Microsoft Edge Browser Now Offers Integrated VPN for Secure Browsing

Microsoft continues to enhance the browsing experience of its web browser, Edge, with added security measures. The latest feature added is an integrated VPN, now available in the stable version of Edge. This VPN can encrypt web browsing activities, ensuring protection against online attacks.

The secure network functionality of Microsoft Edge was introduced over a year ago and tested in Edge Canary before becoming available in the stable version. The VPN feature is especially useful when using public and unsecured WiFi networks. While it is not yet available in a stable version for everyone, it will be in the near future.

The VPN is powered by Cloudflare technology and provides three levels of security that can be adjusted from the Settings > Privacy menu. The first option allows only the websites on a predefined list to automatically enable VPN.

The optimized mode, recommended by Microsoft, automatically protects traffic when using public Wi-Fi, unsecured networks, or accessing sites without a valid certificate (HTTP). The third level, All Sites, enables VPN for all browser traffic, including streaming audio and video content.

It is worth noting that the last option should be used only in extreme cases as it may quickly use up all data. The VPN is available for free within these three levels of protection, with Microsoft providing one gigabyte of bandwidth each month. To access the free data every month, users must link their Microsoft account to Edge.

The remaining data in the VPN choice can be viewed by clicking on the shield symbol located at the top right of the browser window. The cost of Microsoft’s offering beyond the free data limit has not yet been revealed.

Microsoft recently announced a significant update to its Edge web browser, featuring a new user experience inspired by the Windows 11 design language and innovative new AI capabilities powered by OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology.

The Edge Sidebar contains the latest AI capabilities, always available to users. Microsoft revealed the new Edge at a special AI event, and a limited preview will start rolling out to some users soon.

The new Microsoft Bing, also using ChatGPT technology and natural language for online searches and tasks, is closely related to the new Edge.

These updates are a form of competition with Google, which owns the Chrome browser and the Google Search search engine. In addition, the new Edge can analyze web pages and actively help users create reports, conduct research, and organize data using the sidebar.