History syncing toggle shows up in Microsoft Edge Canary channel

News
By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
published

History sync may not be in the launch version of Microsoft Edge, but Canary testers are close to getting a taste.

Microsoft Edge logo on Start menu
Microsoft Edge logo on Start menu (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • The first signs of history syncing are now in the Edge Canary channel.
  • A toggle for the feature now appears in sync settings.
  • The feature isn't live yet, but will be turned on "as soon as it's ready," Microsoft says.

History syncing is nearly ready to test in the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge. The feature started showing up, at least as a toggle, in the latest update to the Edge Canary channel (via Richard Hay), though it isn't active yet.

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In the browser's sync settings, you'll now find a "History" toggle listed alongside passwords, settings, open tabs, and collections. Once the feature is live, you'll be able to keep your browsing history synced between Edge on other devices, making for a less fragmented experience.

That consistency between browser instances is part of Microsoft's overall effort to make Edge a seamless experience between platforms. Because Edge is or will be available across Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS (and in the future, Linux), Microsoft wants there to be as few barriers as possible to picking up where you left off on any given device. Using Chromium as a base helps to ease that process somewhat, but features like collections are areas where Edge stands out across all platforms.

Microsoft is gearing up to launch the stable version of the new Edge on January 15 for Windows and macOS. At launch, history syncing, extension syncing, and ARM64 support won't be available in the stable version, as Neowin recently reported. However, that the first signs of history syncing have popped up in Canary could mean that it's not far behind.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
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.