Microsoft has now released the 100th version of Microsoft Edge on its stable channel, shortly after Google released Chrome 100. Microsoft Edge 100.0.1185.29 was released on April 1st, 2022, and no, it is not an April Fool’s prank.
This is a major release for Edge as the web browser enters the 3-digit version, which significantly impacts how the various websites handle the User-Agent String. Furthermore, some other new features have also been introduced, which are discussed further down this post.
Let us now show you how to upgrade your existing Edge browser to version 100. If you have deleted the browser, you can install it from the direct download links for different platforms given below.
Release Summary
- Complete Release Build: 100.0.1185.29
- Release Date: Friday, April 1, 2022
- Compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android.
- Previous Build: Edge 99.0.1150.30
New in Microsoft Edge 100
3-Digit User-Agent String
User-Agent Strings contain the version numbers of the browser you are using, which are sent to the HTTP headers. Since Edge’s version number has now reached 3 digits, it is still uncertain which websites will support the new format of User-Agent Strings.
Starting with Edge 100, the browser will now send a 3-digit string version number to all websites. However, if websites are not configured to handle the 3-digit version numbers, it may confuse the website scripts.
In that case, you can force the major version number to remain at 99 so it won’t break the internet.
Perform the following steps to keep your Edge’s version number to 99 (only on the books):
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Paste the following into the Edge address bar:
edge://flags
Open flags page -
Here, search for “force-major-version-to-minor.”
Search for flag -
Now click on the drop-down menu in front of “Put major version in minor version position in User-Agent” and select Enabled. Then click Restart for the changes to take effect.
Enable flag
When the browser restarts, it will keep the User-Agent String stuck at 99, whilst you continue to enjoy the new features of version 100 or any version to be released in the future.
Launch Microsoft 365 Apps Directly
Now if you open a URL for some Microsoft 365 services, such as SharePoint or OneDrive, the applications will open directly. This feature is only valid for organizations using Microsoft 365 Application Protocol Activations on trusted Microsoft cloud storage services.
You can use the following policies to enable application protocol activation prompts if desired, and to define other applications and services where warnings are enabled or disabled.
Hardware-Enforced Stack Protection
Hardware-Enforced Stack Protection is a feature only supported by Windows 8 and later. This feature is designed to keep your systems safe by preserving their memory integrity. This is done by blocking indirect calls and, as Microsoft puts it; “combating memory corruption vulnerabilities.”
2 other updates have been included which affect how you handle the PDF files.
Users can now view PDF files in a lightweight environment that does not affect the quality of the content.
For PDFs received via Outlook Desktop, users can open it directly from there. For local PDF files, these can be viewed using File Explorer.
You can now also open digitally-signed PDF files using the PDFSecureMode policy in Edge. This mitigates the need for signature validation without needing any additional tools or add-ons.
These are the significant changes introduced with this update. To learn more about security patches, read here.
Download Microsoft Edge 100
If you already have Microsoft Edge on your PC, you can simply upgrade it to the latest build using the guide given further down below. If not, use the links given in the next section to install it now.
Microsoft Edge comes preinstalled in Windows 11 and 10. Learn how to uninstall Microsoft Edge.
Upgrade to Edge 100
Follow the steps below to upgrade to the latest available Edge version:
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Click on the ellipses in the top-right corner of the browser, expand Help and feedback, and then click About Microsoft Edge.
About Microsoft Edge -
Edge will now begin to scan for an update, and then download and install it if one is available. Once the download is completed, you will need to Restart the browser.
Restart Edge
Once it relaunches, you can return to the About page and check that it has been updated to version 100.0.1185.29.
Download Edge 100 Installers
If you want to use Edge 100 on any operating system other than Windows 11 and 10, like Windows 7, Windows 8.1, Linux, MacOS, iOS, and Android, you will need to download its offline installers.
You can download the latest Microsoft Edge installers (including stable, beta, and dev releases) from this link. You can also download the browser in your preferred language, using the tips given on the above-mentioned page.
Use Portable Edge Chromium Updater
If you are using Edge’s portable version, it will not update on its own. For that, a small tool known as Portable Edge Updater is available on GitHub, which allows you to install or update the existing Microsoft Edge Chromium to the latest build available. You can also use this tool to download the x64 and x86 versions from all channels, including the stable channel and the 3 channels from Edge Insider.
Download the tool by opening the Portable Edge GitHub page and then clicking on the link provided by Portable.Edge.Chromium.Updater….7z.
The tool is then downloaded. Extract it and then run the .exe file. Inside the tool, click on the channel and bit architecture you want to download (the versions are also mentioned). In this case, we will download Edge version 100 from the stable channel.
The browser will then begin to update (or download). Once done, you can check if the Microsoft Edge Chromium portable 100 is now available on your device.
Microsoft Edge Update History
| Edge Version | Release Date | Features & improvements |
|---|---|---|
| Edge 119 | 2-Nov-23 | Addresses 16 vulnerabilities, improves split-screen restore, ability to manage sidebar app auto-launch, “Always show sidebar” option placed under Copilot settings |
| Edge 118 | 13-Oct-23 | Addresses 15 vulnerabilities, and introduces AI-powered Find on Page. |
| Edge 117 | 15-Sep-23 | Addresses 14 vulnerabilities, includes More Tools deprecations and unload event deprecation, includes support for Microsoft Edge for Business for BYOPC via Intune. |
| Edge 116 | 21-Aug-23 | Addresses 23 vulnerabilities, introduces split screen, ability to drop files across devices, and ability to attach Edge sidebar to desktop. |
| Edge 115 | 21-Jul-23 | Microsoft Edge management service, rounded tabs, mouse gestures, split screen view. |
| Edge 113 | 5-May-23 | Basic Enhanced Security Mode was removed, shifted to EdgeUpdater on macOS, and introduced new policies, addresses 2 security vulnerabilities. |
| Edge 112 | 6-Apr-23 | Introduced Browser Essentials in place of the Performance Hub, improvements to enhanced security mode and some policies. |
| Edge 111 | 13-Mar-23 | Bing copilot in the toolbar, auto-hiding sidebar, hover over the sidebar to expand, and policy to clear IE mode history on browser exit. |
| Edge 110 | 9-Feb-23 | Introduces Immersive Reader policies, Azure Active Directory synchronization, Drop feature to share files, and several security updates. |
| Edge 109 | 13-Jan-23 | 14 security updates, 8 new policies, and 2 deprecated policies. |
| Edge 108 | 5-Dec-22 | Important security fixes, a new policy to disable Web Select amongst others. |
| Edge 107 | 27-Oct-22 | Improved sidebar, new policies, and security fixes. |
| Edge 106 | 3-Oct-22 | Improved web defense and increased the maximum number of search results to 4 |
| Edge 105 | 2-Sep-22 | Improvements to IE mode and enhanced security |
| Edge 104 | 5-Aug-22 | Support to import data and enhanced security on the web |
| Edge 103 | 23-Jun-22 | Improvements for online and web gaming |
| Edge 102 | 31-May-22 | With reverse image search and security improvements |
| Edge 100 | 1-Apr-22 | Sends 3-digit user agent string, PDF updates, and hardware-enforces stack protection |
| Edge 99 | 3-Mar-22 | Custom primary password and PDF navigation |
| Edge 98 | 4-Feb-22 | Edge Bar, reduced resource consumption |
| Edge 97 | 6-Jan-22 | Auto-citation, endpoint data loss prevention (DLP) |
| Edge 96 | 10-Dec-21 | Super duper secure mode, typosquatting |
| Edge 90 | 15-Apr-21 | SSO, PDF printing |
| Edge 89 | 4-Mar-21 | Vertical Tabs, Sleeping Tabs, Startup Boost |
| Edge 88 | 21-Jan-21 | Password generator, transparent privacy controls |
Closing Words
Google Chrome 100 was also recently released. Microsoft followed the trend of releasing an Edge update shortly after Chrome. However, the features introduced in this update were not identical to the ones introduced in Chrome 100.
Edge 101 is scheduled to release by the week of April 28, 2022. You can view the tentative release dates for future updates for Edge here.
