Microsoft has now released a newer version of Chromium Edge, the Edge 88. They have now included a password generator so that you don’t have to worry about password complexity anymore, and you can now monitor them from settings as well.
Moreover, Microsoft has also worked on enhancing the user’s privacy experience by making things more transparent and in control of the user themselves.
Let us discuss in detail what Edge 88 brings to the table.
New features and enhancements in Edge 88
Password Generator and Password Monitor
Microsoft has introduced 2 new features to Edge 88, both of which cater to the single concern of users: security. Edge 88 will now automatically suggest complex passwords when it detects a signup password box on any website.
With automated password generation, users will stop repeating their same passwords everywhere. Moreover, the complexity of the suggested passwords would be better than “Password123” and similar, less complex passwords. Both these objects would result in greater security measures, subsequently dropping the risk of getting hacked due to the incredibility of weak and presumable passwords.
You also do not need to worry about remembering these passwords, as they are stored by Edge itself.
Microsoft has taken this a step further by introducing another feature: Password Monitor. This technology will scan your saved passwords against the list of available for breached passwords and prompt you to immediately change your password. This is a great way to ensure that the password you are using isn’t already available on the internet for hackers to use.
More control over user privacy
Users will now have control over which websites they share their information with. For example, with Edge 88, you can now control which websites may have access to your location, microphone, camera, etc. You can also reset their permission entirely or edit it to your satisfaction.
Also, you can now also opt to remove any 3rd party cookies and keep only those that are required to optimize your experience on the website.
Strict mode while InPrivate browsing
Technology is so vast that you start seeing related personalized ads for anything that you speak of. Well, Microsoft has now given you the option to disable this tracking feature while you are InPrivate mode on Edge 88. Anything you browse in this mode while tracking is set to Strict will not be tracked or used to present any relevant ads.
Secure DNS lookup
Another security feature that has been introduced is that the browser will now connect to the DNS server(s) using only the secure connection protocol HTTPS. This means that while navigating to the website, your device will connect to the DNS server with a secure protocol so that the packets exchanged are not traceable by a hacker. However, this is only possible if your Internet Service Provider (ISP) supports it.
You can also select a different secure DNS provider through the settings.
For more in-depth information about new features, bug fixes, and security fixes, please visit the Edge 88 Changelog page.
Release Summary
- Complete release build: 88.0.705.50
- Release date: Thursday, January 21, 2021
- Compatibility: Windows 10, 8.1, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac, iOS, and Android.
- Previous build: Edge 87
Features in developer tools
Microsoft Edge has added new features to the developer tools with the new update. Here are some significant changes made:
- Microsoft Edge Dev is now available on Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and OpenSUSE.
- The following categories have now been added to the “Issues” tool to help make it more manageable:
- Accessibility
- Compatibility
- Performance
- Pitfalls
- PWA
- Security
- Composited Laters are now available in 3D View.
- The CSS variables now link directly to each definition in the Styles pane.
- Several improvements have been made to service worker debugging.
- You can now copy the property value of a network request using the Copy value option.
- You can now customize what different keyboard shortcuts do now by checking the box next to Enable keyboard shortcut editor in Settings.
- Dev tools are now available in the overall browser language.
Read here for more detailed information on the new developer tools.
Download Microsoft Edge 88
To upgrade Edge to version 87 now, go to edge://settings/help. This will trigger an automatic update check and the browser will be updated automatically if an update is available.
There are a few methods that can be used to update your Edge browser to the latest version, including:
- Update using Edge update
- Use the download Edge installer
The methods have been discussed on a separate page here:
Methods to download and run the latest Microsoft Edge browser
You can use any method of your choice to download, install, and run the latest Edge browser. Otherwise, simply download it using the links given below:
Download: Microsoft Edge Stable for Windows 10
Download: Microsoft Edge offline installer for Windows 10
Download: Microsoft Edge for MacOS
Download: Microsoft Edge for Android
Download: Microsoft Edge for iOS
Once you have installed Edge 88, you should go ahead and install the latest security baseline for Edge 88. This will improve security while you are browsing the Internet using Edge browser.
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 |
