New Microsoft Edge sidebar set up, removes recipe stories, shows you emails

Microsoft added a new sidebar to its Edge browser with buttons that let you view information about a web page, check email, access Microsoft Office, and even leave out the essentials of a recipe. from an overly long post (via Windows Central). This new feature seems to build on top of the “Search in sidebar” functionality, which adds even more multitasking capabilities.

The sidebar includes a number of small but useful panes, such as a pane that allows you to search the web and quickly read articles, or a pane that includes many widgets, such as calculator, dictionary, speed checker, etc. internet degree and unit converter. Some compartments are more full-featured; Outlook, for example, allows you to read and send email, and view your calendar (of course you're signed in to your Microsoft account).

Unfortunately, the Microsoft Office pane isn't helpful. It gives you quick shortcuts to recent documents, as well as applications like Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, but clicking them just opens them in a new tab. Although that might help some people work a little faster. The game sidebar is similar - it's just shortcuts to web games.

Then there's the "Discover" sidebar pane, which promises to add "context-relevant information to any page." From my testing, that could include information about a news site that ranks that site's reliability and accuracy, and showing information about which countries people visit the site in. there. It also tries its best to add context to specific articles on those sites or to other things you're reading, usually with information from Wikipedia (which is sometimes the case even when you reading a Wikipedia article).

The sidebar itself is slightly customizable. You can hide or show it using the keyboard shortcut (Control + Shift + / by default) and can select the buttons you want to appear on it. Microsoft says it plans to add "new features to the sidebar in the future," but for now there's enough for you to try if you're an Edge user.

If the sidebar doesn't show up automatically, make sure you're using the latest version of your browser, then click the “··" menu at the top right. You will see a “Show sidebar” button. Otherwise, go to Settings > Appearance and scroll down to the Customize toolbar section, where the “Show sidebar” toggle is located.

Source: https://www.theverge.com