- Microsoft Edge to remove some lesser features.
- These features include Math Solver, Picture Dictionary, Citations, Grammar Tools, and Kids Mode.
- The browser also launches the Microsoft Edge for Business experience.
Microsoft is expected to remove several features from its Edge browser for Windows 11 (and 10) starting with version 117, arriving on September 14.
Although the company usually introduces new features for its web browser, this time around, it’ll ship a new version with fewer functionalities. According to the release notes for the “Beta Channel,” the company is deprecating at least five features, including Math Solver, Picture Dictionary, Citations, Grammar Tools, and Kids Mode, to improve the experience and simplify the “More tools” menu.
The software giant originally released the Microsoft Edge browser based on the Chromium project created by Google in 2020 to give users a more compatible experience. However, since the Edge browser is a mirror of Google Chrome, the company has been spending a lot of time modifying it and adding new features to find a way to differentiate itself.
However, building extra features can lead to clutter, and it appears that Microsoft is now realizing the problem and probably looking into organizing the browser better.
Aside from some of the browser features being deprecated, the company is also introducing the “Microsoft Edge for Business” experience. Microsoft previously announced it during its Build conference, and it’s a new experience dedicated to work users so they can separate their work and personal browsing activities, “enabling organizations to standardize on one browser to meet both needs.”
Microsoft Edge for Business is not a separate browser that network administrators have to deploy and configure on every machine. Instead, it’s a separate profile within the regular version of the browser with separate caches and storage locations that users will receive when they sign in with their Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory).
The experience will include a new Edge icon with a briefcase to distinguish between two profiles, indicating that the user is “in the work browser window, and passwords, favorites, and data currently associated with their work profile are maintained.” Also, accessing work resources from the personal profile will switch automatically to the work experience.