Microsoft touts reduced memory usage for Microsoft Edge on the Windows 10 May 2020 Update

Laurent Giret

Microsoft’s new Chromium-based Edge browser is running more efficiently on the freshly-released Windows 10 May 2020 Update, the company said today. Microsoft claims that the new browser can use close to 30% less memory on the new version of the OS due to segment heap memory improvements for Win32 apps.

“With the Windows 10 May 2020 Update, Microsoft Edge has leveraged the Windows segment heap memory improvements now available for Win32 applications to manage memory more efficiently. Early internal testing results of devices on the May 2020 Update are showing a memory usage reduction of up to 27% when browsing with Microsoft Edge,” the company explained.

It’s important to note that Microsoft Edge’s memory usage should vary across PCs, but Microsoft still expects users to have a “better experience” when using its new browser on the May 2020 Update. That may well convince more Chrome users to give Edge a try, as Google’s web browser is notorious for being a memory and battery hog.

Microsoft has started rolling out its new Edge browser to all Windows 10 PCs via Windows Update, which will replace the legacy Edge that is no longer in development. The upcoming Windows 10 20H2 update, to be available later this fall, will also be the first version of Windows 10 to ship with the new Microsoft Edge, the software giant announced yesterday.