What you need to know
- A new update is now available for the Microsoft Edge Dev channel.
- The main thrust of this update is the addition of 3D view for developers.
- Microsoft also says it's discussing hte return of legacy features, like "Set Aside" for tabs.
Microsoft Edge testers using the Dev channel can get their hands on a new update today. The latest release, which pushes the build number up to 81.0.403.1, brings a few news features and bug fixes to the table. Most notably, this update introduces the 3D viewer tool for developers.
3D viewer is a tool that lets developers get a look at the Document Object Model (DOM) depth, allowing you to see how different elements of a webpage stack. Microsoft also recently added a new z-Index view to the viewer that "helps you isolate the different stacking contexts of your page."
Finally, Microsoft confirmed that it has started discussing two features that users miss from Edge Legacy: Set Aside Tabs and Warn on Close. There's no guarantee we'll see these features return, but it's good to hear they're at least a part of discussions going on with the Edge team.
Here's a rundown of what's new and improved with the latest Edge Dev channel update.
- Enabled the 3D viewer tool in the F12 Developer Tools.
- Enabled localization of the F12 Dev tools so they will match the language the rest of the browser is using.
- Enabled the link on the … menu to the Extensions management page in Application Guard windows now that extensions have been enabled.
- Fixed an issue where navigating to certain websites causes a browser crash.
- Fixed an issue where websites that use Windows' credential prompt in order to log in sometimes cause a browser crash.
- Fixed an issue where using Collections sometimes causes a browser crash when closing a window.
- Fixed an issue where certain DRM-protected video doesn't play on Windows Insider builds.
- Fixed an issue where certain DRM-protected video doesn't play on certain devices.
- Temporarily hid the Global Media Controls button that was inherited from Chromium.
- Improved the white flashes that sometimes occur in Dark Theme when loading internal webpages like Favorites, History, etc.
- Fixed an issue where Spellcheck is sometimes not enabled by default.
- Fixed an issue where editing favorites on the Favorites management page sometimes causes folders to unexpectedly close or open.
- Improved Browser Task Manager's persistence of column widths.
- Fixed an issue where there were two context menu entries to move a tab to a new window.
- Fixed an issue where attempting to translate a page into the same language it's already in causes the Translate popup not to show the current language correctly.
- Fixed an issue where the Done or Next button sometimes doesn't appear during the First Run Experience.
- Fixed an issue where parts of Collections are inappropriately hidden when the browser's zoom level is set to greater than 100%.
- Fixed an issue where pressing Shift+Tab when editing text in a Collection unexpectedly exits text editing mode.
- Fixed an issue where pasting text into a Collection sometimes shows black on dark text when using Dark Theme.
- Fixed text formatting issues when pasting text into a Collection.
- Fixed an issue where the option to Read Aloud is shown in places where it can't be used.
- Fixed an issue where the list of voices available in Read Aloud sometimes isn't correct.
- Fixed an issue where Read Aloud sometimes doesn't read long phrases properly when using certain voices.
- Fixed an issue on Mac where websites installed as apps still have a too-tall title bar.
For more on this release, you can check out Microsoft's full blog post for a look at the release notes and known issues. You can download any one of the Microsoft Edge test builds to get started at the Edge Insider site. Those who are already on the Dev channel can grab today's update now.
