Microsoft Edge has failed to capture the public’s attention since launching back in 2015, so you can’t really blame the company for switching tacks. According to new reports that first surfaced in Windows Central, the browser isn’t not long for this world. Microsoft could announce its replacement as early as this week.
As for what’s next for the Windows 10 default browser, the company is reportedly looking to Google for some help on that front. The next-gen browser is said to find Microsoft swapping Edge’s EdgeHTML rending engine for Chromium.
All of this is still early stages for the project that has been floating around with the internal name “Anaheim,” but Internet Explorer’s replacement’s replacement will hopefully address some stability and compatibility issues that have hampered adoption. It could also help the browser work better on those ARM-powered Windows machines.
The Chromium-powered browser would likely have more flexbility, should the company ever choose to really go all in on a Chromebook competitor, rather than pushing a stripped-down version of Windows 10. Distinguishing the browser from Chrome will be another question entirely.
Microsoft’s going to need some help on that front if it hopes to regain a solid chunk of browser market share from Google. According to recent numbers, Chrome controls well over half of the global browser market.
Brian Heater was the Hardware Editor at TechCrunch until early 2025. He has worked for a number of leading tech publications, including Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, where he served as the Managing Editor. His writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. He hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares his Queens apartment with a rabbit named Juniper.