Transfer the new Edge based on Chromium online: Anyone can install it
A ” leaked ” version of the Chromium-based version of the Microsoft Edge browser has been published online and can be installed by all users.
In recent days, some online sites have published the first impressions of the new release of Microsoft Edge, the one that will be based on the same Chrome engine. We talked about it a few weeks ago commenting on the first screenshots leaked via Neowin. During the weekend, however, the entire installation executable was published in a .zip file that can be downloaded in the PCBeta forum.
Before downloading the file and installing the program it is necessary to consider that the browser has not yet been officially launched and has been in testing for a short time. The one that appeared on the forum is also an unofficial and unverified release, so in addition to the inevitable security bugs and potentially open vulnerabilities, it could contain unsafe code. As for the experience of using the new browser, first impressions are those of a Chrome with a Microsoft interface applied.
It is interesting to note that the installation of the extensions can be carried out both from the Microsoft Store (approved by Microsoft) and from the Google Store (all those compatible with the traditional version of Chrome), while it is possible to synchronize the contents of the browser through the Microsoft account.
There are still many features typical of Edge, such as the ability to take notes on web pages using a pen. At the first start, you can import favorites, passwords and browsing history from another browser and select the default ” homepage ” style.
Furthermore, at the moment it is only possible to synchronize favorites, not settings, history, open tabs, passwords and autofill information. The extensions cannot be synchronized either, and the dark mode present on the current Edge variant is missing.
As described by the first users who tried the new version, Edge based on Chromium is already quite finished and ready for use, so it is conceivable the release of a public beta already in some weeks.
Microsoft has not yet shared details on its potential debut, but we may know more already in May when the company will hold Build 2019, the developer conference with annual appointment. The leaked version is compatible only with Windows, but the browser should also arrive on other platforms like macOS.
