HOW TO SWITCH TO EDGE
Since the new Edge launched in January, Microsoft has been pushing it out to PCS via Windows Update. So unless you’ve paused Windows Updates, you should have it installed on your PC. To check, open Edge, click the Menu button (three dots, top right), then Settings. Click ‘About Microsoft Edge’ in the sidebar and look for two things. The first is the new Edge logo, which looks like a curling wave (see page 50). If you’re using the old Edge, you’ll see a lower-case ‘e’ with a chip cut out of it.
The second thing to look for is the wording beneath the logo. In the new version, you’ll see the line ‘This browser is made possible by the Chromium open source project and other open source software’ (see screenshot above right). If you’re still running the old version of Edge, go to www.snipca.com/34346 and click ‘Download the new Microsoft Edge now’.
Import your old browser settings
If you’ve been using the same browser for years - and got it running exactly the way you want it to, with all the right bookmarks and extensions - you’ll probably be wary about switching to a new browser. Thankfully, Microsoft has made it easy to make the switch (there’s also nothing stopping you from keeping your old browser running alongside Edge until you’re sure you’re happy with the switch).
To get started, open Edge and click the Menu button (top right). Hover over Favourites, then click Import on the menu that appears. Now select your old browser from the dropdown menu below ‘Import from’ and choose what you’d like to exclude from the import by unticking the appropriate boxes below the menu (see screenshot below). Click Import to complete the process.
Import Chrome extensions
If you use the method in the previous tip to import settings from Chrome, you’ll notice there’s an option for extensions in Edge’s import tool. However, we’ve had mixed results when trying to use this. While it worked fine on some of our computers, on others it failed to import our Chrome extensions. If you experience the same problem, there’s an alternative method that works flawlessly and also lets you select which extensions to import (excluding any you installed on Chrome but no longer need)
First, make sure you’ve set Edge to allow extensions from other sources (see tip 8 on page 53). Next, open Edge and visit the Chrome Web Store ( https:// chrome.google.com/webstore), then click ‘Sign in’ at the top right and log into your Google account. Click the cog icon next to your username (top right), ‘My Extensions & Apps’, then Library at the top (see screenshot above right). You’ll now see all the extensions you’ve installed on Chrome using your Google account. To install any of these to Edge, simply click the relevant ‘Add to Chrome’ button. Don’t worry about the misleading name of this button - the Chrome Web Store assumes you’re using Chrome, but they will in fact be added to Edge.
Synchronise your settings across all devices
Edge is available for Windows, macos, Android ( www.snipca.com/34349), and IOS ( www.snipca.com/34348) devices. As long as you sign into Edge using the same Microsoft account, your passwords, payment information, addresses and more will be synced across them all.
To sign into your Microsoft account when using Edge on your PC, click the silhouette icon on the toolbar, followed by ‘Sign in’. Click your Microsoft account in the box that appears or, if your account isn’t shown, click ‘Microsoft account’ or ‘Workplace or school account’ to add an existing account to the browser, or to set up a new one. Click Continue.
If you’re adding a new account, provide your email address, phone number or Skype details, click Next and enter your password. Then – once you’re logged in – with a new or existing account, click Sync to start syncing everything, or Customise if you want to choose what data to sync between your devices.
When you first run Edge on a phone or tablet, you’ll be given the option to sign into your Microsoft account (see screenshot below), but you can also do it later by tapping the silhouette icon within the mobile browser. After signing into your account, tap ‘Turn on sync’.