Microsoft Edge is getting the spotlight in the browser game. After trying their luck with an in-house EdgeHTML-based browser, the company finally switched to the Chromium rendering engine to load web pages. Microsoft is confident enough to meet the needs of casual and power users with the Chromium-based Edge browser. With the Windows 10 May 2020 update, the company is bundling Edge as the default browser on all the PCs and Laptops. While the Edge browser is capable, you can always take the productivity to the next level with keyboard shortcuts.

Jun 15, 2020. May 30, 2020. Sep 08, 2020 Microsoft Rewards; Free downloads & security. Microsoft Edge Windows 10 Windows 8.1 Windows 7 Edge for Mac Mer. If you can't open Microsoft Edge, or if it.

Using your daily web browser with keyboard shortcuts is a delightful experience. You don’t need to use a touchpad or mouse to navigate through menus and options. Remembering the key and essential keyboard shortcuts will help you to speed up your workflow and save you a lot of time.

In this post, we are going to talk about the top 13 keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Edge for Windows and Mac. Let’s get started.

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1. Open And Close Tabs

This one is fairly standard one and works across all the browsers, but I'm putting it here since it is heavily underused and not many people still don't know about it. Everyone should know these couple of keyboard shortcuts. You can open a new tab in the Edge browser with Ctrl + T keys on Windows and Command + T keyboard shortcut on Mac.

To close the current tab, use the Ctrl + W shortcut on Windows and Command + W on Mac. The shortcut will close the current tab and move you back to the side tab.

2. Add Current Page to Favorites

Microsoft Edge refers to Bookmarks as Favorites. You can always import Favorites from the other browser. To add the current web page as favorite, you can use the Ctrl + D shortcut on Windows and Command + D keys on Mac. The Edge browser will allow you to select folders or Favorites bar to add the web page.

3. Open History Menu

I don’t usually use this shortcut, but if you need to access the History menu on the Edge browser, then use the Ctrl + H shortcut on Windows or Command + Y keys on Mac.

4. Show Favorites Bar

I use the Favorites bar all the time. You can access your favorite website from the favorites bar below the address bar. Normally, I hide the Favorites bar as it takes up space at the top. Whenever I need to access the Favorites bar, I simply use the Ctrl + Shift + B shortcut on Windows or Command + Shift + B keys on the Mac. You can use the same keyboard shortcut to hide the Favorites bar.

5. Zoom In/Out

This keyboard shortcut is also standard across all browsers. You canuse the Ctrl + - (Minus) shortcut on Windows or Command + - (Minus) keys on Macto Zoom out the current web page by 10%. Replace ‘–‘ with ‘+’ and you canZoom In the web page by 10%.

6. Refresh Web Page

Sometimes, you might need to refresh web pages. Instead of tapping the‘Refresh’ button beside the address bar, you can use the Ctrl + R onWindows or Command + R on Mac to refresh the current web page.

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7. Switch to a Specific Tab

While dealing with dozens of open web pages, it can be confusing to switch between them using the tab bar. You can always use number key along to figure the respective tab and use the Ctrl + 1 to 8 or Command + 1 to 8 keys to switch. For example, if you use Ctrl + 4 then the browser will move you to the fourth tab.

If you have opened more than eight tabs, then you can use the Ctrl + 9 on Windows or Command + 9 on Mac keyboard shortcut, and jump to the last tab on the browser.

8. Put Cursor in Search Bar

I use this shortcut several times a day. Users can opt for the Ctrl + L on Windows or Command + L on Mac and move the cursor to the search bar. Simply start typing the query and hit enter to search term. That will save so much time for you.

9. Open Link in New Tab

This one helps when you are researching for a topic and need to open several tabs from a web page or a google search. Turbotax for macs. To open the link in a new tab, you can hold the Ctrl on Windows or Command on Mac and click the link to open the web page in a new tab. The user stays on the current page. But if you want to move to the opened tab then use the following shortcut.

10. Open Link to New Tab and Switch to That Tab

As the title suggests, you can open a new tab and automatically switch to it. Use Ctrl + Shift on Windows or Command + Shift on Mac and click the link.

11. Open Link in New Window

I usually don’t use this shortcut. If you want to open the new tab directly into a new window, then hold the Shift button and tap on the link on Windows or Mac.

12. Move Forward/Backward

This one is also standard across all browsers. You should opt for Alt + left/right arrow on Windows or Command + left arrow/right arrow on Mac to quickly move forward or backward in the Edge browser.

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13. Clear Browsing Data

We recommend that you should clear the browsing history, cookies, and cache of the browser frequently. Use Ctrl + Shift + Delete on Windows or Command + Shift + Delete on Mac and the Edge browser will open a small window to clear data. Select the relevant option and hit the Clear button at the bottom.

Master Microsoft Edge Keyboard Shortcuts

Memorize the keyboard shortcuts mentioned above and use Microsoft Edge just like your previous favorite browser. You can expect Microsoft to add more keyboard shortcuts for functions like Edge Collections in the future update. How do you like this new Chromium-based Edge browser? Share your experience in the comments section below.

Next up:Thinking about making a switch from Chrome to Edge browser on the desktop? Read the post below to find a comparison between the two.

Edge
The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextEdge Chromium vs Google Chrome: Should You Switch to Microsoft’s New BrowserAlso See#productivity #keyboard

Did You Know

Brian Eno is the brain behind the famous Microsoft sound.

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A while back, Microsoft Edge was just the default Windows 10 web browser. After ditching the old EdgeHTML engine in favor of Chromium, it has finally started to gain serious traction. And rather surprisingly, Microsoft Edge is now also available on the Mac. But how does it stack against Apple's own native Safari browser for macOS?

Safari runs like a charm on the Mac with great performance and battery life. But being based on the Chromium engine does give Microsoft Edge an advantage coming into unfamiliar territory. Google Chrome uses the same browser engine, so adopting Chromium guarantees Edge greater web compatibility.

I've used Microsoft Edge alongside Safari ever since its arrival on the Mac. Here's my take on how Microsoft Edge fares against Safari on Mac.

User Interface

Microsoft Edge doesn't attempt to do anything special compared to Chromium alternatives such as Opera or Vivaldi. But its user interface just works. The default tabs provide a search bar that you can comfortably type into and quick links to sites that you frequently visit. You do get a rather annoying news feed, but it's something that you can quickly turn off.

The browser features a slightly larger-than-average address bar, which makes performing Omnibox searches a breeze. The nifty profile icon also allows you to manage, create, and use multiple profiles conveniently. At the same time, the Edge menu gives instant access to browser settings, extensions, progressive web apps, and other features.

However, Microsoft Edge does feel rather clunky and rough. Animations and transitions feel jarring, and I've often experienced input lag while navigating the user interface. However, those issues aren't that serious to put a dent in your browsing experience. After a while, you won't even notice.

On the other hand, Safari feels smooth and polished to near perfection. But its tiny tab strip and address bar aren't exactly geared toward great user experience. The fact that you have to use the confusing menu bars whenever you want to configure the browser seems rather dated.

Performance

It's almost impossible to beat Safari on the Mac in terms of performance. After all, Apple knows its hardware and software the best. But Microsoft Edge doesn't lag behind with its new Chromium engine. In my experience, Microsoft's browser performs almost on par with Safari.

Furthermore, Microsoft Edge technically has better compatibility withwebsites, once again, due to Chromium engine integration. So if you have trouble accessing asite in Safari, you can almost guarantee that it would load up justfine in Edge.

But what about battery life? Just like any native macOS application, Safari excels in that department.But Chromium has improved its efficiency over the yearson the Mac. So don't expect any rampant battery draining issues withEdge.

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Privacy Protection

Safari provides native protection against third-party cookies that monitor your browsing activity across websites. You can also ramp things up with content blocking extensions, which help a lot to thwart even more web trackers while improving page load times.

Microsoft Edge also doesn't disappoint when it comes to preserving your privacy. The browser comes with an integrated content blocking module dubbed Tracking Prevention. It offers three different levels of protection (Basic, Balanced, and Strict), which range from blocking tracking cookies, malicious scripts, to personalized advertisements.

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Extensions Support

Starting with version 13 of Safari for macOS, Apple completely dropped support for legacy extensions, which was a terrible move (at least in my opinion) despite the concerns over privacy. Hence, the current crop of 'supported extensions' is minimal.

Also, most compatible extensions require a fee to work in the first place. As a power user, I now find Safari a hard sell on the Mac.

The new Microsoft Edge, however, offers an impressive and growing library of extensions. Just head over to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. You can find a ton of add-ons that can dramatically boost your productivity, enhance your shopping or social media experience, and more.

To make things even better, Microsoft Edge lets you install extensions designed for other Chromium browsers such as Google Chrome.

Data Syncing

While Safari is great at syncing bookmarks and passwords via iCloud to your iPhone and iPad, the browser isn't available outside the Apple ecosystem. Therefore, accessing your data on other platforms is often next to impossible. On Windows, the most you can do is sync your Safari bookmarks to Chrome or Firefox. And yes, better forget Android altogether.

Microsoft Edge for the Mac, on the other hand, is truly cross-platform. You can easily access your browsing data (bookmarks, passwords, extensions, etc.) not just on the iPhone and iPad, but also on Windows and Android. Of course, you must have a Microsoft Account to sync your Edge browsing data, but it's incredibly easy to create one.

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Pick Your Weapon Wisely

Microsoft Edge is shaping up to be a terrific web browser on the Mac, with unique features such as Collections starting to differentiate it from the myriad Chromium clones out there. It also receives frequent updates and feature revisions, something that Safari sorely lacks.

Both browsers offer solid privacy-related features, so a switchover depends completely on what else you prefer. If you like a user interface that's easy to use, an extensions library that allows for endless possibilities, or the ability to sync your data across multiple platforms, then Microsoft Edge is worth trying out.

For those of you who don't stray out of the Apple ecosystem much, love the performance and battery life in Safari, or its pure stability and reliability, it's just better to stick to the Mac's native web browser.

Next up:Decided to go with Microsoft Edge on your Mac? Check the next link to easily import your browsing data from other browsers to Microsoft Edge on your Mac.


The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.Read NextHow to Import Browsing Data to Microsoft Edge ChromiumAlso See#Microsoft Edge #safari

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Microsoft Edge was initially code-named Project Spartan.

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