The PDF reader in Microsoft Edge is getting a big update

Microsoft is updating the PDF reader in the Edge browser with a useful new feature to help you annotate PDFs and highlight sections that might be locked.

Jul 27, 2021 - 22:50

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The PDF reader in Microsoft Edge is getting a big update

The Microsoft 365 roadmap has revealed the PDF reader in Edge will soon be getting a big update. The future update is centered around free-form highlighting, and overall improvements with reading scanned PDF documents.

Coming in Microsoft Edge version 95, Microsoft hopes these features can improve the viewing and markup experience for Edge users. Microsoft also specifically says that viewing and markup will be improved because of freeform highlighters. For those unfamiliar with the terminology, this should allow Edge users to highlight PDF sections where they might not have had previous access to comment.

A sample page in the PDF reader in Microsoft Edge.

The company is targeting an October release for the feature, noting that it is in development in the Edge Beta channel, but some other features are also planned. Windows Latest reports that Microsoft is working on “Free text boxes” where you can add your own comment boxes to select PDFs. Also planned is the ability to navigate PDFs using thumbnails on the left side pane of the browser, a feature already found in Google Chrome.

These are just some Edge features mentioned in the road map. Microsoft has previously confirmed that Edge would be getting the tab group feature from Google Chrome. This would let you arrange tabs by color under a specific name, so you can easily organize open tabs. It even works with Edge’s vertical tabs feature.

Although Edge version 95 is a while away, Microsoft is fresh off the launch of version 92 of the web browser. The release brings a new password health dashboard, which can help you decide if the password you’ve saved is strong enough.

Microsoft Edge is now a lot like Google Chrome, getting updated on a monthly basis. The browser is always getting new features like Vertical Tabs and Kids Mode. Microsoft even invites users to beta test early preview versions through the Edge Insider program to help shape the final release.

Based on the same open-source Chromium engine as Google Chrome, Edge has made huge gains. It recently surpassed Firefox in terms of popularity. Currently, it holds an 8.1% market share, according to Statcounter. That’s only third to Safari’s 9.7% and Chrome’s dominating lead of 68.76%. Firefox is behind in fourth with a 7.17% share.