Windows 10’s taskbar search is one of the most powerful tools
in the operating system, and part of the reason for that is its
strong integration of Microsoft services. To date, though, it
has lacked decent integration with Microsoft Edge, relying on
half-baked tie-ins.
Today, that changes, as Microsoft has started testing a new
feature for Chromium Edge that will enable deep integration
with Windows Search, also known as Start menu search or taskbar
search.
In version 2004/20H2 or newer, Windows Search will be able to
directly pull information from Microsoft Edge. So, if you’ve
opened a tab in Microsoft Edge, it can be found directly via
Windows Search.
Your favourites/bookmarks, browsing history, top sites and
recent tabs will also appear in Windows Search results. In
fact, if you’ve enabled sync in Microsoft Edge and the browser
is installed on your mobile devices, you’ll be able to access
your mobile browsing history too.
It’s worth noting that the integration is completely one way,
which means you cannot use Microsoft Edge to find your files on
Windows. As you can see in the above screenshot, this
would be an optional feature and it will connect local browsing
data from the current synced profile with the rest of Windows.
According to Microsoft, you can disable this feature anytime
and Edge will remove the data shared with Windows and pause the
integration.
This functionality is available for some testers in Microsoft
Edge Canary and it’s simple to set up, but it doesn’t seem to
be working at the moment.
Other improvements coming to Windows Search
As you’re doubtless aware, the search box in Windows 10
currently supports the light theme only, which may not be ideal
for those who prefer a consistent dark experience.
Thankfully,
Microsoft is also testing native dark mode support for Windows
Search and the feature is already live in beta builds.
In addition to Edge integration and dark mode, there are plans
to enable
weather and news widgets within the Windows Search layout.
