Browsers - Geek Rewind

How to Backup and Restore Everything in Microsoft Edge

This post describes steps to backup and restore everything in Microsoft Edge browser with Windows 11 or 10.

Microsoft Edge browser is cross-platform, supports all of Windows, MacOS and Linux systems. The new Microsoft Edge browser has adopted the Chromium open source project code base which offers better web compatibility and performance over the legacy edge.

Most people will export password and backup only their favorites when migrating or switching to a new Windows system. In many cases, these should be enough to get started on their new PC.

However, there are few who would like to backup and restore everything to their new PC, and for those, the steps below show them how to do that when using Microsoft Edge browser.

The backup will included all settings, favorites, profiles, extensions in Microsoft Edge for your profile in Windows.

Backup will not include passwords stored in Edge. Those passwords are encrypted and stored in your Microsoft account online. You can also manually export your saved password from Edge.

How to Share Website link with Nearby Devices in Windows 11

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This post shows students and new users steps to share website links with nearby devices in Windows 11.

Nearby sharing allows users to share documents, photos, website links and other content with devices using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

To use nearby sharing, both PCs—the one you’re sharing from and the one you’re sharing to—must have Bluetooth and must be running Windows 11 or Windows 10 (version 1803 or later).

When you want to share a website link in Edge browser with other nearby devices, use Nearby sharing in Windows 11. You can share any website and link with nearby sharing.

Starting with Windows 11 build 22622.436, you will now be able to discover and share to more devices including desktop PCs. That’s because the discovery of devices under nearby share when sharing a local file from the desktop, File Explorer, Photos, Snipping Tool, Xbox, and other apps that use the built-in Windows share window has been enhanced by using UDP (Network needs to be set to private) along with Bluetooth to discover nearby devices.

Below his one to share website links using nearby sharing enhanced version rolling out to Windows PC enrolled in Microsoft Insider Preview program.

How to Turn On or Off Fade Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge

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This post shows students and new users steps to disable or enable fade sleeping tabs when using Microsoft Edge browser.

A new feature added to Edge is its Efficiency mode, which is designed to help extend battery life by minimizing power usage, and reducing resource usage (CPU usage) through modifying certain tab activity on tabs you’re not interacting with and putting inactive background tabs to sleep after 5 minutes or less.

The sleeping tabs feature in Microsoft Edge makes background tabs sleep after two hours of inactivity in order to free up resources for active tabs, new tabs, and other applications on your device.

Sleeping tabs will fade to indicate they’ve released resources. To resume a sleeping tab, click on it like a normal tab. The tab will un-fade and your content will be immediately available.

If you want to disable the fading and unfading of sleeping tabs in Edge, the steps below will show you.

How to Turn On or Off Sleeping Tabs in Microsoft Edge

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This post shows students and new users steps to enable or disable Sleeping Tabs when using Microsoft Edge browser.

Microsoft Edge browser is cross-platform, which supports all of Windows, MacOS and Linux systems. The new Microsoft Edge browser has adopted the Chromium open source project code base which offers better web compatibility and performance over the legacy edge.

A recent update to Microsoft Edge brings a new feature called sleeping tabs, which helps improve memory and CPU utilization of the browser.

The sleeping tabs feature in Microsoft Edge makes background tabs sleep after two hours of inactivity in order to free up resources for active tabs, new tabs, and other applications on your device.

Sleeping tabs will fade to indicate they’ve released resources. To resume a sleeping tab, click on it like a normal tab. The tab will un-fade and your content will be immediately available.

Below is how to enable or disable the new sleeping tabs feature in Microsoft Edge browser.

How to Turn On or Off Efficiency Mode in Microsoft Edge

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This post shows students and new users steps to enable or disable efficiency mode in Microsoft Edge browser.

A new feature added to Edge is its new Efficiency mode, which is designed to help extend battery life. It minimizes power usage by reducing resource usage (CPU usage) through modifying certain tab activity on tabs you’re not interacting with and putting inactive background tabs to sleep after 5 minutes or less.

Benefits may vary depending on your device, applications, and individual browser habits.

Battery powered-device should benefit more using the new efficiency mode. However, desktop computers should also conserve power and use less energy with this feature.

How to View and Delete Browser History in Microsoft Edge

This post shows students and new users steps to view and delete browser history in Microsoft Edge web browser. When you use Microsoft Edge browser and you want to view and delete your browsing history, you can follow the steps below.

For users with multiple devices, and Microsoft Edge as your default web browser, with profile sync enabled, changes that happen on one device will be synced to others. To prevent clearing data on other devices, make sure sync is turned off.

Also, if you sign in to your device with a Microsoft account, web browsing data and other cloud information are synced across devices using Microsoft cloud.

To manage and delete data saved in the Microsoft cloud, see the privacy dashboard. On the privacy dashboard you can view or delete your data. Data that you delete on the privacy dashboard won’t be deleted from your device.

You can prevent web browsing data and history by enabling privacy mode in Edge.

How to Block Pop-ups in Microsoft Edge

This post shows students and new users steps to block pop-ups in Microsoft Edge browser. By default, Microsoft Edge blocks pop-ups from automatically showing up on your screen.

When a pop-up is blocked, the address bar will be marked Pop-up blocked with a red, yellow or amber color icon. You can click on the icon in the address bar to allow pop-ups that are blocked.

If you’re still getting pop-ups after disabling them in Microsoft Edge, it could be that you computer is infected with virus or malware, and the steps below show you how to get rid of potential virus or malware on your computer.

How to Restrict Browser Tracking in Microsoft Edge

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This post shows students and new users steps to restrict browser tracking in Microsoft Edge. Websites use trackers to collect data about your browsing behavior, including how you view and interact with the content on the sites.

Some trackers track you when you go to your favorite websites or when you make purchases online, which is why it can sometimes feel like an ad is following you around the web showing you items you recently purchased or viewed.

The new Microsoft Edge browser has adopted the Chromium open source project code base and offers better web compatibility and performance over the legacy edge. The new Edge is designed to detect and block known trackers or lets you decide what trackers to block.

Edge provides these three levels of tracking prevention:

Basic: Blocks potentially harmful trackers but allows most other trackers and those that personalize content and ads.
Balanced (Recommended): Blocks potentially harmful trackers and trackers from sites you haven’t visited. Content and ads will likely be less personalized.
Strict: Blocks potentially harmful trackers and most trackers across sites. Content and ads will likely have minimal personalization.

Below is how to restrict how browser trackers track you online.

How to Turn On or Off Password Generator in Microsoft Edge

This post shows students and new users steps to turn on or off password generator in Microsoft Edge browser. It is recommended that you use a strong and unique password for each of your online accounts.

Creating strong and unique password for each account online is not an easy feat. Using a simple passwords and repeating them across your accounts can be dangerous practice because one compromised password can make you vulnerable across all your accounts.

Password Generator in Microsoft Edge is a game-changer. You can use password manager in Microsoft Edge to automatically generate a strong, unique password suggestion each time you need one.

Each time you generate a strong password, it is saved automatically in the browser and filled across all your signed-in devices so you don’t have to remember it.

Below is how to turn on or off password generator in Microsoft Edge.

How to Make DuckDuckGo Default Search Engine in Windows 11

This post shows students and new users steps to make DuckDuckGo the default search engine in Windows 11 when using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox or other Chromium based browsers.

DuckDuckGo is a privacy search engine. It focuses on protecting searchers’ privacy and avoiding the filter bubble found with other search engine companies, including Google, Bing and others.

When you install or upgrade to Windows 11, the default browse becomes Microsoft Edge, and default search engine with Microsoft Edge is Bing. Also, installing Google Chrome, Firefox and most browse will make Google search engine the default for your browser.

If you want to take back your privacy, you can set DuckDuckGo as your default search engine with your browse, and the steps below show you how to do that.

How to Export Passwords in Microsoft Edge

This post shows students and new users steps to export passwords from Microsoft Edge web browser. Edge has a built-in password manager that’s useful for autofill purposes. Although the password manager is Edge is adequate, you may want to look into other third party password managers as the one available in Edge might not be the most secured.

If you need to export your password stored in Microsoft Edge to migrate to other password managers, the steps below will show you how to do that. When you export passwords from Edge, it is stored in .CSV file format which can easily be imported to other password managers.

You can then use this file to take account of all your passwords or import into a secure password manager. Whatever you want to do, exporting passwords from Microsoft Edge is simple and straightforward.

How to Export Passwords Stored in Google Chrome

This post shows students and new users steps to export passwords from Google Chrome web browser. Google Chrome has a built-in password manager that’s useful for autofill purposes. Although the password manager is Chrome is adequate, you may want to look into other third party password managers as the one available in Chrome might not be the most secured.

If you need to export your password stored in Google Chrome to migrate to other password managers, the steps below will show you how to do that. When you export passwords from Google, it is stored in .CSV file format which can easily be imported to other password managers.

You can then use this file to take account of all your passwords or import into a secure password manager. Whatever you want to do, exporting passwords from Google Chrome is simple and straightforward.