Microsoft about to radically change how often your Edge browser updates

Starting August 27 with version 152, Microsoft Edge is switching to a rapid two-week release schedule across all major platforms.

Microsoft Edge logo

Microsoft has just announced that starting with Edge 152, it will be moving to a two-week release cycle for faster, smaller updates. This faster release cadence will begin on August 27. This change comes just several months after Microsoft switched Visual Studio Code to weekly updates.

The company said that the Extended Stable releases will remain on an eight-week cycle and that no admin changes are needed to experience the faster release cycle on the Stable channel.

The new two-week release cycle will enable the faster delivery of security updates and platform improvements, all while reducing the size and complexity of individual updates. Microsoft claims that organizations will benefit from this change as it offers predictable validation cycles. For organizations that prefer a “more deliberate pace”, the Extended Stable channel remains an option.

This change will affect Edge Stable releases on Windows, macOS, Linux, and mobile. The Extended Stable channel will continue to be updated every eight weeks, or every fourth Stable release, for example: versions 152, 156, 160, and 164. The Extended Stable could be a good option for organizations that don’t want the latest updates twice a month and don’t want as much hassle constantly updating browsers.

In the case of Visual Studio Code, many of the updates being pushed by Microsoft are AI-related. As we all know, Microsoft Edge has a lot of AI features, so we could see Microsoft pushing more AI, thanks to the faster cycles. On the flip side, quicker releases could mean faster security updates, which is beneficial in a world where AI systems are hunting for software exploits.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments. For more updates on Edge, be sure to follow Neowin's coverage. In May alone, we reported on Edge offering in-browser pop-ups to assist users with website compatibility issues, that Edge was losing Copilot Mode, and that Microsoft had fixed a plain-text password bug in Edge.

Source: Microsoft 365 Admin Center