Microsoft Edge tests replacing the HTTPS lock icon with a tune icon

Microsoft is testing a visual change to the Edge Canary address bar. The browser now shows a tune-style icon instead of the familiar padlock on HTTPS websites, the same design Google introduced in Chrome years ago.

Chrome made the switch with version 117 in 2023 after concluding that the padlock no longer conveyed the right message. The company said its research found that many users interpreted the icon as proof that a website was trustworthy, when it actually only indicated that the connection between the browser and the website was encrypted.

Phishing sites routinely use HTTPS too, so the padlock shows up there just as often as on legitimate ones. The tune icon was chosen because it better represents site controls and permissions rather than website trust.

Other browsers have taken different approaches since. Some adopted similar site information icons, while others retained the traditional padlock. Edge, despite sharing Chromium with Chrome, continued using the lock icon long after Google made the change and never publicly explained why.

In the latest Edge Canary builds, that’s starting to change. Microsoft is testing the tune icon without any announcement.

Functionally, nothing is different. Clicking the icon still opens the same panel with connection status, site permissions, cookies, and other site information. Only the icon itself has changed, and even that transition looks unfinished. The site information panel still shows the familiar padlock next to “Connection is secure,” suggesting Microsoft has updated the address bar entry point but not the panel itself yet.

Even so, the change is notable because the address bar is one of the most visible parts of a browser. If Microsoft rolls out the new icon, Edge would follow the design Chrome introduced nearly three years ago, replacing a browser icon that’s been part of the web since the Netscape era. Since the change is currently limited to Canary, it’s still unclear whether it’ll reach stable releases.