With the latest update for Microsoft Edge, Microsoft’s own browser, users can finally hide the sidebar along with the sidebar button. The update brings many new changes that users have been asking for since Microsoft moved the three-dot button to make room for sidebar settings. Microsoft has heard the complaints and has now made sure that the sidebar can be toggled to show or hide it.
To be able to hide the sidebar in Microsoft Edge, make sure that Microsoft Edge is updated to version 122.
According to Windows Latestyou can go to the gear icon at the bottom of the sidebar (for me it’s on the right, although it might be positioned differently if you’ve customized the sidebar UI) and “Show sidebar button” institution. This will remove the sidebar button, which is enabled by default.
If you want to hide the sidebar completely from view, you will find the setting for this in the same place and under the same icon. The setting that hides the sidebar is called “Always show the sidebar,” which, when disabled, hides the sidebar and makes more space for the page you are viewing in your browser. You can also navigate to these settings by going to Settings, clicking the three-dot icon in the address ribbon and selecting “Institutions,“ and then select “Sidebar” from the list of different things you can customize in the browser.
An improved lead
You can view all the changes in Edge version 122 the full official release notes published by Microsoft. Key changes include the deprecation of the image enhancement feature in Edge and a rebranding of the Web Capture feature “Screenshot”. Windows Latest notes that no changes to Web Capture’s functionality have been observed, so it is purely a brand change and will allow users to capture all or part of the page they are viewing. You can find Screenshot by clicking the three-dot icon in Edge’s top ribbon (mine is on the right) and clicking Screenshot.
Overall, this update is certainly a welcome move from Microsoft, but interestingly enough, it doesn’t completely undo the introduction of the sidebar. You’ll need to manually hide the “Show Sidebar Button” and the Sidebar in Edge’s settings, otherwise both will be enabled by default.
Microsoft wants as many people as possible to explore its other offerings (like MSN), and making it visible by default in the sidebar is one way to do this – although this one apparently wasn’t popular with some users. Still, it’s a positive change, and I hope that user response (at least regarding this change) encourages Microsoft to make similar improvements to its browser.