Despite a quick rise to greatness for Windows 10, its new built-in browser Edge isn’t enjoying quite the same fanfare.
In the first full month since its release, Microsoft reported that over 75 million devices are running Windows 10—the equivalent of 11% of global Windows users.
Yet, Edge has seen rapidly declining user rates in the month since its release. From data gathered by WebInstall, only 63% of Windows 10 users have kept Edge as their default browser of choice.
That means a significant amount of people—nearly 40% of Windows 10 users—are unhappy with Edge and choose to use a different browser. If Edge’s popularity continues to decline at this rate, it could spell trouble for the fledging browser.
Edge vs. Other Browsers
As compared to market shares of other browser, Edge’s share is about par for the course considering it was partnered with every Windows 10 upgrade.
Based on WebInstall’s data, Edge has captured 8% user share since its release. Unfortunately it trails far behind its sister product, Internet Explorer, who holds 40% user share and Internet darling, Chrome, who holds 27% user share.
[Insert User Share By Browser Chart Here]However, if the current negative attitudes toward Edge continue, a decline in user share is almost certain for Microsoft’s proclaimed Internet Explorer replacement.
Lack of Extensions Hurting Edge
According to industry experts and users alike, the biggest drawback of Edge is the lack of extension support.
Unlike every other browser on the market, Edge doesn’t support the add-on apps that perform a range of useful tasks. Users often utilize extensions for storing passwords, blocking ads, or taking screenshots, to name a few.
Without this, Edge is unable to woo users who rely on these conveniences while browsing the Web. Combined with Microsoft staying tight-lipped about when it might start extension support, many users are choosing to return to their old, tried-and-true browsers.
Unfortunately, Edge’s lack of extension support could also affect the downloads industry adversely. Companies have struggled to monetize Edge, and support for the new browser is still developing.
Once Edge does start supporting extensions, there is likely to be significant downtime while app and toolbar developers work to make their offerings compatible with Edge’s API.