The new version of Microsoft’s Edge browser is here…but the old legacy version of Microsoft Edge is, too—until April 13. At that point, a new Windows update will remove the legacy version of Edge permanently from your PC.
Microsoft introduced the new version of Microsoft Edge as part of the Windows 10 October 2020 Update. Now it’s the end of the line for the older version of Microsoft Edge. Virtually all versions of Windows will be affected by this patch, from version 1803 (the April 2018 Update) all the way through version 20H2, aka the Windows 10 October 2020 Update. Officially, support for the legacy version of Edge expires on March 9, after which the browser will no longer receive security updates.
Microsoft is promising that your legacy Edge settings will carry over to the new version of Edge—if the older version of Edge was docked inside your taskbar, the new version should be, too. But if you wanted to keep the retiring version around for old time’s sake, you won’t have that option: The new patch will remove the older version of Edge entirely.
You do retain the option of skipping the (as yet unnamed) patch entirely. Microsoft cautions otherwise: “We do not recommend skipping this update,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “Windows cumulative monthly security updates provide critical updates to the Windows 10 operating system.”
Microsoft’s latest Edge browser offers a substantial upgrade over the older Edge. Microsoft built the new Edge upon Chromium, the same underpinnings as Google Chrome, and many of Chrome’s features—such as the vast ecosystem of plug-ins—are available as a result. Microsoft has added new features, such as a password generator, that aren’t in the legacy Edge. To be fair, the older Edge offered some very nice improvements in PDF capabilities and ebooks, which Microsoft is slowly adding to the new version of Edge.