Microsoft has some excellent news for those rocking Edge as their primary desktop browser. During the Build 2023 conference, the company announced its browser redesign with the fan-favorite Mica material, rounded tab corners, content containers, revamped animations, and other visual changes.
Microsoft says the updated design was inspired by customer feedback and the company's desire to create an aesthetically pleasing, easy-to-use browsing experience. As a result, Microsoft Edge now features the Mica material on its toolbar, tab strip, sidebar, and other parts.
In addition, the company is bringing rounded corners for tabs detached from the address bar to make the toolbar, address bar, and tab strip more visually distinct. Finally, you will notice that the profile button has a new home—now it sits in the top-left corner, giving you easier access to profile-related controls and settings.
Another notable change in the new Edge is the container system providing a structural change for a better experience when working with multiple items at once. Edge will place the main content and additional elements in containers with rounded corners complementing the rest of the browser's visuals.
The updated Microsoft Edge is not all about visuals. The company is bringing new capabilities to progressive web apps (PWA) powered by Microsoft Edge. PWAs published in the Microsoft Store will receive support for Payment Request API to allow querying digital product details, viewing existing purchases, checking purchase history, and processing the payment flow between the Microsoft Store and users.
Also, Microsoft is making it easier for developers to optimize their progressive web apps for the sidebar in the Edge browser. According to the company, only a few lines of code are necessary to optimize a PWA for running in Edge's sidebar.
You can learn more about the latest PWA improvements and other app-related changes in the Microsoft Store in our dedicated coverage. Also, be sure to catch up with the rest of Build 2023 news here.
