Microsoft has published specifics behind its earlier claims that 8GB Windows 11 machines now run up to 20% more responsively and 40% faster at multitasking. Since January, changes include faster Start menu, File Explorer and Settings access, quicker Edge launches, default Efficiency Mode in Teams, and apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook using up to 360MB less RAM. Microsoft also points to features like sleeping inactive tabs after 15 minutes and on-demand widget loading as further memory-saving measures.
engadget.com
· 2026-11-03
Microsoft released a Windows 11 update that it says makes the OS up to 20 percent more responsive and multitasking up to 40 percent faster on PCs with 8GB of RAM, according to Windows chief Pavan Davuluri. The gains come largely from improved memory compression, letting Windows keep up to 2GB more active data in RAM rather than offloading it to slower disk storage, alongside memory-saving changes to Edge, widgets, and Microsoft 365 apps that Davuluri says cut committed-memory growth by up to 900MB.
theverge.com
· 2026-11-03
Security researcher Orange Tsai of DEVCORE publicly detailed a Microsoft Edge sandbox-escape exploit chain built entirely from five logic bugs and two Windows features, with no memory corruption or AI assistance involved. The chain earned him $175,000 and 17.5 Master of Pwn points at Pwn2Own Berlin 2026, and he has since presented the full methodology at HITCON and Hexacon.
blog.orange.tw
· 2026-10-29
The Browser Choice Alliance, a group of rival browser makers, commissioned the Behavioural Insights Team to study Microsoft's tactics for keeping users on Edge. The resulting report identifies 10 'dark patterns,' including ads that discourage downloading rival browsers, incomplete default-browser switches, Windows S mode restrictions, and links in Widgets, Search, lock screens, Outlook and Teams that open in Edge regardless of a user's chosen default.
techspot.com
· 2026-10-28
Microsoft released KB5134133 for Windows 11 and KB5134125 for Windows 10 on October 26 to remove trust in certificates linked to eight compromised eMudhra intermediate certificate authority keys. The updates target systems without internet access or automatic certificate trust list updates, removing seven certificates including six eMudhra G3 roots and an AAA Certificate Services cross-sign from the Windows trust store.
bleepingcomputer.com
· 2026-10-27
A new analysis argues that Chrome's reputation for excessive memory use is largely an internet meme rather than a data-backed fact, comparing it to similarly exaggerated claims about Microsoft Edge being slow. The piece acknowledges Chrome does use RAM as needed, but says this has not been a significant practical problem either in 2016 or in 2026.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-25
Mozilla says it met with Microsoft to discuss concerns from its 87-page report on how Windows pushes Edge, but found the company unresponsive. Mozilla counsel Kush Amlani points to post-update prompts that set Edge as default and Start menu links that open in Edge outside Europe, contrasting this with EU versions of Windows where such defaults respect user choice due to local law.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-19
Microsoft has reissued a reminder to enterprise IT admins that IE Mode, the legacy compatibility feature in Edge that runs sites using Internet Explorer's old Trident/MSHTML engine, will be discontinued by the end of 2029. The notice, sent via the Microsoft 365 admin center, reaffirms a 2021 commitment and asks organizations to begin planning now to migrate old applications away from IE dependencies.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-21
Microsoft is adding automated AI checks to its Edge extension review pipeline as vibe-coding tools drive a sharp rise in add-on submissions. The AI will handle repeatable validation checks and flag common security issues, while human reviewers focus on more complex cases.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-10
Brave released new benchmark data asserting its desktop browser consumes 44% less CPU, 28% less memory, and 10% less energy than Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, while loading full pages about 20% faster. The company attributes the gains largely to blocking ads, trackers, and analytics scripts that would otherwise generate extra background processing after the visible page content loads.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-08
Microsoft has updated its Edge documentation to formally list which Linux distributions are officially supported, including Ubuntu 18.04+, Debian 10+, openSUSE 15.5+, and Fedora Linux 39+ on 64-bit systems. Edge has run on Linux for years unofficially, but this marks the first formal support list, arriving roughly seven years after Google published a similar list for Chrome.
techspot.com
· 2026-09-03
Microsoft has introduced a referral scheme that gives Edge users 500 Microsoft Rewards points—about $0.45—for each friend who installs Edge Mobile and searches with it on two separate days within a 14-day window. Monthly earnings are capped at 7,500 points, roughly $6.82 in Xbox or Microsoft gift card value. The program applies to Edge on Android and iOS and had earlier surfaced in a Canary test build before rolling out broadly.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-08-24
GoKawiil