Skip to main content

Edge browser gets ad blockers and other features alongside latest Windows build

Windows 10
Greg Mombert/Digital Trends
Microsoft has detailed Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14342, which is currently being distributed to users in the Fast Ring of the Insider Program. The latest iteration continues to improve upon the Edge web browser, among a variety of other tweaks and one noteworthy removal.

Edge users clamored for extension support for months before the feature was added in March. Now, there’s a change to the way they work: Instead of extracting and loading extensions from a local folder, users will obtain them directly from the Windows Store. As a result, you’ll need to replace any that you had installed when you receive the update.

Recommended Videos

New extensions are available to download too, with the addition of AdBlock and Adblock Plus sure to please users who are looking for a distraction-free web browsing experience while using Edge.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The browser can now receive real-time notifications from participating websites, which will be displayed in the Action Center. The update also adds support for swipe navigation, which will apparently be included in the next build of Windows 10 Mobile, according to a blog post published by Microsoft yesterday.

Build 14342 also brings a number of smaller changes. Improvements have been made to the Skype UWP app that’s currently being previewed, Bash on Ubuntu on Windows, and several UI elements. Plus, there’s now a way to open websites directly from an app, the Feedback Hub offers better categorization options, and a host of minor fixes have been applied across the board.

However, Build 14342 also removes a feature, owing to a lack of interest from users. Wi-Fi Sense will no longer allow you to share your Wi-Fi network with your contacts and access connections shared by your contacts, although it will still connect you to known Wi-Fi hot spots.

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
There’s a scary new way to undo Windows security patches
Windows 11 logo on a laptop.

Security patches for Windows are essential for keeping your PC safe from developing threats. But downgrade attacks are a way of sidestepping Microsoft's patches, and a security researcher set out to show just how fatal these can be.

SafeBreach security researcher Alon Leviev mentioned in a company blog post that they'd created something called the Windows Downdate tool as a proof-of concept. The tool crafts persistent and irreversible downgrades on Windows Server systems and Windows 10 and 11 components.

Read more
Windows gaming handhelds just got a huge new feature
Lies of P running on the Asus ROG Ally.

We love the ROG Ally and ROG Ally X, but Windows continues to be more of a hurdle on these devices than a benefit. Microsoft is beginning to make some progress here though, having announced an update to the Xbox Game Bar that would implement a new Compact Mode.

The Xbox Game Bar on Windows 11 has been more functional on larger monitors, where its extensive set of features could be easily accessed without overwhelming the user. However, in smaller devices, such as handheld gaming consoles or compact gaming laptops, the standard Game Bar interface feels cluttered and cumbersome. That is about to change.

Read more
It took Microsoft 30 years to change this Windows feature
The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

In 1996, Microsoft introduced the FAT32 file system as an update to the previous version, FAT16. At the time, Microsoft imposed a limit on the creation of FAT32 partitions, deciding that the maximum partition size would be 32GB. Now, 30 years later, the FAT file system supports partitions of up to 2TB -- and Microsoft is finally getting rid of that arbitrary limit from Windows 95 OSR 2.

FAT32, which stands for the 32-bit version of Microsoft's file allocation system, is far from the go-to option in Windows. NTFS is what most people use, and exFAT is there to fill in for many other use cases. Overshadowed by its two more widely used rivals, FAT32 managed to slip under the radar for 30 years.

Read more