Microsoft has announced that an upcoming Windows 10 update will replace Edge Legacy with the new version.
Microsoft Edge is the company’s replacement for Internet Explorer. Originally, Edge used Microsoft’s own in-house rendering engine. As part of the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, Microsoft unveiled the new version of Edge. The new version is based on Chromium, the same open source foundation for Google’s Chrome. This allows Edge to take advantage of Chrome’s popularity and compatibility.
Microsoft has announced it is ending support for Edge Legacy on March 9. As a result, to prevent users from using an outdated, insecure browser, Microsoft is removing Edge Legacy and replacing it with the Chromium-based version.
To replace this out of support application, we are announcing that the new Microsoft Edge will be available as part of the Windows 10 cumulative monthly security update—otherwise referred to as the Update Tuesday (or “B”) release—on April 13, 2021. When you apply this update to your devices, the out of support Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop application will be removed and the new Microsoft Edge will be installed. The new Microsoft Edge offers built-in security and our best interoperability with the Microsoft security ecosystem, all while being more secure than Chrome for businesses on Windows 10.
While some users may be put off by the thought of Microsoft removing a copy of their program, in this case the company is doing the responsible thing. Web browsers are one of the most commonly exploited attack vectors, so Microsoft removing an outdated and unsupported browser will likely go a long way toward protecting user security.