Top 8 Microsoft Edge Browser Extensions You Must Try
Until recently, I was using the Brave browser when they decided to go against everything they represent and break trust. My colleagues are full of praise for Microsoft Edge, so I decided to give it a shot. To make my workflow easier, I decided to install browser extensions on Microsoft Edge and compiled this list of the best Edge extensions.
Avoid going crazy with them because too many extensions will only reduce the performance of the computer. These Edge browser extensions will increase your productivity, help you focus and get things done with ease.
Let’s start.
1. URL rendering
We all turn to Google when we need to search for something. The process is tedious because you have to open links before you can see what it has to offer and if it’s what you were looking for. The URL Render Edge extension solves this problem by viewing or displaying the website directly in the Google search results page.
Using the extension is quite simple. Simply hover the mouse icon over one of the search results and observe the rendering / loading of the page in a popup window on the right. You can change the position or resize the window, but that’s not all. It’s an interactive window, which means you can click on links or even watch YouTube videos.
URL rendering can save you a lot of time when you search or find yourself in between the search results. Works in many search engines except Google.
2. Panic button
Playing games or watching videos while pretending to work / study? You’re not alone. We all need a break from time to time, but it’s a difficult argument to make in front of parents / bosses. Enter the Panic Button extension. It will immediately hide all of your open tabs with one click and no one will ever know you were on Twitter.
It works like a tab manager by bookmarking all open tabs in a temporary folder that you can restore or delete. Easy to use and very effective. Fair warning. Each time you undergo a panic attack and click on the big red button. Then it will redirect you to the HideMyAss VPN page.
3. Fuck you
Wow! I know how obscene this sounds. It’s a brutally honest extension and that’s how it talks. Go Fucking Work will remind you to work when you are distracted. When I tried to open Facebook while working, it showed me a message that appears in the screenshot below. It reminds me of Artillery Sergeant Hartman of the Full Metal Jacket movie.
Once installed, the extension with a mouth like the Deadpool will redirect you to motivational messages each time you open distracting and unproductive sites. However, you must honestly set these sites manually in the options. There is no default list. You can add break times when you really need a break and can’t concentrate anymore.
4. Momentum
There are other ways to focus on your work than to be abused for fun. Momentum takes a different approach. It will create a personal and customizable dashboard where you can see the time, date, welcome message and cool wallpapers.
You can set a daily goal or a single task to focus on for the rest of the day. The one thing that really matters. Momentum will then display this task each time you open a new tab with a motivation message. Other widgets you can customize are weather, links, and bookmarks, a productivity-focused Microsoft Edge extension.
The pro version offers additional features such as popular app integrations, personal quotes and wallpapers / photos, Pomodoro timer, etc.
5. Pushbullet
Pushbullet is one of the most productive Edge extensions on the list. It will bring all your devices under one roof. Once you have created an account and connected all the devices, you can send links, files, images and text from / to your browser to smartphones or other computers.
That’s not all. You can also access messages, photos and notifications from the phone directly in your browser. You will no longer have to touch your smartphone while working on the computer.
The free version allows most features, although with some restrictions. Check it out.
6. Nimbus
Nimbus is a screenshot utility with pretty much everything you would need. Capture the entire screen or a portion of it, and when done, you can annotate the screen shot and edit it as desired. You can also record videos which can be useful when creating how-to guides and troubleshooting.
You can also give access to the Nimbus webcam to record videos from this if you wish. It depends on what you are aiming for. You can annotate videos with tools like shape, blur, highlight, crop, etc. The premium version will unlock more features like custom watermarks.
Nimbus is a powerful extension that will take care of all your screenshots and screen capture needs.
7. Grammar
Grammar will help you write better and faster, often without your intervention, by analyzing your writing. It comes with many useful tools that work in popular word processors like Google Docs and Microsoft Word. It will automatically correct common spelling errors on the fly. And there’s more.
It will also correct grammar, sentence formation, tone and suggest better words than the one you have selected. Whether you type emails, newsletters or are a writer / blogger like me, Grammarly is a must-have extension.
8. Dark Reader
Dark mode is all the rage these days, but it’s still not available everywhere. I mean, popular browsers have yet to offer a real dark mode where all the sites are displayed with a black background. The Dark Reader extension for the Edge browser will solve this problem.
Any site you open now will have a dark background. You can choose to whitelist a site if you want to display it on a white background or if the extension causes any conflict. Other than that, it works like a charm.
Living on the edge
The Microsoft Edge browser works with all the extensions you’ve liked on Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers. There are many other extensions you can install but avoid going crazy. You don’t want to compromise your computer’s performance for this cool extension that you rarely use or need.
Share with us your favorite Microsoft Edge browser extensions in the comments section below. It is a good way to discover new useful extensions. I would like to see your list.
Then:
Microsoft Edge comes with a feature called Collections. If you’re not sure what it is or how to use it, click the link below to find out more now.
Last updated Jul 14, 2020
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