When Microsoft rebuilt Edge from the ground up, the move looked like a gamble. It was not. The browser now ranks third worldwide, behind Safari and Chrome, according to StatCounter data from February 2023. That shift has real consequences for the companies that make browsers, the developers who write code, and the millions of people who browse the web every day.
Edge’s climb to 11% of PCs worldwide by 2022 did not happen by accident. Microsoft scrapped its own browser engine and adopted Chromium, the open-source project that also powers Google Chrome. That decision allowed Edge to run on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, and even Xbox. The first mobile versions arrived in 2017. The rebuilt desktop browser launched in January 2020. Linux and Xbox support followed in 2021. Windows 7 and 8 users could still run Edge until early 2023.
The consequences for Google are immediate. Chrome still dominates, but Edge now offers a genuine alternative built on the same underlying technology. That means Google cannot take its browser dominance for granted. If Edge keeps gaining ground, Google could face pressure on its core business — search advertising. Every Edge user who defaults to Microsoft Bing instead of Google Search represents lost revenue for the search giant.
For Apple, the picture is different. Safari holds second place, and Apple tightly controls browser engines on iOS. All browsers on iPhones and iPads must use WebKit, the same engine Safari uses. That rule limits how much Edge can differentiate on Apple’s mobile devices. Still, Edge’s cross-platform sync — bookmarks, passwords, open tabs — works across Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. That seamless experience pulls users into the Microsoft ecosystem.
Linux users gained a Chromium-based browser with full Microsoft integration in 2021. That was a quiet but significant development. Linux has long been a developer stronghold, and Edge on Linux means Microsoft can reach programmers who might otherwise never touch a Microsoft product. The same logic applies to macOS. Edge on a Mac looks and feels like Chrome but ties into Microsoft 365, OneDrive, and corporate IT policies.
Businesses are the real target. Edge ships with Windows, and IT departments can manage it through group policies and Microsoft Endpoint Manager. That makes Edge the default choice for many organizations. Employees who use Edge at work may install it at home. That pattern drove Internet Explorer’s dominance two decades ago. Microsoft is betting it can happen again.
The browser’s success also reshapes the Chromium project itself. Microsoft now contributes code to the open-source engine. That gives the company a voice in how the web platform evolves. Google still controls the project, but Microsoft’s presence acts as a check. Features that serve Google’s interests may face more scrutiny. The web’s underlying infrastructure becomes slightly less dependent on one company’s priorities.
Edge’s third-place ranking matters beyond market share statistics. It signals that the browser market is not frozen. Chrome’s lead is enormous, but not unassailable. Safari benefits from being the default on Apple devices. Edge benefits from being the default on Windows. Those defaults matter. Most people never change their default browser. Microsoft’s strategic bet — rebuild Edge on Chromium, ship it with Windows, push it through corporate channels — has paid off.
The question now is whether Edge can hold third place or push higher. Chrome’s dominance is rooted in habit, not technology. Edge offers the same speed and compatibility with better privacy controls and deeper Microsoft integration. That combination has already won over 11% of PC users. The next few years will show whether that number grows or stalls.
