14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is working at full speed on getting extension support ready for the big launch of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, and at the same time developers are also in a rush to port their browser add-ons to the new operating system and make them fully compatible with Edge.
Several key extensions have already landed on Windows 10, including AdBlock and AdBlock Plus, Mouse Gestures, and Pin It Button, and today Microsoft has announced that Save to Pocket can also be downloaded by users of the latest Windows 10 Insider preview build.
It’s important to note that in order to use extensions in Microsoft Edge, you need to be running Windows 10 build 14342, as this is the first version that makes them available in the store. Previous builds also made it possible to install extensions, but they needed to be manually sideloaded.
Extensions now in the store
Extension support will debut for all users with the upcoming Anniversary Update due in July and Gabe Aul, head of the Windows Insider program, hinted when build 14342 launched that work is advancing quite nicely. That’s why starting with this build extensions can be installed straight from the store, a behavior that’s very likely to be offered to retail users when the update launched in the summer.
“Instead of extracting and loading extensions from a local folder, all available extensions can now be downloaded directly from the Windows Store. This change means that your currently installed extensions will be removed, and you’ll have to reinstall the ones you want from the Store. Then in future updates, your extensions will be automatically re-downloaded and installed,” Gabe explained.
Save to Pocket is a browser add-on that allows Edge users to save articles, videos, and content found online to their Pocket account and then access it from any other device that’s synced. The Pocket app already exists on a wide variety of platforms, so it’s easy to see why Edge users needed this extension.