Microsoft Edge Password Manager Can Now Log Into Mobile Apps

Microsoft Edge has come a long way since it switched from Microsoft's homegrown edgeHTML engine to Chromium. It gained quite a number of useful feature that helps it compete with other Chromium-based web browsers, including Google Chrome. Those features are coming into focus as Microsoft prepares for the upcoming academic year with a few bits and pieces that make Edge a better partner for planning the school year safely.

Thanks to its common roots, Microsoft Edge is able to gain some level of compatibility with existing Chrome browser extensions. Of course, Microsoft has its own set, like the Outlook extension that lets you access your calendar, email, and tasks without having to leave the browser. Edge, however, also has a few built-in features that give it an edge, pardon the pun, over the competition.

Collections, for example, is like a read-it-later and Pinterest service rolled into one. Although it primarily lets you save links to pages and make notes on them, Microsoft is expanding the kind of things you can stash inside a collection. You can now save web captures, for instance, which is Edge's term for web page screenshots that you can annotate with drawings or text.

One of the biggest improvements that Microsoft is introducing in Edge can be found in the built-in password manager. Edge now notifies users if their password is too weak or has already been used in other sites so that users can take action if needed. The mobile version of Edge can now also use the credentials saved in the browser to log into mobile apps like Instagram.

Microsoft Edge also features built-in tools to make shopping, particularly for back-to-school supplies, a bit easier. Naturally, Microsoft wants users to pair it with Bing shopping search results and has even created a special Back to School Hub for that very purpose.