Microsoft Edge 128 is now available in Beta Channel with SSE3 requirement and more

Microsoft Edge 128 is now available in the Beta Channel. It is the final testing ground before public releases, so those who want to try the latest features without the risk of encountering bugs (the newest Dev update has one) can enroll in the Edge Insider program in the Beta Channel.

Microsoft Edge 128 is an important update for the browser. For starters, it ditches old computers without the SSE3 instruction set. That means that your prehistoric 20-year-old PC can no longer run Microsoft Edge. In addition, Edge 128 implements a new update method that lets it get to the latest version when you step away from your computer. The instant update feature is gradually rolling out to all users.

In addition, Edge 128 implements new policies and deprecates the followable web feature and its related policies. Here is the official changelog for Microsoft Edge 128 Beta:

• SSE3 Requirement. Microsoft Edge stopped supporting CPUs that lack SSE3. Devices with such CPUs won't receive any more updates. For more information, see Microsoft Edge Supported Operating Systems.
• Copilot browser Context Policies. The DiscoverPageContextEnabled policy is obsoleted in Edge version 128 and doesn't work after Microsoft Edge 127.
  
  To summarize and answer questions based on browser context in Microsoft Edge, Copilot needs to be able to access the browser context. We're providing two new policies to offer more flexibility for admins to customize Edge browser context access across Copilot chats in Edge sidebar.
  • CopilotPageContext - Control Copilot access to browser context for Microsoft Entra ID profiles.
  • CopilotCDPPageContext - Control Copilot with Commercial Data Protection access to browser context for Microsoft Entra ID profiles.
• Deprecation of the followable web feature. To improve end user experience, the followable web feature is deprecated. The EdgeFollowEnabled policy is also obsolete.
• EnforceLocalAnchorConstraintsEnabled policy obsoletion. The EnforceLocalAnchorConstraintsEnabled policy was previously deprecated and is now obsolete in Edge version 128. Since Microsoft Edge 112, constraints in certificates loaded from the platform certificate store are enforced. The EnforceLocalAnchorConstraintsEnabled policy existed as a temporary opt-out in case an enterprise encountered issues with the constraints encoded in their private roots.
• New Policy for Insecure Downloads over HTTP. Users that download potentially dangerous content on HTTP sites will receive a UI warning in a future Microsoft Edge version. To prepare for this change, the ShowDownloadsInsecureWarningsEnabled policy is now available for admins to enable or disable the warnings related to insecure downloads.
• Get the latest updates effortlessly with instant update. Instant update in Microsoft Edge ensures you get the latest browser updates automatically, when you step away from your computer. So you can just keep browsing, knowing you already have the latest updates to keep you safe online. For more information, see Get instant updates in Microsoft Edge - Microsoft Support. Note: This feature is a controlled feature rollout to consumer customers. A release to enterprise users is TBD. If you don't see this feature, check back as we continue our rollout.

If you want to learn more about what is included in Edge 128, check out the following changelogs from the Dev Channel:

• Dev Channel update to 128.0.2661.0

• Dev Channel update to 128.0.2677.1

• Dev Channel update to 128.0.2690.1

• Dev Channel update to 128.0.2708.0

• Dev Channel update to 128.0.2730.0

• Dev Channel update to 128.0.2739.1

   

You can download Microsoft Edge Beta from the official Edge Insider website. If you prefer stable releases only, check out the latest improvements for Edge 127 here.

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