8 features of Microsoft Edge that make it better than Google Chrome

1. Vertical tabs

This is just a killer feature that, in a good way, should be present in every browser. But so far, only Microsoft Edge and the almighty Vivaldi offer built-in vertical tabs. To activate it, click the menu in the upper left corner of the browser.

The vertical list of tabs is very convenient for users who work with a large number of sites at the same time. It allows you to see the titles of open sites, no matter how many tabs are open.

If necessary, by the way, the tabs can be sorted into groups and marked with different colors to make it easier to navigate them.

2. Edge Sidebar

A useful feature that allows you to open mobile versions of the services you need in the browser sidebar. Moreover, the panel remains available even when the main Edge window is minimized or even closed. It can be pinned to the edge of the screen, made floating, or moved to an arbitrary location on the desktop.

You can, for example, add links to Google Keep to the Edge bar or

Notionto quickly take notes there without switching to a full-fledged web version of the service or a desktop application. Or put social networks and instant messengers on it and correspond without opening from working with sites and documents. If desired, the panel can be quickly hidden or brought back with a single click.

3. Reading mode

Press the F9 key while reading any article in Edge and the text will open in a beautiful and comfortable way. There will be no ads and any extraneous elements. Another way to achieve this result is to right-click on the page and select the "Open in Immersive Reader" option.

In this mode, you can adjust the size and font of the text, background color, and other settings, as well as force the browser to read the article aloud.

4. Web applications

In fact, it was in Chrome that the concept "web applications”, when the site is opened in a browser window without an interface and is launched from the desktop as a separate program. But in order to turn the site into an application in the browser from Google, you have to delve into the menu. In Edge, a similar function is implemented somewhat more conveniently.

Open the main menu by clicking on the button with three dots and click Applications → Install this site as an application. As a result, the icon of the desired site will appear on the taskbar and in the Start menu - when you click on it, the service will open in a separate window.

5. Efficiency Mode

This Edge feature is designed to fix the main drawback of all browsers based on Chromium - the high demands on the computer's RAM.

When the efficiency mode is activated, the browser starts to automatically unload from memory unused tabs that the user has not accessed for a certain time. In addition, in this mode, the Edge uses the processor resources and battery power of the laptop more carefully.

6. Collections

A built-in tool that allows you to save sites, pictures, links, quotes and texts found on the Internet in Edge. This is something like "Notes" in the same Vivaldi. The created collections can be dragged and arranged in any way you like.

The saved data is synchronized between your computers and mobile devices. In collections, you can collect, for example, ideas for creativity, information for term papers, or simply put pages there that you would like to read later. The saved data can then be sent with one click to Word or excel.

At the same time, if you save an unread article to the collection, then when you select it on another device, it will open at the very place where you left off last time.

7. Web page snapshots

Edge contains a built-in screenshot tool that allows you to save an entire web page or a portion of it as an image. If you wish, you can accompany the screenshot with captions or draw something on it.

The finished screenshot can be copied to the clipboard, saved to your hard drive or sent to another application or to one of your contacts through the "Share" menu.

8. Password monitoring

Regularly in the news we see headlines like "Popular service hacked" or "Base with thousands of user passwords leaked to the Web." Microsoft Edge is able to protect your data from threats. The browser checks to see if your accounts are on the list of compromised accounts and warns you when you should change your password from a particular site.

To keep your data safe, open Edge options and tap Settings → Profiles → Passwords → "Other settings" and activate the option "Show alerts when passwords are found among leaked data in Internet".