Microsoft: Current and new Edge browser can run side by side

Users who want to continue using the existing EdgeHTML-based Edge browser after January 15 can do so, Microsoft reports. Microsoft replaces the browser with a Chromium-based version, but does not remove ‘Edge Legacy’.

To continue using the browser, Windows 10 users have to go through some manual steps. Once users install the stable-channel version of Edge on Chromium, it will replace the current version of Edge, which Microsoft now calls Edge Legacy. However, the old browser will not disappear from Windows 10, but will be hidden. Users who want to use both browsers side by side can set this up via the Group Policy Editor or Edit Group Policy.

In the Microsoft Edge Update settings, users can choose ‘Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience’ to run both versions. If the new Edge is already on the system, users will have to go through the installation again and also have to re-pin the Legacy version to the start menu and taskbar.

Incidentally, users can also run the Canary, Dev, and Beta versions of Edge on Chromium side by side. Microsoft announced in a document earlier this week that it will begin distributing Edge on Chromium via Windows Update on January 15. In doing so, the company would “replace” the old version, making it appear as if the company would remove the browser.