Microsoft Auto Sends Edge Browser To Windows 7 And Windows 8.1

Microsoft has now decided to automatically deliver the new Chromium-based Edge web browser for the older Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 operating systems. This is clear from an updated support document.

This was discovered by Neowin – there was no separate announcement from Microsoft. This is a bit surprising, as the company had previously announced that users of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 Edge had to install manually. According to the recently updated KB article, the new Edge now comes via the Windows update function. Why was there this change? Microsoft is currently silent about this. However, it is clear that anyone who uses a Home, Professional, Ultimate, Starter, or Core edition of the OS will now be offered Edge.

The support article states

“This update is not targeted at enterprise devices. This update specifically targets devices that are running Windows 7 SP1 or later versions and Windows 8.1 or later versions that are either Home, Professional, Ultimate, Starter, or Core editions are. Devices that run these editions in Active Directory or Azure Active Directory domain are also excluded from this automatic update. ” A few more details about the offered update can be found in KB4567409

There it says that there are no further requirements for Windows 8.1 users to apply the update. For Windows 7 SP1, however, it must be checked whether the SHA-2 update (KB4474419, published from September 23, 2019) has already been installed. The Servicing Stack Update KB4490628 must also be installed. Further information can be found in the support document.

Improvements and corrections

The update includes the following quality improvements:

• The new Microsoft Edge is pinned to the taskbar and a shortcut is added to the desktop. If your current version of Microsoft Edge already has a shortcut, it will be replaced.
• Internet Explorer is not replaced with the new Microsoft Edge.
• The default browser is not changed with this update
• For information about viewing supported features, see the status of the Microsoft Edge platform.

Do you still have an old OS running and have already discovered the update? Share your experience with us in the comments.