Just months after its debut, Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser quickly became the second most popular browser on desktop computers. Now, Microsoft is cementing that position in the latest reports as Edge continues to gain market share.
If you’ll recall back in April, Microsoft Edge had managed to capture 7.59% of the desktop browser market. That eclipsed Firefox and Safari but was still dwarfed by Google Chrome. The story hasn’t changed a ton in the months since. NetMarketShare now shows (via Windows Latest) that Microsoft Edge has managed to hit 10.22%.
Notably, quite a bit of this new-found market share for Microsoft Edge is coming directly from Google Chrome. Edge grew by roughly 3% over the past several months while Chrome dropped by 2%. Opera, Firefox, and even Safari also saw minor drops at the same time.
The gains by Microsoft Edge are thanks in part to the fact that Microsoft has been rolling out Edge as a default browser to Windows users even with a fullscreen takeover when the update is installed. Still, the simple fact that Edge is a very good browser is helping Microsoft gain users.
Obviously, Microsoft still has a long way to go until it’s actually competing with Chrome, but this is an impressive market share after just a couple of years.
Notably, this will be the last report of this type for a while. NetMarketShare is shutting down its service as of this month, meaning this is the last quick and easy snapshot we’ll get until someone can develop a new way to track that information.
More on Microsoft Edge:
- Microsoft Edge is getting a slick vertical tab UI that I wish Google Chrome offered
- Microsoft pulls the plug on original Edge browser next year after replacing w/ Chromium version
- Microsoft Edge imports your data from Chrome and Firefox before you give permission
Author: Ben Schoon
Source: 9TO5Google
