14 DAY TRIAL // It was probably just a matter of time, but the thing so many people, including everyone at Microsoft, expected finally happened: Microsoft Edge surpassed Mozilla Firefox to become the world’s second most-used desktop browser.
Data provided by market analysis firm NetMarketShare reveals that the whole thing happened in March, when the adoption of the Chromium-powered Microsoft Edge improved to a level that allowed it to overtake Mozilla’s own browser.
So right now, Microsoft Edge is the second most-used desktop browser on the planet with a share of 7.59%, while Mozilla Firefox is now third with 7.19%.
As for who’s leading the pack, Google Chrome continues to be number one with a share of 68.50%.
The race to number one
While some expect Microsoft Edge to become the world’s top desktop browser, this is rather unlikely to happen anytime soon, especially given the difference versus Google Chrome at this point.
However, such a thing isn’t necessarily impossible in the long term, especially as Edge becomes the new default browser on Windows 10. At this point, Windows 10 is already the top Windows version out there, with a share that’s getting close to 60%.
At the same time, Microsoft Edge has also expanded beyond the world of Windows 10, so it’s also available on older Windows and macOS. A Linux version is also believed to be in the works, but an ETA as to when it could land isn’t yet available.
But all of these show that Microsoft Edge is now a fully-featured alternative to Google Chrome on more than just one platform, and with Microsoft truly committed to improving the browser even further, there’s a good chance its market share would continue to improve.
For what it’s worth, Internet Explorer continues to be available in Windows 10 for compatibility purposes only, but Microsoft recommends against using it as a daily browser.