Microsoft Edge tests a new Smart launch feature based on your activity

Microsoft has previously experimented with Edge launching automatically when Windows starts. Edge is now testing a “Smart launch” option in a Canary build that can open the browser at startup based on when it thinks you are most likely to use it.

Browsers have long offered startup options for users who want the browser ready as soon as they sign in to Windows. This can save users from opening the browser manually after they start their PC, although it can also launch the browser when they do not need it.

In Edge Canary, Microsoft has added the new option under Settings > Start, home, and new tab page > On startup. The “Allow Microsoft Edge to launch automatically” setting is off by default in the build we tested, so users must turn it on before Edge can launch automatically at startup.

After users enable the setting, Edge offers two choices: “Smart launch” and “Always launch at startup”.

The Smart launch option says Edge will open at startup “when you’re most likely to use it, based on your recent Edge activity.” Microsoft does not explain which activity Edge checks or how it decides when to launch the browser.

The second option, Always launch at startup, works as its name suggests. Edge opens every time the device starts.

This test differs from Microsoft’s earlier automatic-launch experiment. In that test, Edge could launch automatically when Windows started. The latest Canary version instead gives users an opt-in setting and lets them choose how Edge handles startup launches.

The new test does not appear to force Edge to open on users’ devices. Microsoft is instead testing whether recent Edge activity can help decide when the browser should launch at startup.

Smart launch is currently being tested in Edge Canary, although Microsoft could change or remove the feature before a wider release.