Earlier today, Microsoft released Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14291 which finally includes support for extensions in the Edge browser. Find out how to install these add-ons after the bump.
Ever since Microsoft Edge was released, the lack of extensions support has been a real sore point for more advanced users. Without a dedicated ad blocker, or ways to save pages to Pocket / Instapaper, it just didn’t feel like a complete browser.
With the latest Insider build, however, this one big sore point is gone. Build 14291 allows you to add on plugins to Microsoft Edge. As of typing, there are only three plugins available for use – we’ll cover them one-by-one – and you have to sideload them manually instead of downloading them from the Windows Store.
In this post, we will discuss the current method of installing extensions in Edge for Insider builds. We will later update this guide to discuss how to download and set up extensions in Windows 10’s public release.
Currently Available List Of Extensions In Microsoft Edge
The current list of extensions for Edge are quite limited. This is understandably so: Microsoft is testing extensions before releasing them to everyone. It makes sense to keep a handful of extensions for deeper testing. Here’s what’s available:
- Microsoft Translator can translate webpages written in foreign languages with the press of a button. It includes support for 50+ languages.
- Reddit Enhancement Suite is my personal favorite. It adds a number of features to Reddit’s interface which drastically improve the user experience. If you intend on using Reddit, don’t go with RES.
- Mouse Gestures allows you to perform basic browsing related actions by making gestures with your mouse. You can right-click anywhere, and then perform the gesture to execute actions like moving back, opening a new tab, closing the current one, etc.
Now let’s discuss how to download these extensions and get them running in your Edge browser.
Steps To Set Up Extensions In Microsoft Edge
Adding add-ons to Microsoft Edge is rather simple at the moment.
Step 1: Launch the Edge browser.
Step 2: Click on the More button in top-right corner – the one with the three dots.
Step 3: Click on Extensions.
Step 4: You should see the ‘Get Extensions’ link at the bottom of the Extensions menu. Click on that.
Step 5: You will be taken to a page where you can see the full list of available add-ons. From here, click on the Download button on your extension of choice. I tried out Reddit Enhancement Suite.
Step 6: Click on the Run button when the download dialog box shows. This will extract the contents of the package in your Downloads folder.
Step 7: Go back to the Extensions menu as in Step 4, and click on the Load Extension button at the bottom.
Step 8: Select the folder of the extension you just downloaded in the Downloads folder.
That’s it! The preview extension will now have installed in your browser.
Please note again that this method applies only to the Insider Preview Build where extensions have to be installed manually. When Microsoft releases Edge extensions to all Windows 10 users in a future Redstone update, these extensions will be downloaded and installed in just two clicks from the Windows Store. We will update this guide, or write another tutorial when that happens.
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