Five new features coming to Microsoft Edge in 2021

Microsoft released an updated script with new features that Edge browser must implement throughout the year. The roadmap lists “in development” items that will reach the Dev and Canary channels and features marked “released”, which will be available to those on the Beta channel and will be released to the general public eventually.

The publication is interesting for us to follow the direction in which the company is taking its browser - and shows a level of transparency much higher than, for example, that adopted with the Windows operating system. The roadmap lists new features that go up to Edge 91 (Edge 88 has just been released).

Edge development is divided into channels, as in Google Chrome (on which it is based). They are called Canary, which is updated daily and contains the most recent changes made by the developers, Dev, updated weekly, Beta, updated every six weeks and which can be considered a “preview” of the next version that will be available to developers and Stable, the version that is available to the general public.

"We will give you our best estimate of when these features will be launched on the Stable channel," explains the company. "All information is subject to change at any time," adds the statement, anticipating further updates every six weeks or more. Below are the top five new features for Edge for 2021:

[1] No waste of paper

According to the roadmap, with Edge 89 users will have more options for customizing their size when printing web pages and PDF documents. The 'Fit to page' option ensures that the website or document fits into the space available on the 'Paper size' selected for printing.

[2] Vertical tabs

Anyone who navigates with several tabs open at the same time knows that it is impossible to know which tab is which when the bar is very full. Site titles start to be cut and controls are lost as each tab decreases.

In tests since April, the vertical tab option will launch on Edge in the coming days and allows users to move their tabs to the side, where vertically aligned icons and longer website titles make it easier to read.

The 'Actual size' option will ensure that nothing is left out of the print. Regardless of the size of the paper in the printer, the content being printed will have the same size as shown on the screen.

Vertical guides on the Edge. Image: Microsoft / Disclosure

Vertical tabs also make it easy to organize multiple tabs, providing more space to quickly select, close, and reorder each page. The tab display panel can be retracted so that the user can return to the full view of the website they are currently accessing.

[3] Smart copy

It is not uncommon to copy content from one place to another and the result is disastrous: with the text in a wrong format, disorganized tables, and different spacing. Edge is bringing a “smart copy” feature, which allows you, when pasting, to choose the ideal format for that content.

“Smart copy” is one of the new features of Edge. Image: Microsoft / Reproduction

In addition, the browser will be able to identify the contents of the clipboard so that when you click on a profile/address field (phone, email, zip code, city, state, etc.), it will show you how to automatically fill in suggestions.

[4] Password Monitor

This is very similar to a feature that was incorporated into Chrome and Firefox last year: the browser analyzes saved passwords and alerts the user if they appear in a data leak from some website.

A difference in relation to the same resource in competitors is that in addition to the alert, in Edge the user is automatically taken to the correct page to change the affected password.

[5] End of Flash support

Since December 31, Adobe has stopped updating and distributing the Flash Player, and as a result, Edge (and all other browsers) will end support for the plugin. The removal is already in effect with the Edge 88.

Microsoft says that all versions of Flash prior to the KB4561600 update, released in June, will be blocked. In a publication made on its official blog, the company recommends that users choose safer alternatives for playing videos and animations, such as HTML5.