With the release this past week of Microsoft Edge 102, you can now configure the browser to use Windows 11 visual effects like the Mica material in the title bar and toolbar backgrounds.
Thanks to Neowin for tipping me off that this feature is now available in Edge 102, a release that supposedly shipped with no major new functional changes. Granted, this change is a hidden feature for now that requires you to set a flag. Microsoft says it is still working on it, and that enabling this feature could result in “some performance issues.” But it’s certainly worth checking out.
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Here’s how to enable these effects.
First, open a new Edge tab and navigate to edge://flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-show-settings. Enable that option (“Show experimental appearance settings”) and restart Edge as prompted.
Next, open Edge settings and navigate to Appearance. There, you will find a new option, “Show Windows 11 visual effects in the title bar and toolbar (Preview).” Enable that option and restart the browser as prompted.
Optionally, you can also enable the option “Use rounded corners for browser tabs (Preview).” I know some people won’t like that effect, but to my eyes, it fills out the Windows 11 look and feel nicely, and it gives Edge a nice visual differentiator when compared to Chrome.
Enjoy.