While the latest news about Edge has been mostly positive (a better password manager, a new productivity feature, and an upcoming redesign), Microsoft is about to give its browser one of the worst changes it’s ever received. Edge Insiders in Dev and Canary channels noticed a new button on the toolbar that looks and works really amazing.
This feature called “Discover” is Microsoft’s new attempt to impose recommended content in Edge, and everything about this feature is 100% wrong. For starters, it sits where the menu button used to be, and trying to open the browser’s menu (or close Edge) will result in annoying misclicks.
Questionable visuals are another thing that will grind the gears of consumers. Microsoft Edge is a minimalistic browser with simple icons that don’t attract unnecessary attention and don’t get in your way. The “Discover” button looks like a complete afterthought that will engage you with its bright purple icon. While it’s similar to the rest of the sidebar (assuming you’re using it), the real problem isn’t getting any smaller. And a funny coincidence is that the only button that you can’t reposition or remove from the toolbar is responsible for showing. Advertisements Recommended content.
And the worst offender is, the fact that “discovery” opens On the hor, not when you click it. Remember Windows users hating Microsoft for opening News & Interests (Windows 10) and Windows Widgets (Windows 11) on hover? A lot of negative feedback caused Microsoft to reconsider its choice and add an option to open widgets on click. Unfortunately, the company isn’t learning its lesson — a hover or click opens the “Discover” tab, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
Edge Insiders already hate the new “Discover” tab, and the Edge Insider forums are slowly filling up with heated comments. One can only hope that Microsoft comes to its senses and realizes that it needs to at least give users the option to hide or disable the “Discover” button. Otherwise, frustrated users will switch to other browsers, leaving Edge stagnant with its 11% market share.
