How To Use Edge Browser Extensions

Extensions For Edge Browser

The title might be a bit misleading because until the new version of MS Edge is released there are no extensions but get ready, they are on their way.

While you might not have the ability yet, it is still great news that Microsoft has finally introduced the ability to add Extensions into the Edge Browser for Insider Previews. This obviously means it will be featured in a release to the general population soon. A lot of people wondered why they were not included in the original release and a big reason appears to have been concerns about security.

As helpful as extensions are (eg, Password Managers, Ad Blockers, and many other very useful extensions) they have one thing in common– they are a potential doorway for malicious software. Microsoft claims that, “…our extensions will be vetted, delivered and managed through the Windows Store.” Presumably to keep us all safe while surfing.

In the latest release for Insider Previews 14291, Edge now has three available extensions.

Install and Use Edge Extensions

In this post we will walk through the current process of getting, installing and using extensions.There will be some minor changes in the final release. For example, it appears the only option to be offered in its final release will be getting the  extensions in the Windows Store, but for now this is how they will work…

Open Edge and click on the “…” button in the upper right side. That is the “more” button. It will open a drop down menu containing the new feature. Click on “Extensions” and a new sub-menu will appear offering you a chance to get and then load extensions. It will open a webpage (soon the MS Store) and will give you a list of available extensions. In the initial release there are only three available.

Select the extension you wish and then load it into Edge. Now when you click on Extensions the loaded extensions will appear with logo and name. In addition, the installation will place Icons on your toolbar depending on the type of extension. The Mouse Gestures will always appear while turned on. Microsoft Translator will only appear when a page needs to be translated and the Reddit extension will only appear while you are on www.Reddit.com.

Mouse Gestures

This is actually a pretty cool feature that will allow you to open and close tabs, go back or forward through webpages and scroll partially or completely to the top or bottom of a page.  I have tried each of the Gestures and they work very well.  You may change the preset meaning of any particular gesture in the Mouse Gesture Settings Menu.

Once the Mouse Gesture is a part of your toolbar you may right click on the webpage and perform a gesture that has a predefined meaning. For example, right click and draw a V on the screen and you will scroll to the bottom of the page. Right click and move the mouse left and you will go back one page. Right now, because of years of use, it is easier for me to click on long remembered options but with a little time I am sure it will be just as easy.  This image shows the 14 preset gestures.

Microsoft Translator

Web translators have been around for a while so this feature is not new. It is, however, different and I like how quickly and conveniently it will translate a page. The translator icon does not appear in the tool bar unless the language is different than the one selected while setting up Windows. To test the translator I opened a French version of Google. I personally like reading a foreign perspective on some topics; it gives me a feeling of how a topic is felt and defined by other nations. Simply click on the Translator button and the page is now in English. It reads well and, as far as I can tell, it does not appear to transpose text to match the syntax of another language. As I said, fast and easy.

Reddit Enhancement Suite

The third and final extension available at this time is only for those of us that use Reddit. If you are not familiar with this website, you can visit Reddit here. Perhaps Reddit and their little alien icon are worth a post by themselves.

As useful and as much fun as Reddit can be to use, it is equally confusing to use and navigate. It is easy to get lost with the incredible amount of information and sub-pages it has. This is where the Reddit Enhancement Tool comes in.  It makes life on Reddit a lot easier by doing some of the organizing for you.

Summary

I believe the Windows Edge browser is certainly one of the best browsers out there. At least in terms of speed, performance and security. There are several test results out there that you can access but I thought I would perform some on my primary computer. I tested my download speed and it remained steady at 62Mps. I then used “Jet Stream” which is a JavaScript benchmark suite focused on the most advanced web applications. It has several tests for both Latency and Throughput. In the results the higher the number the better.

I conducted several tests and the results varied a little but the percentages stayed pretty much the same. Edge clearly has the “edge” in speed. As fast as it is, it’s still quite obvious that Edge is not where it needs to be and will not get there until they can demonstrate their ability to build successful extensions. If they can jump that hurdle they will become the dominant player in the browser field.

Microsoft has made their fair share of missteps in past releases. Therefore, I don’t mind them taking their time to get it right. Edge was released without extensions because they could not be competently done in time for the release of Windows 10. Instead of releasing an inferior version that was able to use extensions, they waited to include them until they could do it correctly. I will conclude that the three extensions work exactly as expected, but unless they manage to include extensions we currently use on other browsers, they will not have succeeded.

Jim

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