Microsoft's Excellent Edge Chromium Browser Is Now Being Pushed To Windows 7 And 8.1 Users

Many Windows 10 users have already had Microsoft's latest version of its Edge browser pushed out via a software update. Now users of older versions of Windows will get the same treatment, whether they want the Edge browser or not. Microsoft is currently pushing the new Chromium Edge browser to users on Windows 7 SP1 or later and Windows 8.1 and later that are on Home, Professional, Ultimate, Starter, or Core editions.

The good news for network administrators in large organizations is that Microsoft promises any of those editions that are running on Active Directory or Azure Active Directory domain will be excluded from the automatic update. Microsoft very much wants all Windows users, no matter the version of the operating system they are on, to use the new browser. It wants to regain market share that was lost over the years to the likes of Google Chrome and others, 

The software giant says that the new browser offers best-in-class compatibility with extensions and websites. Edge promises support for the latest rendering capabilities, modern web applications, and developer tools across all supported OS platforms. Once the update with the browser is installed, it will automatically add Edge to the taskbar and as a desktop shortcut. Those who prefer Internet Explorer will still have that option as Edge won't replace the older browser.

The update also reportedly won't replace the user's default browser. That means users on Firefox or Chrome won't have to set those browsers as default again after the update is applied. The worst-case scenario is users may have to remove shortcuts on the taskbar if they don't want Edge. Microsoft is pushing the Chromium-based Edge browser to Windows 7 and 8.1 users despite saying in the past that users of those versions of the operating system would have to download the browser manually.

Microsoft wants to leverage all Windows users for market share for its new browser, whether or not it still supporting the operating system. Windows 7, for instance, hasn't been officially supported since January. Microsoft began rolling out the Edge browser to Windows 10 users earlier this month.