Microsoft Edge release notes for Stable Channel (original) (raw)
These release notes provide information about new features and nonsecurity updates that are included in the Microsoft Edge Stable and Extended Stable Channels.
Migration to improved V2 architecture for Workspaces. Workspaces, introduced in Edge in 2022, allows users to create durable sets of tabs that can be saved and shared with others. In order to improve reliability and performance of this feature, the following changes are being made:
Migrating data for saved Workspaces from OneDrive/SharePoint to Edge Sync service
Removing the collaboration/share functionality of this feature For organizations who have disabled Sync through policy, the existing v1 Workspace data will still be migrated to the new architecture. New v2 Workspaces created after migration won't sync across devices and will remain local to each device. This update occurs on a progressive rollout beginning in Edge Stable v145 and will continue rolling out in Edge v149. For more information, see Getting started with Microsoft Edge Workspaces.
Feature Updates
Passkey Sync for Enterprise Users. Microsoft Edge is introducing support for passkey synchronization for enterprise users, enabling secure, passwordless authentication across devices. Passkeys created in Edge can now be synced seamlessly, improving sign-in experience while maintaining strong security standards. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this change, check back as we continue the rollout.
Enterprise WebView2 runtime downgrade via DowngradeVersion policy. Administrators can temporarily roll back specific applications to a previous WebView2 Evergreen Runtime version (N-1 or N-2) using the new DowngradeVersion policy in msedgewebview2.admx. The Downgrade Version policy allows enterprises to mitigate critical regressions by specifying per-application exe-to-version mappings. The Edge Updater installs the target version side-by-side, and the WebView2 Loader redirects targeted apps accordingly. Downgrades auto-expire with each new WebView2 release: apps pinned to N-1 remain on the same version (now becoming N-2) and will auto-update in the next release, while apps pinned to N-2 will revert to the current Evergreen version. The policy applies only to enterprise-managed devices (domain-joined or MDM-enrolled). For more information, see Microsoft Edge WebView2 Policy Documentation | Microsoft Learn.
Collections retirement. Collections have been removed in this update. Users can no longer access or use the feature. To keep saved content, users can export it, or move all pages to Favorites before updating to Microsoft Edge Stable 149. For more information, see Organize your ideas with Collections in Microsoft Edge - Microsoft Support.
Modern, unified, and updated Look and Feel. Microsoft Edge has updated the Look and Feel to give customers a unified experience across all of Microsoft AI surfaces including Copilot and Bing. This changes multiple elements of the UX such as spacing, corners, fonts, default colors, etc.
Custom primary password retirement. Users are no longer able to create a new custom primary password in Edge Settings edge://settings/autofill/passwords/settings. Any users who are still using a custom primary password is automatically migrated to device authentication. Additionally, the PrimaryPasswordSetting policy will no longer support the WithCustomPrimaryPassword option. For more information, see Keep your saved passwords private in Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Support.
Unifying Copilot Chat policy controls. The Microsoft365CopilotChatIconEnabled policy is the standard for configuring Copilot Chat. Previously, this behavior was controlled by blocking the Copilot extension, either explicitly or by using the * wildcard via the ExtensionSettings or ExtensionInstallBlockList policies. Extension and sidebar policies no longer affect the appearance or functionality of Copilot Chat. Copilot address bar suggestions were also tied to extension policy settings. Starting in Microsoft Edge version 149, admins can use the CopilotAddressBarSuggestionsEnabled policy to manage this behavior.
Intune MAM Protected Downloads. The protected downloads feature for Intune MAM is now available for BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) devices, which aren't managed by a tenant.
Migration to improved V2 architecture for Workspaces. Workspaces, introduced in Edge in 2022, allows users to create durable sets of tabs that can be saved and shared with others. In order to improve reliability and performance of this feature, the following changes are being made:
Migrating data for saved Workspaces from OneDrive/SharePoint to Edge Sync service
Removing the collaboration/share functionality of this feature For organizations who have disabled Sync through policy, the existing v1 Workspace data will still be migrated to the new architecture. New v2 Workspaces created after migration won't sync across devices and will remain local to each device. This update occurs on a progressive rollout beginning in Edge Stable v145 and will continue rolling out in Edge v148. For more information, see Getting started with Microsoft Edge Workspaces.
Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. The Edge internal container page that hosts compliant M365 Copilot chat in the sidebar has been updated. Blocking internal edge:// or chrome-untrusted:// URLs isn't recommended as this may lead to unexpected errors and will disable the Microsoft 365 Sidebar Copilot Chat experience. For more information, see Allowlist for Microsoft Edge endpoints.
Feature Updates
M365 Copilot Search relevance using work browsing history. With admin approval, Microsoft Edge can now send selected work-related browsing history from third-party apps to Microsoft 365 Copilot to improve search result ranking. When a user searches on Microsoft 365 Copilot Search, M365 Copilot will also surface results from work browsing history when relevant, helping users find recently visited work pages faster. Admins can control availability of this feature using the ShareBrowsingHistoryWithCopilotSearchAllowed policy.
Password affiliation service. Password autofill suggestions in Edge are currently based on top-level domain matching, which means the same credentials can be suggested on sites like account.microsoft.com and office.microsoft.com. With this feature, Edge groups related domains together across various desktop and mobile properties called affiliations. When a customer visits a URL, the Edge client queries the affiliations backend to obtain "affiliated groups" for that URL. The process involves sending a hash of the visited URLs to the service, which then returns a list of affiliated URLs and ensures that the relevant credentials will be displayed in the autofill suggestions across affiliated domains. Admins must use both the PasswordManagerEnabled and PrimaryPasswordSetting policies together to control access to this feature. Configuring both policies allow admins to ensure no passwords get saved, lookups for autofill are disabled and affiliation endpoint won't be queried.
Copilot New Tab Page. Search, chat, and explore the web from one search box with Copilot suggested actions and curated work content to help your users get things done faster on the new, refreshed Copilot New Tab Page. Users can also view personalized news and activities. Admins can control availability to this feature using the CopilotNewTabPageEnabled policy. For more information, see Configure the Copilot new tab page.
Shadow AI. Currently admins can set Purview DLP policies to protect sensitive data from being sent to any Generative AI apps, users get blocked from sending their prompts to LLM when this is triggered and stops their workflow. This new add-on to the feature shows a new UI that will give users the option to be redirected to M365 Copilot, which will open and navigate to this M365 Copilot tab and allow them to send the same prompt there.
Enhanced Autofill. For desktop users, Microsoft Edge can now autofill additional document types-including passports, driver's licenses, and other specialized forms-on top of your saved addresses. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.
Allow M365 authentication popups in work profiles. When users are signed in with a work account, some Microsoft 365 sites (for example, microsoft.com, cloud.microsoft, and microsoft365.com) may open authentication pop-up windows to Microsoft sign-in endpoints such as login.microsoftonline.com, login.live.com, or login.microsoft.com. These pop-ups are required to complete sign-in. Microsoft Edge now allows authentication pop-up windows from Microsoft first-party services by default. Admins can control availability to this feature using the M365AuthPopupsInWorkEnabled policy. Note: This is a controlled feature rollout. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.
Updated AI settings page. Settings for Copilot features now are housed under one AI settings page to create a cohesive setting experience. Existing admin controls and policy configurations continue to apply.
Policy Updates
New policies
AllowBrowsingWithCopilot - Controls the availability of browsing with Copilot in Microsoft Edge.
Browsing with Copilot Public Preview now open for signups. We're excited to announce that the Limited Public Preview for browsing with Copilot in Edge for Business is now open for admin signups. Browsing with Copilot introduces agentic browsing to the enterprise, allowing Copilot to navigate websites, fill in information, and complete multi-step tasks on behalf of users. This helps employees offload repetitive browser work and move faster from information to action, all within a managed, secure environment. Admins can now request access to the preview in this form and start bringing Browsing with Copilot to their organization. For more information, see New in Edge for Business: AI for work, safe from day one - Microsoft Edge Blog.
Changes to password manager. Changes to ensure passwords no longer load into memory on startup. For more information, see the Microsoft Edge blog post.
Update to the AutoplayAllowed policy. The AutoplayAllowed policy behavior has been updated. In Microsoft Edge versions 92 through 145, setting the policy to Disabled configured media autoplay to "Limit." In versions 146 and 147, setting the policy to Disabled configured media autoplay to "Block." In version 148 and later, when the policy is set to Disabled, Edge once again sets media autoplay to "Limit." The "Limit" setting restricts autoplay to sites with high media engagement and active WebRTC streams.