10 Life Hacks Every Microsoft Edge User Should Know
Microsoft Edge is one of the most popular browsers in the world. The spiritual successor to Internet Explorer, Edge is a modern browser based on Google’s Chromium platform. This means you can use it with all modern Chrome extensions, as well as many exclusive features that other browsers may not have. I’ve been using Edge on Windows for quite some time, and here are my favorite life hacks I’ve discovered so far:
Use Drop to send links, files, and notes to other devices.
The Drop feature in Edge is an easy way to send files between your computer and mobile devices. Drop works by saving files to OneDrive, so to use it effectively, you’ll need to be signed in to the same Microsoft account on all devices. It’s not as fast as Apple’s AirDrop because it uses cloud storage, but Drop is much better for asynchronous sharing. This means your devices don’t need to be unlocked and connected to the same Wi-Fi network when you want to share files.
You can access Drop by opening Microsoft Edge on your computer, clicking the three dots in the upper-right corner, and selecting More tools > Drop . Install Edge on all devices where you want to use Drop (PC, Mac, Android phones, iPhone, iPad, etc.) and make sure you’re signed in to your Microsoft account. Now you can drag and drop anything into Drop, and it will appear on all your devices. Note that Drop doesn’t always appear seamlessly in Edge on mobile devices. You’ll need to open the menu, select All Menus , and use the Edit feature to replace any toolbar item with Drop.
Use Edge’s built-in task manager to end resource-intensive processes.
If Edge starts to slow down, use the browser’s built-in task manager to identify the problem. I find it better than using the Windows Task Manager (or Mac Activity Monitor), as browsers have many processes running, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause of the slowdown. In the Edge task manager, you’ll only see processes related to the browser. Press Shift-Esc to access it, or go to the three-line menu and select More tools > Browser Task Manager . Here, focus on Tabs and extensions . This will clearly show you the system resources each tab or extension is using. Once you find the culprit, select it and click End task . You can easily disable a resource-hungry browser extension without closing tabs or worrying about losing data.
You can even use the Task Manager’s search field to find specific tabs, which is useful for those who have hundreds of browser tabs open. The “Browser” tab in the Task Manager displays processes related to maintaining the browser, which is best suited for tech-savvy users who can more easily identify browser issues. Most users will find the information they need in the “Tabs and Extensions” section.
Use this keyboard shortcut to open two tabs side by side.
Microsoft Edge has a “Split Screen” feature that lets you open two tabs side by side without opening a new window. This feature was introduced in Google Chrome much later than Edge. I really like the “Split Screen” feature, but my only complaint is that it’s hidden by default behind the three-dot menu. You can change this by clicking the three dots, then going to Settings > Appearance > Toolbar and turning on “Split Screen .” This will add a “Split Screen” button to the toolbar, making the feature easily accessible.
After that, open any tab, click the “Split Screen” button, and you’ll see two tabs side by side. You can use this feature to combine sets of tabs, such as Google Docs and YouTube for note-taking while studying. Edge keeps all your tabs in split-screen mode while the window is open, so you don’t have to worry about re-arranging your tabs in split-screen mode. In split-screen mode, you can click the three dots in the upper-right corner of any tab to customize the feature. You can swap the two tabs or switch to a vertical split-screen view.
Try using vertical tabs to free up screen space.
Vertical tabs are the best choice for all desktop browsers. They move the tab list into a single panel on the left, maximizing the available screen space for your content. This means less scrolling, a larger screen for watching videos, and overall better use of screen space. You can enable this feature in Microsoft Edge by going to Edge Settings > Appearance > Tabs and turning on “Show vertical tabs.” You should also enable “Hide title in vertical tabs” for a cleaner look and “Collapse panel within tab bar” to reduce the width of the vertical tab bar.
Use AI-powered tab grouping to automatically organize your tabs.
Try using Edge’s AI-powered tab grouping feature to organize your cluttered, numbered tabs. It’s not as efficient as manually creating tab groups, but when you’re overwhelmed by more tabs than you can reasonably handle, it’s a great strategy for tidying things up. To use it, click the down arrow in the upper-left corner of the browser window and select “Organize Tabs.” This feature groups tabs by topic (News & Media, Finance & Investing, etc.) and lets you drag and drop tabs to customize the groups.
Use power saving mode to reduce slowdowns.
Microsoft Edge features a power-saving mode that automatically puts background tabs to sleep. This will reduce the likelihood of browser slowdowns when you have many tabs open, and, according to Microsoft , will extend battery life by an average of 25 minutes. To enable this feature, go to Edge Settings > System & Performance > Performance and turn on “Turn on power-saving mode.”
Disable Startup Boost to speed up your older computer.
The “Startup Boost” feature is a great option for owners of powerful PCs or laptops. It allows Edge to run in the background with minimal resource usage, making the app launch faster each time you open it. However, it’s not ideal for older computers or for users who don’t like apps running in the background after they’ve closed them. If your computer is older, it’s best to disable “Startup Boost.” You can disable it by going to Edge Settings > System & Performance > System .
Disable the Co-Pilot feature to remove unnecessary AI features.
While Edge has some useful AI features, like tab organization, there are plenty I never use. If you’re like me, take a minute to disable any unnecessary AI features. First, go to Edge Settings > AI Innovations and turn off Copilot mode . This option may not be enabled for all accounts, so if you don’t see the toggle, you may need to continue.
Next, go to Edge settings > Appearance > Copilot & sidebar > Copilot . Disable the “Show Copilot button in the toolbar” option . On the same page, click “Manage Copilot settings” > “Privacy” and disable “Contextual suggestions” to prevent the AI from using your browsing data to provide answers. Also, go to Edge settings > Start, Home, and New Tab and disable the “Show Copilot New Tab “ option.
You can also go to Edge Settings > Languages and disable any features that mention AI in their descriptions. This includes offering to translate videos on supported sites and using the “Help me write” writing assistant on the web . Finally, if you don’t want to use AI-powered tab organization, you can disable it by going to Edge Settings > Privacy, search & services and disabling “Organize tabs.”
Use this setting to have Edge read articles out loud.
Edge has a hidden feature that allows you to read articles aloud (and, in my opinion, the voice sounds quite natural). It’s located under the three-dot button > More Tools > Read Aloud . Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Shift-U (or Cmd-Shift-U on Mac ), and this feature is also available on mobile platforms.
Use the Visual Search feature to find any element on a web page.
Visual Search lets you search for any element on a webpage with a right-click. For example, you can perform a reverse image search of an object seen in a YouTube video or select a landmark in a picture to learn more about it. When using this feature, be aware that it takes a screenshot of the webpage and sends it to Microsoft. This raises privacy concerns, but to be fair, Microsoft warns about this and requires you to agree to its privacy policy if you want to use this feature. You can right-click any webpage in Edge and select “Visual Search” to get started. This feature is also available in mobile versions of Edge.