Microsoft Edge URL feature

Windows 10’s flagship web browser Microsoft Edge is going to change the way you copy links and paste it in emails, apps or webpages. The feature is officially called “Friendly URLs” and it is being introduced in a new Microsoft Edge update later this month.

Microsoft says the feature will allow you to copy URLs from the address bar and paste it as a plain text. For example, if you copy the URL of Outlook web, you’ll be able to paste the URL as a naked URL (which includes the HTTP and .com) or in plain-text ‘Outlook’.

Plain text is a new option that will automatically convert URLs in a readable format. You’ll be able to use the new feature with keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V or you can also right-click anywhere in the textbox to access the new paste options, as shown in the screenshot below.

Microsoft Edge copy paste

The default selection mode for Microsoft Edge URLs can be configured and changed via the browser’s settings panel.

With this new feature, Microsoft Edge aims to kill those long and ugly URL that you want to email it to your colleague or friends. The friendly URLs feature is especially useful for shopping sites which have super long URLs with a ton of letters, tracking code and numerical.

As we mentioned above, Microsoft is planning to release this feature later this month and Microsoft believes that the new copy and paste experience could make a huge difference during the shopping season.

In addition, Microsoft has finally started rolling out the new ‘Web Capture’ or full-page screen tool to everyone. This will allow you to take screenshots of web pages and annotate directly onto screenshots within the browser.

Later this week, you’ll be able to access the Web capture from the “…” menu or keyboard shortcut CTRL + Shift + S.

About The Author

Mayank Parmar

Mayank Parmar is an entrepreneur who founded Windows Latest. He is the Editor-in-Chief and has written on various topics in his seven years of career, but he is mostly known for his well-researched work on Microsoft's Windows. His articles and research works have been referred to by CNN, Business Insiders, Forbes, Fortune, CBS Interactive, Microsoft and many others over the years.