Microsoft’s Project Phoenix could make Edge look better than ever in Windows 11 – but I’m not sure it’s enough to compete with Google Chrome
Microsoft apparently has a big plan to revamp Edge, and one of the possible next steps in the web browser’s evolution has just been highlighted.
If Windows Latest explains that the software giant has a project codenamed ‘Phoenix’ that aims to revamp Edge and make it look more modern, but not in one big update – rather in a series of trickle-down moves.
And one of the coming changes could be the ability for the browser to adjust its color palette to match Windows 11’s settings, the tech site theorizes.
This is based on some flags that Windows last noticed in a test build of Edge from the Canary channel (the first preview builds).
The flags are ‘msEdgePhoenixColorPaletteGenerator’ and ‘msUseSnappingPointsForPhoenixPaletteGeneration’, so we have a clear reference to the Phoenix project here.
What these flags likely refer to is the ability for Edge to run a piece of “color palette generator” code that can detect Windows 11’s accent colors or theme, and customize the browser. In other words, Edge would dynamically switch to complement the Windows 11 environment in this regard.
Analysis: What happens during testing sometimes stays with testing
This is guesswork on Windows Latest’s part, but it makes sense to me. Keep in mind that not only is this an early test, but the functionality isn’t even enabled in preview yet and is only present in these flags hidden in the background. It’s possible that nothing will ultimately come of this, but we can keep an eye out for further clues.
Mica is also apparently coming to the Edge title bar, which is an opaque effect that means the bar is slightly colored by the desktop color behind it.
While this is all commendable, if it happens, will it be enough to propel Edge forward in browser share? I’m looking for bigger moves than this, and expect you will be too, though this certainly won’t hurt Microsoft’s browser’s chances.
To be fair to the software giant, there have been some neat things added in the past as part of Project Phoenix, like Edge’s split-screen feature, which lets you browse two websites side by side in the browser window at the same time. That’s a smart move.
Another point to note – albeit less important – is another flag that Windows Latest recently noticed during testing, namely ‘msVisualRejuvTooltips’, which likely represents a refresh of Edge tooltips. While this has since been removed, it’s still something Microsoft could come back to at some point.
Additionally, Leopeva64, a source of many Edge rumors and leaks on
Edge’s “Auto PiP” feature still works in Beta and Stable (it no longer works in Dev and Canary). If you want to try it out before it stops working, here’s the CLF to enable it: –enable-features=msEdgeAutoPictureInPicture, msEdgeAutoPictureInPictureTriggerhttps://t.co/dqiIlcXTq3 pic.twitter.com/UDu8LUPY7dJanuary 12, 2025
All of this illustrates exactly why changes in testing need to be carefully considered – not all of them make it through the release one way or another.
Whatever happens, it’s clear that Microsoft wants to improve Edge substantially with Project Phoenix, but I’m hoping to see some bigger pieces of that puzzle come into view this year.