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Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge is now the second-most popular desktop browser

Microsoft made a surprising move last year when it decided to rebuild its browser based on Chromium, the same foundation as Google Chrome. Now, that move has paid off big as Microsoft’s new Edge is now the second-most popular desktop browser.

Bleeping Computer highlighted NetMarketShare’s report that the new Edge has boosted the browser’s market share considerably, surpassing Mozilla Firefox according the most recent usage data.

Google Chrome still has a commanding lead at nearly 70% of the market, but Edge now sits at 7.59%. That’s up considerably from 5.20% from March 2019 and a very impressive accomplishment for a browser that’s been available for just three months and isn’t the default for Windows quite yet.

This jump makes sense for a few reasons. For one, this is the first time Edge has been available on both Windows and Mac. Plus, since the new Edge is based on Chromium, it’s compatible with all of the popular extensions from Google Chrome which means there’s less of a learning curve for those who switch.

microsoft edge usage google chrome

Google Chrome’s huge numbers would dwarf the competition on this chart

The surge in popularity for Microsoft’s new Edge also explains why Google was so keen to attempt pushing users away through messages on the company’s online services and warnings on the Chrome Web Store.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

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