Microsoft Edge: First look at the Edge Bar feature

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Microsoft is working on a new feature for its Microsoft Edge web browser called the Edge Bar. The Edge Bar displays content in a floating window or pinned to the right side of the screen; both states are independent of the Edge browser window.

Edge Bar is an experimental feature at this point rolling out gradually to browser users. You can check Menu > More Tools to see if the Edge Bar is listed as one of the options.

The first launch shows a short reminder next to the bar with a link to a support page. The bar itself displays information that is very similar to the Widgets in Windows 11 or the News and Interests feed in Windows 10, since all three are powered by the same source: MSN.

The bar features a Bing search option at the top, displays weather information and local headlines. The content works with MSN and Microsoft, and users can change what is displayed by clicking the “pencil icon” in the footer; this opens the editing area of the MSN website.

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There you can change the language, enable or disable modules like Sports, Traffic or Weather, and tell Microsoft about your interests to customize the news feed.

The default interface displays various elements in a small bar on the left side. From top to bottom, these are Home, Bing Search, Outlook, LinkedIn, Add Item, User Profile, Rewards, Settings, and Pin.

Most of the options are self explanatory. The plus icon opens a basic form that accepts a web address and a name. You can use it to add any website to Edge Bar permanently. A click on the icon displays the website on the interface. Note that it depends on the site if it is displayed correctly in the small window provided by the Edge Bar.

Basic navigation options are displayed at the bottom if a website is displayed. You can go back and forth, reload a page, go back to Home, or open the current page in the Edge browser. An option to load another URL directly is also provided.

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Selecting Pin attaches the entire window to the left side of the screen. The window is set to always be on top by default, but you can turn on the auto-hide button to see only a small vertical bar on the right side when the window is not actively used.

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Edge Bar is like a little browser window that you can attach to the side of the screen. It looks like the sidebar of the Vivaldi web browser, but it is not connected to the browser window.

Edge Bar is set to start with the computer by default; this must be disabled in the Edge settings, edge://settings/edgeBar, while all customization options are configured on the MSN website and not in Edge.

Microsoft continues to push its MSN news feed and Bing Search to users. Widgets and News & Interests are now available in Windows 10 and 11, and the default Edge browser tab displays the information as well. The main attraction of Edge Bar is the ability to display custom URLs. However, many users already do this by displaying two browser windows side by side.

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The interface lacks customization options. You can’t change the search engine or remove it, and you can’t remove the default icons on the frontend either.

Now you: What is your opinion about Edge Bar?

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