Enable Caret Browsing in Microsoft Edge Chromium

How to enable Caret Browsing in Microsoft Edge Chromium

Yet another new feature has landed on the Canary version of the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge browser. Starting in Edge 78.0.240 you can enable the caret browsing option. There is a special flag for that.

Caret Browsing is a feature available in Internet Explorer starting with version 8. Instead of using a mouse to select text on a web page and navigate between links, Caret Browsing allows using standard navigation keys on the keyboard. The keys are Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, and the arrow keys. In Internet Explorer, Caret Browsing mode can be enabled with the F7 key.

Microsoft has added exactly the same feature to their newest Edge browser. As of now, it is an experimental feature that can be enabled with a flag. Sooner or later it will be available out of the box, so pressing F7 will be enough to toggle turn on or off the Caret Browsing feature in Edge. In the preview version of Edge you first need to activate a special flag.

To Enable Caret Browsing in Microsoft Edge Chromium,

1. Update Edge Chromium to the latest available version (see the list below).
2. Type edge://flags/#edge-caret-browsing into the address bar of Edge.
3. Set the Enable Caret Browsing flag to Enabled.
4. Relaunch the browser when prompted.
5. Now, press F7 and confirm your intention to enable the Caret Browsing feature.

You are done! Pressing F7 the second time will disable Caret Browsing mode.

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. The stable channel is also on its way to users. The new Microsoft Edge browser installs updates automatically. Also, you can manually check for updates by visiting the menu Help > About Microsoft Edge. Finally, you can grab the Edge installer from the following page:

Download Microsoft Edge Preview

At the moment of this writing, the latest Microsoft Edge Chromium versions are as follows.

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• Beta Channel: 76.0.182.16
• Dev Channel: 77.0.230.2 (see the change log)
• Canary Channel: 78.0.240.0

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I have covered many Edge tricks and features in the following post:

Hands-on with the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge

Also, see the following updates.

• Enable IE Mode in Chromium Edge
• Stable Update Channel Made its First Appearance for Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Receives an Updated Password Reveal Button
• What are Controlled Feature Roll-outs in Microsoft Edge
• Edge Canary Adds New InPrivate Text Badge, New Sync Options
• Microsoft Edge Chromium: Clear Browsing Data on Exit
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Now Allows Switching Theme
• Microsoft Edge: Support for Windows Spell Checker in Chromium Engine
• Microsoft Edge Chromium: Prepopulate Find with Text Selection
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Gets Tracking Prevention Settings
• Microsoft Edge Chromium: Change Display Language
• Group Policy Templates for Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Microsoft Edge Chromium: Pin Sites To Taskbar, IE Mode
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Will Allow Uninstalling PWAs as Desktop Apps
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Includes YouTube Video Info in Volume Control OSD
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Canary Features Dark Mode Improvements
• Show Icon Only for Bookmark in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Autoplay Video Blocker is coming to Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Microsoft Edge Chromium is Receiving New Tab Page Customization Options
• Enable Microsoft Search in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Grammar Tools Are Now Available in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Now Follows System Dark Theme
• Here’s how Microsoft Edge Chromium looks on macOS
• Microsoft Edge Chromium now installs PWAs in the root of the Start menu
• Enable Translator in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Dynamically Changes Its User Agent
• Microsoft Edge Chromium Warns When Running as Administrator
• Change Search Engine In Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Hide or Show Favorites Bar in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Install Chrome Extensions in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Edge Chromium
• Chrome Features Removed and Replaced by Microsoft in Edge
• Microsoft Released Chromium-based Edge Preview Versions
• Chromium-Based Edge to Support 4K and HD Video Streams
• Microsoft Edge Insider extension now available in Microsoft Store
• Hands-on with the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft Edge Insider Addons Page Revealed
• Microsoft Translator is Now Integrated with Microsoft Edge Chromium