Originally announced at Ignite in October 2022, Edge Workspaces provides a new way for people to separate browsing tasks into dedicated windows so you can stay focused and better organised across research and search related tasks.
As example, you might (like me) be planning a family holiday – with each family member doing their own googling (sorry binging) and research around where to go, where to stay, how to get there and where to eat. Now – rather than everyone sharing links on messaging apps, Edge Workspaces aims to provide a streamlined and more synced way to research together – through the creation of “shared workspace in Edge” dedicated to what ever you need to do together. These spaces (you can have multiple) can have their own name and colour, set of tabs and individual favourites. What’s great is that these can be co-authored and updated by everyone, making it much easier to keep in sync and stay focussed by keeping this in its own workspace.
Note: you you don’t have to share them…. Just good for organising….
Create your first workspace…
The first thing you do when you start using it is to create a new workspace [you need to be enabled for the preview first – see below to enable it).
First, if enabled (you need to be running Edge Dev), you will see the workspaces icon on the top left of the Edge browser. Edge will then walk you through getting started – it’s fairly straight forward as you can see below.
I will create a new one.. (yes we need to book a family holiday)
Workspaces then appear at the top of the page (in the colour you chose at set-up)
From here, you can do a bunch of things!!! For example you can add edit the workspace, and most importantly, invite people to your space to start collaborating with you… To do this, simply click the “invite to workspace”.
Let’s share our workspace…
To start sharing, select the “invite to workspace“. Edge creates a unique sharing link and from here you can simply copy and paste the link and send it via email or other preferred method. When they click on the sharing link (assuming they are running Edge Dev too), they will be able to start collaborating.
Staying on the same (web) page
Once the other people you invite accept the invite (see below), they can start adding to your shared workspace with you with the changes happening in real time.
Security First: Each member will only see content that they have access to. You must be signed in with a personal account to use Edge Workspaces, and Microsoft will not share browser or confidential account data like logins, cookies, and passwords with anyone else who has access.
I also wish there was a OneNote or Digital scratch pad in the workspace, to allow members to add notes and comments. – have filed this as feedback.
Does it work on mobile…? Not yet. I’m running Edge Dev on my Samsung phone and currently cant see my shared workspaces… hopefully this will come soon (feedback filed).
Getting access to the public preview
If you’re ready to get on the same (web) page and try out Edge Workspaces, you can access the preview here. The pre requisites are quick short but Microsoft are limiting how many people get access in the first wave!
- You need to be running Microsoft Edge version 111.0.1661.51 (or higher) and also need to be signed in with your Microsoft account.
- As a previewer, you get five (5) invites to send to friends and family to allow them to also join the preview.
- Workspaces are only available on PC and Mac to start with (hence wont be accessible on mobile yet).