Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser intends to support existing Chrome extensions, a member of the software’s development team has confirmed on Reddit (via Thurrott). The announcement will be good news for anyone who relies on the thousands of extensions in Chrome’s library which add functionality ranging from integrating password managers and project management apps, to one that simply replaces Elon Musk’s name with ‘Grimes’s Boyfriend’ whenever it appears on a webpage.
“It’s our intention to support existing Chrome extensions,” Edge Project manager Kyle Alden confirmed in response to a series of questions about how the new browser, which Microsoft confirmed it was working on last week, will work. The exact wording means that there’s a chance the functionality might not arrive, but considering existing Chrome-based browsers like Vivaldi also support its extensions, there’s little technical reason why it wouldn’t be possible.
Outside of extension support, Alden also confirmed that the team’s current intention is to bring the new browser to “all Microsoft devices.” Although this comment was posted in response to someone asking if the browser would come to Xbox One, it also raises the interesting possibility of the new browser coming to Microsoft’s Hololens headset.
Finally, the Microsoft project manager also shed some new light on how progressive web apps (PWAs) will work. These are apps that are built to look like native pieces of software using a wrapper around web content. Alden confirmed that the team expects to support installing PWAs directly from the browser (as Chrome does), as well as through the Microsoft Store (the approach currently favored by Edge). Alden also confirmed that the team intends to continue to support EdgeHTML/Chakra so as to not break old PWA apps that still rely on its old engine.