Microsoft built the new Edge on top of Chromium, not EdgeHTML. It retains all of the functionality Chromium brings with it and as well as Microsoft’s own curated features. The company is also following Google’s Chromium update cycle, with stable releases scheduled every six weeks.
Earlier today, Microsoft published Edge 85 update with PDF markup tools, smarter Collections support, and several other improvements.
Microsoft Edge Build 85.0.564.41 also comes with improvements to the DevTools and enterprise security. For example, Edge can now sync browser data between Azure Active Directory (AAD) profiles, which is a feature aimed at enterprises.
What’s new in Microsoft Edge 85
1. PDF markup tools
This update introduces support for a built-in PDF highlighter tool. Microsoft has added the tool to the toolbar and it’s visible when you browse PDFs. With the PDF highlighter tool, you can now easily highlight important text.
2. Collections improvement
Microsoft Edge has a new tool called Collections that allows you to collect and archive content for later review. With Collections, you can save webpages with your notes inside of a Collection tab, which can be accessed from the right-hand rail in the browser.
Collections is a great feature when you’re researching a new purchase. What makes it incomplete, though, is that you cannot share the content to OneNote. Fortunately, with Edge 85.0.564.41, Microsoft is adding support for “Sent to OneNote” in the Collections tab.
This feature will allow you to collaborate with others and you can also send content to Office for Mac products for both MSA and Azure Active Directory.
The feature appears to be aimed at both education and business customers that are preparing for their new projects.
3. Synchronization
As we mentioned at the outset, Microsoft is introducing support for “on-premise synchronization” of favourites and settings. In other words, you can use Edge to sync the favourites and settings between Active Directory profiles in your organization.
4. Storage Access API
For those who care about their privacy, Microsoft Edge is now getting support for Storage Access API. According to the company, this API will provide greater transparency into and control over the websites that require access to browser-based storage.
5. DevTools
This update adds support for the following DevTools features in Edge:
- Surface Duo emulation.
- You can now match keyboard shortcuts to VS Code.
