Edge Beta 88.0.705.18 brings Sleeping tabs to the Beta channel

Microsoft has released a new Beta build of the Edge browser, which is 88.0.705.18. It is notable for having sleeping tabs, a password reveal option, PDF annotations, and more.

Microsoft Edge is now a Chromium-based browser with a number of exclusive features like Read Aloud and services tied to Microsoft instead of Google. The browser has already received a few updates, with support for ARM64 devices. Also, Microsoft Edge is still supporting a number of aging Windows versions, including Windows 7. Check out Windows Versions Supported by Microsoft Edge Chromium. Finally, interested users can download MSI installers for deployment and customization.

Here are the key changes in Edge Beta 88.0.705.18

• Added an option to put tabs to sleep after 5 minutes of inactivity
• Group policies to manage sleeping tabs (for IT admins)
• Improved visual treatment to clearly show which tabs are sleeping without distracting from the task at hand
• You can reveal your password in the input field.
• Added the ability to easily find coupons and deals for shopping.

The most exciting change is obviously sleeping tabs. Using sleeping tabs on Microsoft Edge typically reduces memory usage by 32% on average. It also increases your battery life as a sleeping tab uses 37% less CPU on average than a non-sleeping tab.

If you are not familiar with this feature, I recommend you to check the following posts.

• Enable or Disable Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft explains the new Sleeping Tabs feature of the Edge browser

You can directly open Sleeping tab settings by entering edge://settings/system in the URL bar.

For pre-release versions, Microsoft is currently using three channels to deliver updates to Edge Insiders. The Canary channel receives updates daily (except Saturday and Sunday), the Dev channel is getting updates weekly, and the Beta channel is updated every 6 weeks. Microsoft is going to support Edge Chromium on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, alongside macOS and Linux, and mobile apps on iOS and Android. Windows 7 users will receive updates until July 15, 2021.

Download Microsoft Edge

You can download pre-release Edge version for Insiders from here:

Download Microsoft Edge Insider Preview

The stable version of the browser is available on the following page:

Download Microsoft Edge Stable