Skip to main content

Windows 10 build finally brings extensions to Edge browser

Microsoft Edge Browser
Image used with permission by copyright holder
When Microsoft launched its Edge browser alongside Windows 10 last year, a lack of support for extensions prompted many users to hold off on making the jump. Now, the company is distributing a Redstone Preview Build for Insiders that remedies that omission, perhaps giving some a reason to look at the app with fresh eyes.

Build 14291 is currently rolling out to users in the fast ring of the Insider program, and offers up three extensions to be tested, according to a report from WinBeta. Leading the pack is Microsoft Translator, a handy tool that can automatically translate pages using a library of over 50 different languages.

There’s also a Mouse Gestures extension that adds some extra control options for browsing the Web. Rounding out this initial trio is a version of the Reddit Enhancement Suite, a selection of tweaks that make browsing threads on the hugely popular site a little more palatable.

To gain access to these extensions once you’ve updated to Build 14291, click the More button in the top-right corner of the Edge UI and click Extensions. From there, you should be able to select Get Extensions to gain access to the three test subjects that are currently available.

The addition of support for extensions may well be a game changer for the scores of users who have been holding off putting Edge through its paces. Microsoft notes that this is just the beginning for this functionality, with popular extensions from partners including Evernote, Lastpass, and Adblock Plus set to be made available later this year.

Build 14291 also gives users the ability to pin tabs in Edge, among other improvements to the app. The update also adds new features and UI refinements to Maps, polishes the Alarms & Clock app, adds some new methods of Japanese text input, and streamlines the Insider Hub and Windows Feedback apps into the Feedback Hub.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
Microsoft finally kills this legacy Windows app — for good this time
Skype shown on a laptop screen.

Microsoft has finally retired support on Skype for Business software, after announcing its pending deprecation during a November 2023 update.

Users will no longer have access to Skype for Business servers. They will not be able to access the XML settings for Skype for Business or have the ability to sign in for support to Skype for Business meetings, Microsoft said.

Read more
Windows 11 might nag you about AI requirements soon
Copilot on a laptop on a desk.

After recent reports of new hardware requirements for the upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update, it is evident that Microsoft is gearing up to introduce a bunch of new AI features. A new report now suggests that the company is working on adding new code to the operating system to alert users if they fail to match the minimum requirements to run AI-based applications.

According to Albacore on X (formerly known as Twitter), systems that do not meet the requirements will display a warning message in the form of a watermark. After digging into the latest Windows 11 Insider Build 26200, he came across requirements coded in the operating system for an upcoming AI File Explorer feature. The minimum requirement includes an ARM64 processor, 16GB of memory, 225GB of total storage, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite NPU.

Read more
The next big Windows 11 update has a new hardware requirement
Windows 11 device sitting on a stool.

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 11 24H2 update is expected to arrive with yet another hardware requirement. Centered around SSE4.2 or Streaming SIMD Extensions 4.2, a crucial component for modern processors, the new Windows 11 24H2 with build 26080 will only boot on CPUs that support the instruction set.

This information comes from Bob Pony on X (previously known as Twitter), following earlier reports in February where he claimed that CPUs lacking support for the POPCNT instruction were no longer compatible with Windows 11. The updated requirement is essentially the same, except that they now mandate the entire SSE 4.2 instruction set instead of just the POPCNT instruction within it, as was previously required.

Read more