Microsoft will provide its Edge Web browser with an original and practical function, Drop, which will allow files to be easily transferred from one device to another via the Internet, without going through software or an online service.
Microsoft is constantly adding new features to its Edge web browser, both to improve it and to compete with the king Google Chrome – it is no coincidence that the publisher is trying to impose it insistently with Windows 10 and Windows 11, at the risk of annoying many users… But this race for supremacy is good insofar as it pushes Microsoft to find ways to distinguish. Thus, while continuing to test the integration of a VPN called Secure Network (see our article), the Redmond firm is preparing a new original and practical function: Drop. As indicated ghacks who discovered it, this new tool will make it possible to easily transfer files from one machine to another, via the Internet, using OneDrive, Microsoft’s online storage service. A clever idea that will avoid going through dedicated software or a specialized online service like WeTransfer.
How to use Drop in Microsoft Edge?
Even if Drop is still being tested, we already know its principle. The feature allows files to be shared directly through Edge. Drop takes the form of a side panel in which you just have to drop files to switch them to another device (a computer, PC or Mac, or a mobile). From then on, the files are transferred transparently, to be available on all devices. The only conditions: you must obviously be connected to the Internet, use Edge on both devices and use the same Microsoft account.
Drop is not yet available to everyone. For the time being, the function is only accessible with Edge Canary 104, the latest test version of the browser reserved for developers (and available on Windows, Linux and macOS). And it has to be activated manually, because Microsoft has hidden it in the experimental functions of the browser. If you’re motivated, here’s how to test Drop.
► Download and install Microsoft Edge Canary on your devices, then launch the app.
► In the navigation window that opens, then enter the formula edge://flags/#edge-webapp-sidebar in the search and address bar, then validate.
► A new tab opens, on the page presenting the experimental functions of Edge. At the line Web App Siderclick on the menu that displays Default, to the right. Then, from the drop-down menu, select the option Enabled. Then click on the button To restartbottom right, to save your change and relaunch the browser.
► At this point, Drop is active, but invisible. You still have to make a setting to make it appear and be able to use it.
► Click on the three little dots at the top right of the window to open the Settings of the browser. Then, in the pane on the left, select Appearance.
► In the right part of the window, switch the switch on the right of drop to activate the function.
► The Drop icon is then displayed at the top right of Edge’s address bar.
► Then click on Drop icon to access the pane dedicated to the function, on the right of the browser. It takes on the appearance of an instant messenger, where you can not only exchange files, but also create sticky notes or notes.
► There you go, all you have to do is drag a folder onto the blind or click on the button + to open File Explorer and import an item there. The document sent is automatically stored on OneDrive, in a folder called Microsoft Edge Drop created for the occasion.
► Do the same manipulations in Edge on the other device connected to your Microsoft account to access the files stored in this folder.