Microsoft Launches First Microsoft Edge Preview Builds for Mac Users

Microsoft today announced the launch of a preview or canary build of its Microsoft Edge browser designed for the macOS operating system.

Microsoft Edge for macOS can be installed from the Microsoft Edge Insider site on compatible Macs.

Microsoft first unveiled plans to bring the Microsoft Edge browser to the Mac at its annual Build developer conference in Seattle, held on May 6. Shortly after, a canary version of the browser appeared on Microsoft's site, but it was not made officially available until today.

According to Microsoft, Edge on the Mac will be quite similar to the Edge experience on Windows, but with "user experience optimizations" to make it "feel at home on a Mac." The overall look and feel of the browser will be tailored to match "what macOS users expect" from Mac apps.

Microsoft says that the initial build available today includes several interface changes to meld the Microsoft design language with the design language of macOS.

Examples of this include a number of tweaks to match macOS conventions for fonts, menus, keyboard shortcuts, title casing, and other areas. You will continue to see the look and feel of the browser evolve in future releases as we continue to experiment, iterate and listen to customer feedback. We encourage you to share your feedback with us using the "Send feedback" smiley.

Exclusive user experiences for macOS are also coming in the future, such as "useful and contextual actions" for the Touch Bar on Touch Bar-compatible Macs. Trackpad gestures will also be supported.

To use the new macOS version of Microsoft Edge, a Mac running macOS 10.12 or later is required.

Tag: Microsoft

Top Rated Comments

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johannnn

9 months ago

I assume they’re spending resource on this for a good reason. Why should I use this instead of Safari or Chrome? Does Microsoft have their own bookmark sync etc? Tight interaction with OneDrive? Are they pushing users to Bing (which is ******)?

I have a Mac in corporate, but I always use Safari first, and then move to Chrome if the site is ****** coded and don’t work properly in Safari. When and why should I launch this browser?

Rating: 8 Votes

chabig

9 months ago

I always use Safari first, and then move to Chrome if the site is ****** coded

I do the same, but use Brave instead of Chrome. I don’t want Flash. Also, why give Google the business?

Rating: 4 Votes

deannnnn

9 months ago

I do the same, but use Brave instead of Chrome. I don’t want Flash. Also, why give Google the business?

Just because we're Apple fans doesn't mean you have to hate Google. I use Chrome first, Safari second because I am forced to use a PC at work and need something cross-platform.

Rating: 4 Votes

moabal

9 months ago

Hasn't this been out for a few weeks already? I have it installed.

Rating: 4 Votes

eatrains

9 months ago

Firefox is BLAZINGLY fast on iOS with their new under the hood improvements.

Firefox under the hood on iOS IS Safari. This is the placebo effect on full display.

Rating: 4 Votes

Sasparilla

9 months ago

...So it is essentially Chrome, but without the Google stuff and telemetry.... (Still using Safari first though.)

Yeah, no need to give Microsoft my stuff and telemetry instead of Google.

Safari / Firefox and Vivaldi for me.

Rating: 3 Votes

MauiPa

9 months ago

That’s because literally every other browser available on Mac or iOS is better than Safari.

All of them.

Firefox is BLAZINGLY fast on iOS with their new under the hood improvements.

Dolphin Browser

Opera Touch

Opera

Chrome

I mean take your pick. Safari is default installed, featureless-garbage. ‍♂️

Not everyone shares your feeling on the subject (an opinion is actually fact based). I use safari technology preview, mostly to clear cookies and tracking data whenever I feel like it. It is an excellent experience. I use Chrome from time to time, but meh nothing special. I have used Opera, meh same nothing special. Seriously, it is just a browser, none of them do anything special or are too unique, or they wouldn't be able to render web pages successfully, or run html5.

but....some research, using google: "My overall takeaway is that Safari still appears to be the fastest browser on the Mac, but not by nearly as much as it used to be. Overall, Safari was 6% faster than Chrome across all tests, winning 3 of the 5 tests." https://birchtree.me/blog/summer-2018-browser-speed-test-mac-and-ios-edition

Not to question your feelings on the subject, but clearly you must have a non-emotive decision criteria.

Rating: 3 Votes

69Mustang

9 months ago

Also, why give Google the business?

Not really sure why you'd have an issue give business to Google. Apple definitely doesn't. Neither does MR... or any other tech site you probably visit.

Rating: 2 Votes