Microsoft to Bundle New Edge with Next Version of Windows

We knew it was coming, eventually, and it’s official today. Microsoft is going to start bundling its new Edge browser with the next version of Windows that will arrive this fall.

While most IT Pros already know by now, but if you are not aware, Microsoft’s new Edge is built on Chromium and I have been using it for more than a year. If you can use Chrome without any issues in your environment, you should be able to use new Edge without much hassle.

The other change, while only in the name, is that the company is moving away from its version control references. Currently, Microsoft names versions of Windows with a number that is year/month – the latest version released this spring is known as Windows 10 2004.

But this name can be confusing as Windows 10 2004 looks like a year, not a year/month combo. Going forward and starting this fall, Microsoft will call this version Windows 10 20H2, H2 meaning second half. Following the same logic, the next spring release will be called Windows 10 21H1.

Microsoft has already started bundling the new Edge with some of its hardware, my Surface Go 2 and Book 3 review units both had the new Edge pre-installed. While I don’t think the new Edge shipping with Windows 10 20H2 is going to cause any major issues for IT Pros, it is something you need to know about in the event that you need to block the browser.

And if you do need to block the browser, I would be curious to know why you need to do so? But, if you need a tutorial about how to do that, you can find the information here.