Microsoft updates RAM limiter in Edge, restores Acrylic in the UI

Some time ago, we learned about the new feature "RAM limiter" in the Microsoft Edge browser. It allows to set the upper limit of memory the browser can use. Microsoft is actively working on the feature. Its latest implementation sports presets instead of the slider.

New RAM limiter

The latest Canary version of Edge shows off the updated controls in the System > Performance section > Resource Controls. Instead of the slider, you will find the drop-down list with presets.

The browser allows limiting the RAM usage to one of the following values:

• No limit – Edge will use all the available memory if needed.
• Minimal (8GB) – Edge will impose a maximum limit of 8GB, which is more than enough.
• Moderate (6GB) – The browser will make do with 6GB, which is a decent size.
• Aggressive (4GB) – Edge will not use more than 4GB RAM.
• Most Aggressive (2GB) – Highly aggressive option that will curb the RAM usage to only 2GB.

As you can see, the list doesn't include the limit of 1GB, which was available via the slider, and is not that flexible. Now, you cannot set it to, say, 1.5GB like before, or enter a custom value.

The change is not available to everyone, so it maybe an A/B testing among a small group of select insiders. It was first spotted by WindowsLatest.

Acrylic design again returns to Edge

Starting in Edge Canary 130.0.2805.0, Edge adds to back the Acrylic flyouts everywhere in the UI. Microsoft was adding and removing them several times, and now the effect returns. Here's how it looks.

The feature is hidden behind the command line arguments, so you need to modify the Edge shortcut.

Enable Acrylic Effect in Microsoft Edge

1. Launch Edge, and opens its Menu > Settings.
2. In settings, go to System & performance, and disable the Startup Boost option.
3. Now, close the Edge browser, right-click its desktop shortcut, and select Properties.
4. On the shortcut tab in the Properties window, click in the Target box, and type --enable-features=msEdgeVisualRejuvAcrylicForNativeSurfaces,msEdgeVisualRejuvAcrylicForWebUi2 right after the msedge.exe portion. You will get path\msegde.exe --enable-features=msEdgeVisualRejuvAcrylicForNativeSurfaces,msEdgeVisualRejuvAcrylicForWebUi2.
5. Click Apply and OK. If you see the additional permission confirmation request, then click Continue.
6. Launch Microsoft Edge using the modified shortcut.

You now have the flyouts with Acrylic design enabled in Microsoft Edge.

New Appearance and Theme Picker

Finally, there is one more change in the browser UI. Edge now includes a new Appearance section with the different theme picker. The square theme previews have been replaced with much smaller circle icons.

Before:

Now:

Similarly to the acrylic panels, the feature is hidden in Edge Canary starting with build 130.0.2800.0.

To enable the new theme picker, add the following to your Edge Canary shortcut:

msegde.exe --enable-features=msShowRevampedThemesInSettingsAppearance

Or, if you want to combine it with the Acrylic UI, change the command line arguments to:

msegde.exe --enable-features=msShowRevampedThemesInSettingsAppearance,msEdgeVisualRejuvAcrylicForNativeSurfaces,msEdgeVisualRejuvAcrylicForWebUi2

Restart the browser, open its Settings, and click on the Appearance section on the left.

Thanks to @CyberCakeX for the Edge parameters.