle hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #1147)
NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #378)
NYT Connections homescreen on a phone, on a purple background
NYT Connections hints and answers for Sunday, March 16 (game #644)
Three iPhone 16 handsets on show
Apple could launch an iPhone 17 Ultra this year – but we've heard these rumors before