Microsoft Edge: Small, but Quality Extensions

A little more than a year after the arrival of the extensions on the Edge browser, Microsoft takes stock and explains why they are still present in such a small number.

In the summer of 2016, users of Windows 10 discovered the birthday update to upgrade to version 1607. Among other innovations it introduced a novelty of size for Edge: the ability to install extensions. Microsoft makes the point.

On his blog the publisher lists the main extensions that have been set up partnership with developers. These include Adblock and Adblock plus, AdWords and Evernote note-taking tools, or the Lastpass password management extension, or to accompany users of the Office Online suite.

The feedback from users is good but they also hope that this list of extension will grow rapidly, some wishing to find what they use with Firefox or Chrome in Edge. Microsoft knows it but explains its choice to gradually expand its extensions to privilege quality and security. They should not interfere with the speed of the browser or compromise the security of the user.

In this framework Microsoft carefully observes the feedback from testers members of the Windows Insider program and says it carefully examines each submission of new extension. The goal is to offer high-quality extensions that users can use with confidence.

To date the Windows Store offers just over 70 extensions to download for free for the Edge browser. Microsoft does not intend to stop there and continues to gradually open up the possibilities offered by APIs to allow developers to create new extensions. The latest one, Grammarly, offers help to correct the writings of the Net surfers but only supports English.