14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 10 will no longer feature Internet Explorer as the default browser, and the company announced that its replacement would be called Edge and would feature a new engine, UI, and options to make browsing, collaboration, and sharing easier.
Internally codenamed Project Spartan, this new browser is already available for users of Windows 10 preview builds, but leaked information regarding a new version of the operating system reveals that Microsoft is ready to switch to the final name of the browser.
Microsoft Edge shows up for the very first time in a preview build in 10135, and the release notes we published a few minutes ago confirm that Project Spartan is gone for good.
Edge will be the default browser
Starting with Windows 10 build 10135, anyone can give the new Microsoft Edge a try, but the feature lineup is pretty much the same as the one of Project Spartan in the previous builds.
There are no new features in 10135, except for the branding, which is living proof that we’re getting closer to the official release date of the new operating system scheduled to take place on July 29.
In Windows 10 RTM, Microsoft Edge will be offered as the default browser, but Internet Explorer will continue to be available for compatibility purposes. Companies and users who are having trouble loading a specific website because of the new engine bundled into Edge can always go back to Internet Explorer, as Microsoft’s old browser can load the majority of websites out there.
Internet Explorer will no longer be pinned to the taskbar, so you’ll have to look in the Start menu if you want to launch it, and all links will be loaded by default with Microsoft Edge.
If you want to give Microsoft Edge a try, you can always download Windows 10 build 10130, which is the latest official release of the technical preview, but keep in mind that the Project Spartan moniker is still being used in this version.