Download link only working for Microsoft employees

Mar 18, 2019 08:13 GMT  ·  By

The work on the new Microsoft Edge browser advances, and after coming across the new extension store that Microsoft will maintain on its own separately from the Chrome Web Store, here’s a new discovery related to the new app.

The download link pointing to the installer of the new Microsoft Edge version is now up and running, but before anything, just don’t get your hopes too high.

This link only works for Microsoft employees, so even if you manage to get the installer, you won’t be able to fire it up and download the new browser.

Instead, this installer shows that we’re getting closer to the moment when Microsoft should roll out a preview of the Chromium-based Edge browser, even though many expect the company to hold it back until the Build developer conference in May.

The migration from EdgeHTML to Chromium

Microsoft announced in late 2018 that it would be giving up on EdgeHTML for Microsoft Edge, the native browser in Windows 10, and migrate to Chromium, the same engine that powers the more popular Google Chrome.

The company promised to retain the look and feel of Microsoft Edge in the new version, even though it was pretty clear that some features would go away.

A preview version of the new Microsoft Edge browser was scheduled to ship in early 2019, as per Microsoft’s original announcement, and while no other specifics were provided, evidence discovered in the last few weeks indicate that a release is near.

The preview version of Microsoft Edge will only work on Windows 10, but Microsoft’s plan is that after migrating to Chromium, the browser can be released on other platforms too, including here not only older Windows versions, like Windows 7, but also non-Windows operating systems like macOS and Linux.