Microsoft has been slowly rewriting its desktop Edge web browser with faster responsiveness. According to the company, most interface elements in the browser now load in under 300ms, making the entire browser feel much snappier overall.
The goal of loading content in under 300ms was not picked randomly. According to Microsoft, studies show that if users wait longer than 300 to 400ms to see content, their satisfaction drops significantly. By beating this important threshold, Microsoft Edge makes sure that the most commonly used browser features appear almost instantly, letting users interact with content without delay. The result is a smoother and more enjoyable browsing experience.
Since a previous update, Microsoft Edge has cut load times by an average of 40% across 13 different browser features while also improving overall responsiveness. This includes many functions that are important for daily browsing. For example, the Settings page now opens and lets users move around much faster. Watch the video below to see this in effect; I honestly can’t believe how fast it is.
The “Read aloud” feature has also improved, offering AI-powered reading of webpages in more languages, accents, and voices, with faster startup and smoother playback. Users who rely on “Split screen” can now switch between tasks and windows almost instantly, with much less waiting. Additionally, “Workspaces” has become more responsive and intuitive as soon as a page loads, letting users start working without annoying delays.
This latest round of improvements follows earlier efforts by Microsoft to speed up Edge. Justa few months ago, with the release of Edge 132, Microsoft had already made many parts of the browser’s interface faster. At that time, at least 14 different areas of the interface were, on average, 40% quicker than before.
This time around, Microsoft has improved the Downloads, Drop, History, and the inPrivate new tab experience. These small but steady improvements, added with each update, combine to make the browser much faster overall. While users may not have noticed every single change as it happened, it feels like night and day when you compare the speed of the browser at the end of last year against today’s speed.
Moving forward, Microsoft will work to make Edge even faster. The company has made it clear that the current upgrades are not the end. In the coming months, you’re able to expect more performance improvements across additional features. Specific functions set for future upgrades include Print Preview and Extensions.
