Microsoft to Rebuild Edge Browser on Chrome Technology, Porting to Mac

Microsoft is planning to create a new version of Edge by using Chromium combined with some components currently in Edge in order to provide greater browsing compatibility across the web.

Microsoft today announced that it will adopt the Chromium open source project for its Microsoft Edge web browser on the desktop “to create better web compatibility for our customers and less fragmentation of the web for all web developers.”

Chromium is an open-source project run by Google LLC that serves as the foundation of the search giant’s dominant Chrome browser. The two applications share most of their features, most notably the Blink web page rendering engine and the V8 system for processing JavaScript code.

“Our goal is to do this in a way that embraces the well-established open source model that’s been working effectively for years: meaningful and positive contributions that align to long-standing, thoughtfully designed architecture, and collaborative engineering,” explains Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Windows. “Together we seek the best outcome for all people who use the web across many devices.”



Microsoft‘s planned adoption of Chromium will see these technologies replace the native engines it has built for Edge. That should translate into improvements in speed and battery life, plus fewer compatibility issues. Practically all modern websites are optimized for Chrome because it’s the category leader, while comparatively few are specifically built with Edge in mind.

“Ultimately, we want to make the web experience better for many different audiences,” writes Belfiore. “People using Microsoft Edge (and potentially other browsers) will experience improved compatibility with all websites, while getting the best possible battery life and hardware integration on all kinds of Windows devices.”

For current Edge users on Windows 10, it’s business as usual. Users don’t need to do anything to prepare for the coming change. Once Edge is updated, hopefully they will only notice that sites and apps they visit using Edge will work better and faster.

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