Microsoft Details Profile Improvements Coming to Edge

The new Microsoft Edge already supports multiple profiles so you can switch between your home and work accounts. But Microsoft is making a few improvements to this functionality in a future version of Edge.

“Microsoft Edge’s “Profiles” feature is a great way to keep your browsing data separate as you take on various roles in your lives, whether you’re switching between work and personal browsing, juggling your job and freelancing business, or managing your tasks as an admin alongside other responsibilities,” Microsoft’s Avi Vaid writes.

You manage and access these profiles by clicking the Profile icon in the Edge toolbar. From the drop-down that appears, you can add more profiles, which can include personal Microsoft accounts as well as work- or school-based work accounts, and access whichever profiles you’ve configured.

I’ll be writing more about Microsoft Edge profiles in a future Master 365 post. For now, let’s focus on the two new features that Microsoft will add in Edge 83, which is currently making its way through the Beta channel. Microsoft says these features are aimed at helping to ensure that links open in the right profile and making sure that you don’t mistakenly open work content in your personal profile.

They are:

Configuring a default profile. In Edge today, the browser always opens with the last-used profile automatically selected. But soon, you’ll be able to configure a default profile choice, which can be the last-used profile or a specific profile.

Automatic profile switching. Users with multiple Edge profiles who navigate to a work site will be prompted to switch to their work profile so that they can access that site without having to authenticate first. The prompt will have “No thanks” and “Don’t ask me again” options, too.