Microsoft has released a preview of its Chromium Edge browser on MacOS. Though leaked builds were previously available for the platform, this marks an officially, more complete launch, alongside some Mac-focused bells and whistles.
The design of Edge for MacOS will be very similar to on Windows, but it will feature some minor differences. Naturally, it has the typical traffic lights in the top left rather than Windows’ minimize and maximize buttons. Thanks to the Mac theme, its corners are also rounded, while fonts have been adjusted across the board to better fit the OS.
Microsoft has also taken the time to switch all references to ‘Ctrl’ for the ‘Command’ key. Gesture support is there, too, both via the Touch Bar on laptops and the trackpad.
Three Channel System
As with Windows, Chromium Edge will be maintained in three channels. Today, Microsoft is launching the Canary Channel, which is less stable but features daily updates with fixes and features. The Dev channel will launch ‘very soon’, and updates weekly with more stable builds. Finally, the beta channel will launch in the coming months with a 6 week update period.
Chromium Edge has been doing very well on Windows, letting many Microsoft enthusiasts switch away from Chrome. Though it has many similarities to Google’s browser, Edge cuts out many of its background services and adds features like smooth scrolling, Read Aloud, and improved PDF support.
Users on MacOS 10.12 or higher can grab the latest Canary build from the Edge Insider site.
