Microsoft revamped their iconic Edge browser with the Chromium based open source software. In addition to new look there are many new Bing AI features available with Edge Chromium version. If you are impressed with the new browser on your Windows computer, you can also try to use on other platforms as well. In our earlier article, we have explained how to use Edge browser in iOS and here is how you can install Microsoft Edge in Mac.
Downloading Edge for Mac
On iOS and Android phones, you can easily download and install Edge from respective App Stores. Unfortunately, Microsoft does not offer Edge through Mac App Store. You have to download the installer package from their website to install Edge on Mac. Open Safari browser and go to the official Microsoft Edge download page. Remember, to use Safari for downloading the Edge app. If you use Chrome or other browser in Mac to download the app, it may not work after installation.
If you are accessing the page from Mac, you will see a “Download Edge” button clicking on which will automatically redirect you foe downloading macOS version.
If you are downloading the app from Windows or any other operating system, click the “Download for macOS” button.
Since, Apple offers Mac with Intel and Apple Chips, you will be prompted to select your Mac version. You check the Mac processor details by clicking on Apple logo menu and go to “About This Mac” option. If you are using old macOS versions, make sure to check under “Overview” tab to find your processor is Intel or Apple M series chip. After confirming your Mac version, click the corresponding button to download the file.
On the next screen, uncheck the box if you do not want to share the diagnostic data with Microsoft. Click on “Accept and download” button to start downloading the installer package from the website.
If prompted, click on the “Allow” button in the next pop-up to allow Safari downloading the file from Microsoft website.
The download will automatically start and you will see a thank you message like below.
In case if you use Chrome to download, after downloading the file you will see a message like below warning that .pkg files may harm your Mac. Click “Keep” to retain the file.
Again, use Safari to download the file to avoid app crashing issues after installation. After downloading the file, click on the “Show downloads” button and choose the “Show in Finder” lens icon.
Alternatively, go to “Downloads” folder and find the installer package file.
Installing Edge in Mac
Double click on the installer package to run the installation process. It will take you through a wizard to follow the steps.
Click on “Continue” button and install the Edge browser on your Mac. During the process, you will see lot of notifications and need to provide access by entering admin password or with Touch ID. You should finally see a success message indicating the installation is completed.
Click “Close” button and choose “Move to Trash” if prompted to delete the installer package file.
Note that Edge will add Microsoft AutoUpdate app along with the browser app. This will help to automatically download and install the latest version in Mac. You will see a “Background Items Added” notification for this and it is possible to disable Edge auto update by changing the setting in Microsoft AutoUpdate when it pops up.
Accessing Edge Browser in Mac
After completion of installation, Edge will open automatically. Otherwise, go to “Applications” folder and open Microsoft Edge app. If you are lucky, you will see the browser opening. In most cases, you will see the Edge app bounces few times on the dock and crash without opening. Check out the below options, if you face any problems after installing the app.
- Make sure you have used Safari to download the app with data sharing checkbox enabled. The app will crash if you have downloaded through Chrome, Firefox or any other third-party app.
- Delete the app, installer package and reinstall it again.
- If you see the Microsoft AutoUpdate pops up, click “Update All” button to get the latest updates. enable
- Restart you Mac and try to access Edge.
Checkout this thread on Microsoft forum to find any other solution can work for you.
Initial Setup
When you are able to open Edge on your Mac, you will see a “Welcome to Microsoft Edge tailored for macOS” screen like below and click on “Complete setup” button.
Choose the style for your new tab page from one of the available options and click “Confirm” button. You can change this later by clicking on the gear icon showing on the new tab page.
Next, login to your Microsoft account to sync the browsing activities across all your devices. We recommend using this as collections and other features will be more useful when logged in to your account. Otherwise, click on “Continue without Signing in” link to proceed further.
Finally, Edge will prompt you to import browser data from Safari. You can either close that pop-up or click on “Learn how” link to learn more on moving your favorites and reading list to Edge.
Using Bing AI in Edge for Mac
For using Bing AI, you should first get approval from Microsoft as explained in this article using your Microsoft account. After that follow the below steps:
- Go to edge://settings/sidebar page in Mac Edge app.
- Enable “Always show sidebar” option.
- You will see the sidebar with list of apps on the right side of the app.
- Bing AI Chat is the first icon and click on it.
- Now, you can start chat conversations, compose email or blog post or view insights of the current page using Bing AI right within Edge browser.
Other Notable Features in Microsoft Edge for Mac
After lengthy process of installation and setup, you will see the welcome page from Microsoft offering lots of tips on using Edge Chromium version on Mac.
Here are some of the wonderful features that you should try with Edge on Mac:
- Click on the “Collections” icon showing right to the address bar to start collecting similar webpages. This is useful when you are doing a research for collecting group of webpages for accessing later on another device.
- Similar to Google Chrome, you can access all settings using shortcut command URL from the address bar. For example, edge://settings will take you to the settings page and edge://settings/appearance to appearance section.
- Setup custom security level and try family mode to share the browser with your family members.
- Add website apps, extensions and change the appearance with different themes.
- Use “Read Aloud” feature to allow Edge reading the page content for you.
Final Words
Microsoft Edge with Chromium version is completely a different browser compared to earlier versions. If you use Windows PC / phone along with Mac / iPhone, then you will love the features of the latest app. However, most of the features will exactly look like Google Chrome which may annoy you if you hate Chrome. In addition, you may also miss some old version’s features like adding notes.
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