Microsoft Edge Recently Received a Speed Boost
For many, the only purpose of Microsoft Edge is to completely sideload another browser , such as Chrome or Firefox. But it’s not Internet Explorer: Edge is a standalone browser, whether you have a Mac or PC. If you use a browser, you might be pleasantly surprised at how fast it will be after the update—at least according to Microsoft.
Improved performance Edge 134 and later
In a Thursday post on the Windows blogs, Microsoft confirmed that starting with version 134, Microsoft Edge runs slightly faster than previous versions. In fact, Edge 134 runs 9% faster if you run it through Speedometer 3.0 , a web browser testing tool.
Microsoft says that when testing Edge version 134 on an Intel i5-13500 running Windows 11, the browser scored a 32.7 in the Speedometer 3.0 test. The company compares it to the Edge 133, which scored 29.6, and the Edge 132, which scored 28.8.
In addition to this initial benchmark result, Microsoft revealed some Edge 134 stats: the company says the latest version of the browser can navigate the Internet 1.7% faster; browser launches 2% faster; and web pages are 5% to 7% faster to respond compared to Edge 133. Microsoft based its results on its “field telemetry,” which simulates how someone might use the Internet across different devices and sites.
Microsoft hasn’t indicated any specific changes in Edge 134 that could improve performance. However, the company believes that code changes in Edge and Chromium (the core engine that powers many web browsers, including Chrome) have resulted in faster browser speeds.
Microsoft says these improvements may vary depending on your setup, which goes without saying: Edge 134 performance may vary on PCs running Windows 11 and Macs running macOS Sequoia. Likewise, an older Intel Mac may be slower than the latest Intel chip in a PC, and it’s unclear how well a Mac running Apple Silicon compares to other devices. Regardless of your setup, you can probably expect this latest version of Microsoft Edge to perform at least a little better after the update.
There’s more to this story
If you’re an avid Edge user, you might know that Edge 134 isn’t actually the latest version. That will be the Edge 135, which went on sale earlier this month . Edge 134 came out on March 6, but Microsoft didn’t acknowledge this performance boost until April 10. If you update Edge regularly, you may have already been living with the speed boost for more than a month. However, not all of us are so keen on it: when checking my own version of Edge, I discovered that it was still at Edge version 133. I now have 135 – I didn’t even have a chance to run 134!
In my own informal Speedometer 3.0 test, the 135 scored just 24.4, plus or minus 0.67. This may seem low compared to Microsoft’s tests, but the latest version of Chrome scored 22.1 plus or minus 0.28, and Safari scored 21.5 plus or minus 0.92. I suspect my various extensions may be affecting the results, but I closed all other open applications to run the test (I have an M1 Mac).
Improved performance isn’t the only improvement to Edge this year. Back in February , Microsoft began testing a feature that could block full-screen pop-ups . Soon after, the company introduced gamers to a RAM management feature that had been in beta testing for some time.