Microsoft testing an Edge feature that adds a second taskbar to Windows

[midian182]

In brief: Do you ever wish for a second, less-useful taskbar in Windows? Microsoft thinks you do, which is why the company is testing the ability to detach Edge's Sidebar feature and attach it to the side of your Windows 10 or 11 desktop.

As spotted by GeekerMag, the latest Edge canary release (114.0.1791.0) adds a new function to Edge that allows browser users to remove the Sidebar and stick it to the side of the Windows desktop. The process is performed by clicking a Detach button next to the Settings icon in the bottom-right corner of the bar.

The Edge Sidebar is customizable, allowing users to quickly access Search, Tools, Games, Office, Shopping, Outlook, and more. You can also pin your favorite websites to it. But the feature's most popular function these days is the recent addition of the GPT-4-powered "Copilot" AI assistant, which is opened by clicking the Bing Chat icon. It can chat, offer insights, and compose messages just like other generative AIs. It can also create images at a user's request.

Being able to stick the Edge Sidebar onto the Windows desktop might be something some users actually appreciate (let us know your thoughts in the poll below). But then some could see it as Microsoft yet again adding something that nobody asked for to Windows.

Image courtesy of Neowin

While a lot less invasive than some of the features Microsoft often introduces, this one looks like another push by Redmond to get more people off Chrome and onto Edge. This year, it has added a web video upscaler that works on Nvidia and AMD GPUs, integrated the Adobe Acrobat PDF rendering engine, and introduced several AI features.

It seems Microsoft's additions to Edge are improving its popularity slightly. Statcounter writes that the browser's global market share reached 4.64% in March, up from 4.46% during January.

Another new feature Microsoft might introduce to its OS (Windows 11 only) that's causing debate was discovered earlier this week. It appears that the Redmond firm is planning on changing the Print Screen button into a key that opens the Windows 11 Snipping Tool.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/98316-microsoft-edge-test-could-add-second-taskbar-windows.html

 

[psycros]

They just need to bring back a Vista-style sidebar with updated, secure gadgets. Practically everyone has a widescreen monitor now.

 

[Nobina]

They will never stop pushing this **** upon people, they just can't take the hint.

 

[Geralt]

It looks useful. I'd like to move to Edge but I need integration with Google apps. This is the Google Chrome strong point.

 

[axiomatic13]

I have an OLED monitor. I would love to be able to change the taskbar location (monthly?) to avoid burn-in.

 

[DSirius]

I prefer to have the option to position the taskbar on the left or right edge of the screen and not at the bottom, because monitors have more length in width than in height.
Thus I'll have more space available to display the programs or webpages.

 

[trgz]

Second, side, taskbar? That takes me back - wouldn't want it though, even with a widescreen

 

[brucek]

Do they do any market testing of these names? My immediate associations to the name "Bing Chat" are that it must be a service combining low usefulness and low quality, and probably with a lot of spam thrown in. I would never even click on it a first time if I didn't have some other way of knowing what it was.

 

[SG736F6]

Just another thing for me to immediately disable.