Microsoft Edge Dev channel gets handful of tweaks and fixes in latest update

Edge
Edge (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • A new update is rolling out for the Microsoft Edge Dev channel.
  • The update doesn't bring any major additions, but there are plenty of fixes and tweaks.
  • This update is rolling out now as version 81.0.396.0.

The new Microsoft Edge officially rolled out to the public last week, but Microsoft isn't slowing down with development on the browser. A new update is now available for the Microsoft Edge Dev channel, ticking the version number up to 81.0.396.0. This update doesn't pack any major new feature additions, but there are some minor features and several bug fixes tagging along.

Here's a look at everything that's new and fixed in Microsoft Edge Dev channel version 81.0.396.0:

  • Added a dialog to warn users when they're visiting a website that uses out-of-date security settings.
  • Added a setting to enable or disable automatic profile switching (when work or school links are opened are opened in a personal profile, the browser will offer to automatically move that link into a window for the work or school profile).
  • Added support for extensions inside Application Guard windows.
  • Added a dialog to warn users when they sign into a browser profile with a different account than they previously used to sign into the same profile.
  • Fixed an issue where navigating to certain websites sometimes crashes the browser.
  • Fixed an issue where downloading certain items in IE mode causes a browser crash.
  • Fixed an issue where the new tab page sometimes doesn't load properly.
  • Fixed a browser crash.
  • Improved the download status indicator on the Task Bar to only be visible on the icon of a window the download was started from instead of being visible on the icon of every window.
  • Reduced the height of the title bar for websites installed as apps.
  • Fixed an issue where some users can't sign into the browser or sync using a work or school account.
  • Fixed an issue where the profile button has an incorrectly colored background.
  • Fixed an issue where the context menu item to open a link in a particular profile doesn't appear if only a single profile is currently in use.
  • Fixed an issue where the address bar and dropdown appear white when the browser is in dark theme.
  • Fixed an issue where the profile picture on the profile Settings page sometimes doesn't load properly.
  • Fixed an issue where dangerous websites blocked by SmartScreen aren't blocked consistently.
  • Fixed an issue where the options to choose which data types to import during the first run experience don't work and all data types are subsequently imported.
  • Fixed an issue where clicking a favorite on the Favorites management page in order to navigate to that site briefly brings up the editing textbox before the navigation starts.
  • Fixed an issue where clearing browsing history while the History page is visible doesn't update the History page until it's refreshed.
  • Fixed an issue where the translate icon sometimes doesn't appear on Mac when it should.
  • Fixed an issue where certain settings aren't updated in Application Guard windows when the setting is changed in a regular window.
  • Fixed an issue where right clicking on context menu items in a Collection doesn't dismiss the context menu.
  • Fixed an issue where clicking on a note in a Collection to edit the text places the cursor at the beginning of the note instead of the location where it was clicked.
  • Fixed an issue where adding items to a Collection from certain websites results in some information being missing from the entry.
  • Fixed an issue where PDFs that are supposed to be blocked from printing via management policy sometimes aren't.
  • Removed support for the NewTabPageCompanyLogo management policy since it isn't functional.

In addition to everything that's new, there are a number of known issues to be aware of with this update. Here's a look:

  • Users of certain security software packages will see all tabs fail to load with the error STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION. The only way to prevent this behavior is to uninstall that software.
  • After an initial fix for it recently, some users are still experiencing Edge windows becoming all black. UI popups like menus are not affected and opening the Browser Task Manager (keyboard shortcut is shift + esc) and killing the GPU process fixes it. Note that some of these fixes don't yet exist in the Stable channel, and the issue only appears to affect users with certain hardware.
  • Some users are still not seeing Collections being enabled by default on Canary and Dev. For users who want to try Collections, enabling the flag at edge://flags/#edge-collections should still work to turn on the feature.
  • There are some issues where users with multiple audio output devices sometimes don't get any sound from Edge. In one case, Edge becomes muted in the Windows Volume Mixer and unmuting it fixes it. In another, restarting the browser fixes it.
  • At certain zoom levels, there is a noticeable line between the browser UI and the web contents.

If you're already using the Microsoft Edge Dev channel on your PC, then you can grab this update now through the "About Microsoft Edge" section of the Settings menu. It will also download and be ready to install automatically if you don't initiate the update manually. Otherwise, you can download the public release or various Insider releases of Microsoft Edge from the official website now.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl