Microsoft Is Killing Collections in Edge

After recently retiring the Sidebar app list, Microsoft is now preparing to retire the Collections feature in Microsoft Edge and has started showing a notice warning that data must be exported or moved before the feature is removed. The message also confirms that new items can no longer be added to Collections.

Microsoft launched Collections with the Chromium-based version of Edge in 2020. The feature lets people save pages, group content, add notes, share items, and export data across devices. It was used for research, shopping lists, reading lists, and project planning, workflows that will disappear once the feature is removed.

Microsoft Edge to discontinue the Collections feature

The notice appears directly inside the Collections panel. It states that Collections is being retired and urges action before removal.

Edge offers two options.

The first option is “Move to Favorites.” When selected, Edge opens the Favorites page and creates a new folder named CollectionsExport. All saved pages from Collections move into that folder. Each collection becomes its own folder.

Microsoft also notes an important limitation. Only web pages move to Favorites. Other items, such as images and notes, do not carry over.

The second option is “Export your data.” This saves a file named collections_export.csv to the Documents folder. The file uses the CSV format, which works with Excel and similar apps. This provides a complete offline copy of saved pages.

Over the years, Microsoft presented Collections as more than a bookmark tool. The company described it as a way to group content visually, add notes, compare items, and export research into apps like Word and Excel. Even with that effort, Collections never seemed to gain the same traction as core features like Favorites.

Anyone who wants a full backup should rely on the export option instead of using only the Favorites transfer. The export file keeps a complete list of saved pages, while the Favorites option drops images and notes.

Windows Report first spotted this notice in Edge Dev, and Microsoft has not yet announced the change publicly.

It is not yet clear whether Microsoft plans to retire Collections on mobile versions of Edge as well.

Microsoft has removed several features from Edge in recent months. The company retired the Sidebar app list earlier this year. In the Edge 137 release notes, Microsoft also listed features such as Image Editor, Image Hovers menu, Mini menu, Video super resolution, and Wallet Hub as being deprecated and scheduled for removal.

Update: When Edge is signed into a Microsoft account, the retirement notice also directs users to access their saved content from Bing Saves. This option was not visible in earlier notices seen in non-signed profiles.

Microsoft has also officially deprecated the built-in Crypto Wallet in Edge. Collections now appears to be the latest feature joining that list.