Microsoft Edge is now available for all users with native support for Apple Silicon M1 Macs. Now, users who go to download Edge for Mac will be prompted to select whether they want to download the Intel or “Apple chip” version of the browser.
Microsoft has been updating its browser to support Apple silicon for a few weeks with developer betas made available last month. Official Apple Silicon support for apps offers powerful performance and a smoother experience for users.
Edge browser with Apple Silicon support now available for all users
Microsoft first begun tested the M1-optimized version of Edge back in December, just days after it started rolling out new versions of its Office 365 apps which run natively on M1 Macs. These apps include Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
In addition to having native M1 support, Edge is “designed to feel at home on a Mac,” with a heavy emphasis on reliability and privacy, according to Microsoft. The browser lets users sync passwords, favorites, and settings across devices and platforms.
The updated browser is available to download now from Microsoft’s website, with MacBook users now given the option to Edge for “Mac with Apple Chip” or “Mac with Intel Chip”. This means that Edge now runs natively on Apple Silicon and does not have to be translated through Rosetta 2 on M1 Macs, such as the latest MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and Mac mini.
This update is great news for M1 Mac owners who have been looking to switch to Microsoft’s browser. Though Rosetta allowed Edge to run, emulation often leads to poor performance since computing resources have to be set aside for translation.
Microsoft has recompiled its software for M1 Macs relatively later than its competitions. Rival browsers such as Google Chrome and Firefox have already been optimized to run natively on M1 Macs.
Check out our coverage of other first-party and third-party macOS apps that have been updated for Apple Silicon M1 Macs.
- Parallels for M1 Mac now available as a technical preview and supports Windows 10 on ARM
- VLC for M1 Mac update is now available for all users
- Visual Studio Code is now available as a native M1 Mac app for insiders
- GeForce Now gets support for M1 Mac and Chrome browser
- Brave browser gets native support for Apple Silicon M1 Macs
- Adobe Lightroom now supports Apple’s M1 chip and Windows 10 on ARM
- Pixelmator Pro 2.0 launches with native Apple Silicon support, performance improvements and design refresh
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