Microsoft Edge 86: here is what is new

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Microsoft released a new stable version of its Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser on October 9, 2020. Microsoft Edge 86 introduces a rollback feature to go back to previous versions of Edge, Enterprise sync functionality, profile switching in Edge on Windows 7 and 8.1 devices, PDF improvements, and more.

Microsoft Edge 86 is already available and should be installed automatically on most systems. You can check the installed version on the edge://settings/help page; Edge will run a manual check for updates when the page is opened so that the latest version will be installed automatically if it is not installed already.

New users can download the latest stable Edge version from Microsoft's website.

The main changes in Microsoft Edge 86 Stable:

• Implementation of SameSite=Lax default for cookies so that cookies are only sent in a first-party context. Webmasters may override the default on their sites, and Enterprise administrators may use policies to opt-out across a list of domains or globally.
  
• HTML5 Application Cache API is removed.
  
• PDF improvements:
  • support for displaying the table of contents of PDF documents.
    
  • Microsoft Edge PDF reader works on small form factors screens.
    
  • Highlighter supports pens.
    
  • Improved PDF scrolling
    
• Auto-complete suggestions are displayed on the Microsoft Edge Add-ons website when users start to type.
  
• Developer Tools keyboard shortcuts can be customized now.
  
• Users may delete files downloaded using Edge from the download manager (instead of just removing the downloads history entry but keeping the file on the system).
  
• Password leak checks and alerts.
  
• Secure DNS support for unmanaged devices.
  

Enterprise related changes:

• Sync can be enabled by default across Enterprie networks by administrators (for Azure Active Directory accounts).
  
• Starting with Microsoft Edge 86, administrators may use the new roll back functionality to go back to a previous stable version of Edge. Microsoft has a help page up that explains how rollbacks work.
  
• Automatic Profile Switching on Windows 7 and 8.1 devices. Profiles separate some data, e.g. bookmarks to keep the browsing separate. Automatic profile switching detects work sites automatically and Edge will suggest to use the work profile to access the site.
  
• Internet Explorer mode can now be added to the user interface of Edge by administrators.
  
• Option to add a custom image to Edge's New Tab Page using the group policy.
  
• Microsoft introduced a number of new policies, e.g. to control the new File System API, DiagnosticData configuration, Sensor support policies, or a policy for enabling warnings for insecure forms.
  

The full changelog is available here.
 
Closing Words

Microsoft Edge 86 introduces new features for all users and Enterprise/Education users. All users benefit from PDF reader improvements, improved privacy and security options, and the ability to delete download files from within Edge.
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