14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has recently announced that its new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge would soon land on business and education devices via Windows Update.
The new browser was officially released in early 2020 as a manual download for Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and macOS users.
In June, however, the Redmond-based software giant started the automatic rollout on Windows Update for Windows 10 devices, with the Chromium-powered version of the app replacing Microsoft Edge Legacy on these computers and becoming the new default browser.
The automatic update, however, was only happening on consumer devices, and now Microsoft is ready to expand it to business and education computers too.
“Beginning no earlier than July 30, 2020, Microsoft will update Microsoft Edge Legacy to the new Microsoft Edge browser by Windows Update on Windows 10 devices in education and business. This update will not impact devices in education and business updated by Windows Update for Business (WUfB) or by Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Updates will target education devices first to accommodate back-to-school timing. We will share a business timeline at a later date,” the company explains.
Linux version of the browser on its way
As announced earlier this year, those who don’t want their devices to be updated with the new Microsoft Edge browser can download the blocker toolkit that prevents the update from showing up on Windows Update.
In other words, these devices can continue running the legacy version of Edge, albeit this would no longer receive any other improvements going forward.
“We are updating Microsoft Edge Legacy to the new Microsoft Edge because we believe it is the best browser for business and educational institutions. Fundamentally, the new Microsoft Edge is a modern browser that offers a fast cadence in terms of delivering security updates, enabling responsive security,” Microsoft says.
The company is also working on a Linux version of the new Microsoft Edge, but an ETA as to when it could launch isn’t yet available.