Microsoft has finally made their newest Chromium-based Edge browser available for Windows versions other than Windows 10. The Canary branch version can now be downloaded for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1.
As you may already know, Microsoft Edge, the default web browser of Windows 10, is moving to a Chromium-compatible web engine in the Desktop version. Microsoft explains that the intention behind this move is to create better web compatibility for customers and less fragmentation for web developers. Microsoft has already made a number of contributions to the Chromium project, helping to port the project to Windows on ARM. The company promises to contribute more to the Chromium project.
Visit the Microsoft Edge Insider site from your Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 device to download and install it. The Microsoft Edge Dev channel will be coming to these versions of Windows soon.
You will find the experience and feature set on previous versions of Windows to be largely the same as on Windows 10, including forthcoming support for Internet Explorer mode for enterprise users.
Microsoft states the following:
Delivering the next version of Microsoft Edge to all supported versions of Windows is part of our goal to improve the web browsing experience for our customers on every device, and to empower developers to build great experiences with less fragmentation. Microsoft Edge will have the same always up-to-date platform and the same developer tools on all supported versions of Windows and macOS. This will reduce developer pain on the web, while ensuring all Windows customers have the latest browsing options.
At the moment of this writing, Edge versions are as follows:
- Beta Channel: 76.0.182.9
- Dev Channel: 77.0.189.3
- Canary Channel: 77.0.195.0
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.
- 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
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