Little has changed from the Xbox One’s internet browsing capabilities, with all Xbox Series X and S consoles coming with Microsoft Edge pre-installed as the default (and only) browser on the system.
Microsoft Edge is useful for browsing the internet, saving pages, and navigating between games and the browser with ease. Much faster than the Xbox One, there’s no delay between opening the app and returning to your game. It’s a great resource for checking out guides and tips while playing.
How To Open Microsoft Edge On The Xbox Series XS
To open Microsoft on your Xbox you just need to navigate to My games & apps, found on the main Xbox menu when you press the Home button in the center of the controller.
- Click My games & apps
- Click See all
- Navigate to apps
- Click on the Edge browser icon
How To Navigate The Edge Browser
The default homepage for the Edge browser is www.msn.com. It can be navigated with the left stick (this acts as your cursor) and the page can be scrolled through or moved around using the right stick. The d-pad can be used as an alternative to scrolling down the page with the left stick.
General tips to make navigating Edge much easier:
- Holding up on the right stick will open your tabs window. Multiple tabs can be open at the same time.
- The menu button will open the page in full screen, without a navigation bar or main menu.
- Navigating the browser’s menu is easier if you use the d-pad rather than the left stick cursor.
- You can use the Left and Right bumper to navigate through your tabs.
Use Favorites And The Reading List For More Intuitive Browsing
Because navigating Microsoft Edge isn’t the easiest thing in the world while using a controller, saving your favorite pages to the bookmark list is recommended. You can access this list of favorites by clicking the Star/Menu button in the top right of the screen.
There are options here for:
- Favorites - Here you can get quick access to sites that you save to the list.
- Reading List - You can save articles, videos, and anything else to your Reading List.
- History - This allows you to check pages that you have previously visited.
- Downloads - Microsoft Edge allows you to download various files from the web, including images and PDFs, directly to your Xbox.
Other Functions Of Microsoft Edge On Xbox Series XS
Microsoft Edge functions much as it does on your mobile phone or desktop computer. There are a few different features that carry over between platforms.
- Read Aloud - You can have a page read aloud by clicking the menu button (three dots on the top right) and selecting “Read Aloud.” This is ideal if you're using one of the best headsets for the console.
- InPrivate Browsing - Selecting this browsing mode, also available via the settings menu, will let you browse Edge without the browser saving any previous pages, cookies, or temporary files.
How To Change Microsoft Edge Settings
There are a variety of settings you can change in Microsoft Edge. The settings menu is accessed at the top right of the screen.
- You can change Privacy and Security settings, such as sharing search history, blocking cookies, and clearing your browser data.
- Determine where downloaded files go. They are automatically stored to your Microsoft under the User Manager tab, though this can be changed.
- The Advanced Settings tab allows you to turn off media auto-playing and control website permissions (if there are younger children that use the console.)