Windows 10 still carries two versions of Edge as well as Internet Explorer, but the headcount of Microsoft’s browsers is about to be trimmed from three to two, as the software giant has officially confirmed that it’s about to kill off the old Edge.
The two spins of Edge are the new Chromium-based one, and the legacy Edge that came with Windows 10 when the OS was first launched. Even if you’ve already moved to the shiny new Chromium-powered Edge, the old Edge is still hanging around in the background of your system – essentially it’s present, but hidden.
However, with an incoming cumulative update, Microsoft has said that this legacy Edge browser will finally be completely removed from Windows 10, and those who are still using it will be compelled to switch to the new version of Edge.
Clues to this happening have already been spotted earlier this week, thanks to a language pack discovered in Windows 10 21H2 preview builds, which led us to speculate that perhaps the legacy Edge was going to be ditched when that second update of 2021 arrived, later in the year.
However, old Edge will get its comeuppance much sooner than that, with April 13 being the official date Microsoft has given.
Cessation of support
In a blog post flagged up by C-Net, Microsoft confirmed that official support for Edge is ending on March 9, and that: “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 same thing will also happen for those who install the preview cumulative update (or “C” release) for March, which is an optional update.
Don’t worry if you’ve already installed the new Edge – the patch won’t mess with your current browser installation, or reinstall Chromium-based Edge; it will only remove the legacy Edge from Windows 10, freeing up a bit of drive space and getting rid of some system clutter.
