Microsoft Corp. has started rolling out a Windows 10 update that will bring its Chromium-based Edge browser to most of the billion-plus devices running the operating system worldwide.

The company quietly detailed the rollout in a support article posted to its website, The Verge reported today. The update will be automatically downloaded via Windows 10’s built-in Windows Update mechanism and, when installed, will replace the user’s existing Edge installation. Passwords, settings and customizations such as shortcuts are automatically carried over.

Edge is Microsoft’s successor to Internet Explorer. In December 2018, the company announced plans to rebuild Edge around Chromium, an open-source browser maintained by Google LLC that forms the foundation of Chrome. Microsoft said at the time that the switch will result in users seeing “improved compatibility with all web sites, while getting the best-possible battery life and hardware integration.”

The first stable Chromium-based version of Edge became available in January but required consumers to download it manually. Even so, the browser became the second most popular browser in the world behind Chrome by April. By automatically pushing out the new Edge directly to Windows 10 devices, Microsoft could help grow usage even more.

The company is seeking to set the browser apart from Chrome by building out a unique set of interface features. As part of the effort, Microsoft is preparing a sidebar search capability for Edge that will make it possible to look up words or phrases in a web page without exiting the current tab. The company is also working on an integration with Pinterest and a feature that will alert users if autosaved login credentials surface on the dark web.

In areas where their product roadmaps meet, Microsoft and Google are actively collaborating on new features. The companies earlier this year brought an option into Edge that facilitates the transfer of tabs between browser windows to Chrome. More recently, their engineers integrated Windows Spellcheck with the upstream Chromium project in an enhancement that will enable Edge, Chrome and all other Chromium-based browsers to provide better spelling recommendations. 

Photo: Microsoft