Though Google Chrome continues to dominate the Web browser Microsoft’s flagship service is making headway in an important market, according to new data.
A survey of 3,000 employees by TechRadar Proin collaboration with Perimeter 81revealed that Microsoft Edge is the preferred web browser for the largest proportion of businesses (37.77%).
Although Google Chrome isn’t far behind (33.01%), Edge’s share in the business world is well above its position in the broader market, which Statcounter is around 4%.
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An uphill battle for Microsoft Edge
Although Microsoft Edge’s user base grew rapidly in the months following its early 2020 relaunch, many of those gains stemmed from the retirement of Edge Legacy and Internet Explorer.
Despite a steady stream of feature updates, renewed marketing efforts, and the integration of Edge into the company’s new Windows 11 operating system, Microsoft has since struggled to shake things up in any meaningful way. .
The latest data shows that while Edge has overtaken Firefox in the rankings, it still falls short of Safari (18%) and Chrome (65%), the two default browsers on iOS and Android, respectively.
Microsoft also scored a number of own goals that are unlikely to have ingratiated the new browser with potential new users.
For example, the company was recently forced to roll back a policy that added an unreasonable amount of friction to the process of changing the default browser after users made their displeasure known.
Microsoft too has come under fire for efforts to block open links from launching through its own services (e.g. Windows 11 widgets, Start menu, etc.) in a browser other than Edge, another tactic that has sparked community reviews.
However, the indication that Edge has become the browser of choice in the business sphere will boost morale at Microsoft, suggesting that the company’s efforts to build on qualities such as security are paying off.
Over the past year, for example, the company has beefed up the in-built password managerdeployed an integrated system vpn and introduces a “Super Duper Secure Mode” designed to protect against all sorts of browser-based attacks.
If Microsoft Edge wants to compete with market leaders, the team will have to claim a particular niche or use case. In the business market, perhaps he found one.