Edge for Linux Brings Sync and Vertical Tabs. Here’s how to Enable it.
The Edge dev team enabled the Sync, Sign-in, and Vertical tabs in the Linux build of the Edge browser.
Microsoft’s Chromium-based web browser Edge-stable has been available for Linux for quite some time now. The Linux build is slightly different from the Windows dev build. As the underlying OS is different, the team slowly bringing the additional features to Linux users.
From the moment Edge for Linux was announced, one of the most requested features for Linux was the Sign-In and Sync. This feature enables you to log in using your Microsoft account in Edge for Linux. You can sync your bookmark, history, and all other browser-specific items and settings across devices.
Before this update, the feature was not available for Linux users, and when you try to sign in, you used to get a message like this.
The feature is now available for Edge for Linux dev preview version 91.0.838 onwards.
How to Enable Sync in Edge for Linux
You need to tweak a flag to enable it. Here’s how.
Make sure you have Edge installed in your Linux distributions. If not, check out our guide to Install Edge in Linux.
Open Edge and in address bar type edge://flags
Search for “MSA”.
Change the settings to Enable and restart Edge.
After you restart, click on the Avatar icon and Sign in.
Use your Microsoft account, or Hotmail account to log in. After you log in, wait for a minute to sync your bookmarks, history, and other browser settings in your Linux system.
As of writing this post, this feature is only available for Microsft personal account users. That means, if you have a corporate, work, or school account, then it would not work in Edge for Linux for now. The feature of signing in with a non-personal account is available for the Windows build of Edge. And it would eventually land in Linux build as well.
Vertical Tabs
Another interesting UI change that also lands is the Vertical tabs in Edge for Linux. As the name says, Edge for Linux now allows you to bring your tabs vertically on the left side. This saves space in your wide-screen display and improves productivity as well. You can click on the small tab icon at the top-left corner of the Edge browser to enable it. It is a toggle button, which means you can return to horizontal tabs anytime.
Closing Notes
Although, this vertical tab feature is not available in Firefox by default. You need to enable it via an extension. That being said, it’s good that you can now enjoy it by in Edge without any extensions.
