14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has released a new version of the Edge browser to the stable channel, and just as expected, the changelog is huge on all supported platforms.
First and foremost, one of the most important improvements is a rollback feature, which makes it possible for users to go back to a previous version of Microsoft Edge is something goes wrong. This works similarly to the rollback feature in Windows 10, so users can launch it to simply revert to a known good version of the browser.
Then, Microsoft has also added Internet Explorer mode improvements. The IE mode makes it possible for devs to load their websites in Internet Explorer without leaving Microsoft Edge, and this is allowed for compatibility tests. Lots of companies out there are still relying on apps built for Internet Explorer and which don’t run properly in modern browsers, so the IE mode allows for a worry-less migration to the new version of Microsoft Edge.
“Let users use the Microsoft Edge User Interface (UI) to test sites in Internet Explorer mode. Beginning with Microsoft Edge version 86, administrators can enable a UI option for their users to load a tab in Internet Explorer mode for testing purposes or as a stopgap until sites are added to the site list XML,” Microsoft explains.
The download manager that comes bundled with Microsoft Edge is also getting an update, as users are now allowed to delete downloads from the disk straight from the browser.
Beginning with Microsoft Edge 86, the software giant’s web browser no longer supports the HTML5 Application Cache API.
“Beginning with Microsoft Edge version 86, the legacy Application Cache API that enables offline use of web pages is being removed from Microsoft Edge. Web Developers should review the WebDev documentation for information on replacing the Application Cache API with Service Workers. Important: You can request an AppCache OriginTrial Token that allows sites to continue to use the deprecated Application Cache API until Microsoft Edge version 90,” Microsoft says.
There are several PDF updates that are part of this new release. Starting with Edge 86, users can use pen support to highlight text in PDF documents, with the browser also offering a table of contents for users. In other words, it’s now possible to easily navigate through documents when a table of contents is offered, and this feature is available on all supported platforms.
Microsoft says it has also improved PDF scrolling in long documents, and it also allows users whose devices feature small screens to access all PDF functionalities too.
One big change in Edge 86 concerns cookies, as they will now default to SameSite=Lax by default.
“This means that cookies will only be sent in a first-party context and will be omitted for requests sent to third-parties. This change can cause compatibility impact on websites that require cookies for third-party resources to function correctly. To permit such cookies, web developers can mark cookies which should be set from and sent to third-party contexts by adding explicit SameSite=none and Secure attributes when the cookie is set,” Microsoft explains.
The new Edge 86 is available today on Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and macOS. Microsoft is also working on a Linux version of the browser, and it is expected to go live in the coming months. A preview build, however, should be published for testing purposes and an early look at the browser as soon as this month, with Microsoft thus projected to share more information on its Linux version of Edge in the next few weeks.