It just defeated Safari in market share… but only just.
Long gone are the days when users mocked Microsoft’s browsers as being glorified download managers for Chrome or Firefox. The software giant has just proved it still has it after Microsoft Edge surpassed Safari to take the number two spot.
Microsoft Edge Is Now Number Two (on Desktops)
Neowin spotted the monumental change on Statcounter, which displays how each desktop-based browser ranks in the worldwide market.
The chart shows that in March 2022, Edge managed to take over Safari as the number two desktop browser. Its lead isn’t by a lot; Edge managed to draw in 9.65% of the market share, while Safari is at 9.56%.
However, there’s a good chance that this isn’t a temporary upheaval, as Microsoft Edge was poised to overtake Safari back in February 2022. And it seems Safari’s user loss and Edge’s gain have finally gotten to the point where the latter has finally overtaken.
And as good as this sounds, do remember that this chart only covers the desktop browser market. When you perform the same search but with tablets, phones, and console browsers included, Safari jumps back up to the second-place spot with 18.84% of the market, compared to Edge’s 4.05%.
Microsoft Finally Crossed the Edge
So, why are people flocking to Edge? As we covered back in February, it’s likely due to either Edge becoming a more advanced browser since its release, or because of how Windows 11 forces users to open system-related links in Edge… or perhaps a mix of the two.
However, Microsoft should celebrate this victory with Edge as much as it can, as the same can’t really be said for its newest operating system. Windows 11 growth recently plateaued hard and may stay that way for a long time, so we’ll likely see Edge put on the backburner as Microsoft tries to attract more people to upgrade from Windows 10.
Microsoft Is Back in the Browsing Business
After Internet Explorer lagged behind for many years, Microsoft must be pleased to see Edge’s subsequent growth and beating out the competition. We’ll just have to wait and see if the browser can hold that title for long.
