Microsoft Edge Mac Os

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This article describes how to configure policy settings on macOS using a Microsoft Edge policy manifest file on Jamf Pro 10.19.

Jan 16, 2020 The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge offers a fresh take on web browsing and is available across multiple platforms, including macOS. If you're looking for reasons to switch from the increasingly stale Apple Safari on your Mac, you've come to the right place. Microsoft Edge is Microsoft's official web browser. It's also available on both iOS and macOS devices as an alternative to Safari. That means you can use the Edge browser on any iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac device. Here's how to set up Microsoft Edge on any Apple iOS or macOS device.

You can also configure Microsoft Edge policy settings on macOS by using a property list (.plist) file. For more information, see Configure for macOS using a .plist

Prerequisites

The following software is required:

Microsoft Edge Stable channel 81
Policy Templates file, version 81.0.416.3
Jamf Pro, Version 10.19

About the Jamf Pro Application & Custom Settings menu

Before Jamf Pro 10.18, managing Office 365 involved manually building a .plist file. This was a time-consuming workflow that required a strong technical background. Jamf Pro 10.18 eliminated those barriers by streamlining the configuration process. However, IT Admins could only use this new user interface for specific applications and preference domains specified by Jamf.

In Jamf Pro 10.19, a user can upload a JSON manifest as a 'custom schema' to target any preference domain, and the graphical user interface will be generated from this manifest. The custom schema that's created follows the JSON Schema specification.

For more information, see Computer Configuration Profiles in the Jamf Pro Administrator's Guide.

Get the policy manifest for a specific version of Microsoft Edge

To get the policy manifest:

Go to the Microsoft Edge Enterprise landing page.
On the Channel/Version dropdown list, select any channel with version 81 or later.*.
On the Build dropdown list, select any 81 build or later.*.
Click GET POLICY FILES to download our policy templates bundle.
Note
Currently, the policy templates bundle is signed as a CAB file. You'll need to use a 3rd party tool, such as The Unarchiver to open the file on macOS.

After you unpack the CAB file, unpack the ZIP file and navigate to the 'mac' top level directory. The manifest, which is named 'policy_manifest.json', is in this directory.

This manifest will be published in every policy bundle starting with build 81.0.416.3. If you want to test policies in the Dev channel, you can take the manifest associated with each Dev release and test it in Jamf Pro.

Use the policy manifest in Jamf Pro

Use the following steps to upload the policy manifest to Jamf Pro and then create a policy profile for macOS.

Sign in to Jamf.
Select the Computer tab.
Under Content Management, select Configuration Profiles.
On the Configuration Profiles page, click + New.
On New macOS Configuration Profile>Options, select Application & Custom Settings.
On the Application & Custom Settings popup window, click Configure.
In the Application & Custom Settings section, set the values shown in the following screen shot.
- For Creation Method, pick Configure settings.
- For Source, pick Custom Schema.
- For Preference Domain, provide the name of your domain. This example uses com.microsoft.Edge as the domain.
- For Custom Schema, paste the contents of the 'policy_manifest.json' manifest file.
- Click Save.
After you save the profile, Jamf displays the General section shown in the next screen shot.
- Provide a display Name for the profile and a Description.
- Keep the default setting for Category, which is None.
- For Distribution Method, the options are Install Automatically or Make Available in Self Service.
- For Level, the options are User Level or Computer Level.
- Click Save.
After you save the General section, Jamf shows the 'Microsoft Edge Beta Channel' configuration profile set up for our example. In the next screen shot, note that you can keep working the profile by clicking Edit or if you're finished, click Done.
Note
You can edit this profile after it's been saved and in another Jamf session. For example, you might decide to change the Distribution Method to Make Available in Self Service.
To do a follow up edit on the Microsoft Edge Stable Channel, or delete it, select the profile name, shown in the following Configuration Profiles screen shot.

After you create the new configuration profile you still have to configure the Scope for the profile.

To configure the scope

For Targets, provide the following minimum settings:
- TARGET COMPUTERS. The options are Specific Computers or All Computers.
- TARGET USERS. The options are Specific Users or All Users.
- Click Save.
For Limitations, keep the default setting: None. Click Cancel.
For Exclusions, keep the default setting: None. Click Cancel.

User Interface

Microsoft Edge doesn't attempt to do anything special compared to Chromium alternatives such as Opera or Vivaldi. But its user interface just works. The default tabs provide a search bar that you can comfortably type into and quick links to sites that you frequently visit. You do get a rather annoying news feed, but it's something that you can quickly turn off.

The browser features a slightly larger-than-average address bar, which makes performing Omnibox searches a breeze. The nifty profile icon also allows you to manage, create, and use multiple profiles conveniently. At the same time, the Edge menu gives instant access to browser settings, extensions, progressive web apps, and other features.

However, Microsoft Edge does feel rather clunky and rough. Animations and transitions feel jarring, and I've often experienced input lag while navigating the user interface. However, those issues aren't that serious to put a dent in your browsing experience. After a while, you won't even notice.

On the other hand, Safari feels smooth and polished to near perfection. But its tiny tab strip and address bar aren't exactly geared toward great user experience. The fact that you have to use the confusing menu bars whenever you want to configure the browser seems rather dated.

Performance

It's almost impossible to beat Safari on the Mac in terms of performance. After all, Apple knows its hardware and software the best. But Microsoft Edge doesn't lag behind with its new Chromium engine. In my experience, Microsoft's browser performs almost on par with Safari.

Furthermore, Microsoft Edge technically has better compatibility withwebsites, once again, due to Chromium engine integration. So if you have trouble accessing asite in Safari, you can almost guarantee that it would load up justfine in Edge.

But what about battery life? Just like any native macOS application, Safari excels in that department.But Chromium has improved its efficiency over the yearson the Mac. So don't expect any rampant battery draining issues withEdge.

Also on Guiding Tech

How to Set Up Microsoft Edge Chromium on Mac: A Complete Guide

Privacy Protection

Safari provides native protection against third-party cookies that monitor your browsing activity across websites. You can also ramp things up with content blocking extensions, which help a lot to thwart even more web trackers while improving page load times.

Microsoft Edge also doesn't disappoint when it comes to preserving your privacy. The browser comes with an integrated content blocking module dubbed Tracking Prevention. It offers three different levels of protection (Basic, Balanced, and Strict), which range from blocking tracking cookies, malicious scripts, to personalized advertisements.

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Extensions Support

Starting with version 13 of Safari for macOS, Apple completely dropped support for legacy extensions, which was a terrible move (at least in my opinion) despite the concerns over privacy. Hence, the current crop of 'supported extensions' is minimal.

Also, most compatible extensions require a fee to work in the first place. As a power user, I now find Safari a hard sell on the Mac.

The new Microsoft Edge, however, offers an impressive and growing library of extensions. Just head over to the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. You can find a ton of add-ons that can dramatically boost your productivity, enhance your shopping or social media experience, and more.

To make things even better, Microsoft Edge lets you install extensions designed for other Chromium browsers such as Google Chrome.

Data Syncing

While Safari is great at syncing bookmarks and passwords via iCloud to your iPhone and iPad, the browser isn't available outside the Apple ecosystem. Therefore, accessing your data on other platforms is often next to impossible. On Windows, the most you can do is sync your Safari bookmarks to Chrome or Firefox. And yes, better forget Android altogether.

Microsoft Edge for the Mac, on the other hand, is truly cross-platform. You can easily access your browsing data (bookmarks, passwords, extensions, etc.) not just on the iPhone and iPad, but also on Windows and Android. Of course, you must have a Microsoft Account to sync your Edge browsing data, but it's incredibly easy to create one.

Also on Guiding Tech

How to Enable Dark Mode in Microsoft Edge Chromium

Pick Your Weapon Wisely

Microsoft Edge is shaping up to be a terrific web browser on the Mac, with unique features such as Collections starting to differentiate it from the myriad Chromium clones out there. It also receives frequent updates and feature revisions, something that Safari sorely lacks.

Both browsers offer solid privacy-related features, so a switchover depends completely on what else you prefer. If you like a user interface that's easy to use, an extensions library that allows for endless possibilities, or the ability to sync your data across multiple platforms, then Microsoft Edge is worth trying out.

For those of you who don't stray out of the Apple ecosystem much, love the performance and battery life in Safari, or its pure stability and reliability, it's just better to stick to the Mac's native web browser.

Next up:Decided to go with Microsoft Edge on your Mac? Check the next link to easily import your browsing data from other browsers to Microsoft Edge on your Mac.

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Microsoft Edge Download For Mac Os