How to Use the Collections Feature in the New Edge Browser

The new Microsoft Edge Chromium browser is similar to Google Chrome in many ways, but there is one feature that may give it a leg up on Chrome for some users. This feature is the ability to create collections.

Collections are similar in some ways to a favorites folder, but it’s more than just a list of links. Instead, the collections display in a pane on your browser window. It displays images and text to help you remember what was on that site instead of having to guess and click until you find the page you wanted.

You can add more than just links to collections, like images and text. Collections also makes it easy to access, edit, or remove the collections as needed.

Enabling Collections

Until recently, it was only possible to access Collections by downloading in Chromium Edge Canary channel and using the flag edge://flags/#edge-collections.

However, Collections is now available in the stable version, so you don’t have to use Edge Canary to enjoy this new feature. It is not part of the download, but you can enable it in just a few moments.

To add Collections to the Stable Version of Microsoft Edge, you need to create a shortcut on the desktop. You may already have one that was placed there during installation, but if you don’t, locate Microsoft Edge in the Start Menu. Drag the icon onto the desktop to add the shortcut.

1. Once the shortcut is on the desktop, right-click on it and select Properties.

2. On the Shortcut tab, locate the Target box.

3. After msedge.exe”, add this text --enable-features=msEdgeCollections. You must leave a space between the quotation mark and the first dash.

It should look like this:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe" --enable-features=msEdgeCollections

Now the next time you open Edge, you will see an icon for Collections in the toolbar.

Creating a Collection

Collections are a useful addition to Edge for many types of people. Students can use collections to organize their research for term papers or begin their job search. Bloggers can organize their research into collections, and everyone can use it to plan their upcoming vacation or when trying to decide on a significant purchase.

Here’s how to get your first collection going:

1. Click on the Collections icon in the upper-right corner in between the favorites icon and the user profile icon.

2. Click on “Start new collection.”

3. Type the name of your collection in the box.

Adding Content to Collections

There are several ways to add Web content to your collection.

When you locate a page you want to save for later, click on the “Add current page link” in the Collections box.

It’s possible to add images, text, or links from a webpage, too. To add text to the collection, highlight the text you want to add and right-click on it. Hover over “Add to Collections,” and select the group where you want to save the text.

For an image, right-click on the image and select the collection by following the same steps as you would for text.

You can also drag those texts and images directly into the Collections pane instead of right-clicking.

Collections also has the option to create your own notes. To add a note, click the “Add note” icon at the top right, and type your ideas into the text box that appears. Click the checkmark to save it.

Organizing the Collection

You can change the order in which the items appear in the collection by clicking on one of them and dragging it to the spot you want it.

You can edit the title of any of the links you saved by right-clicking on the item and selecting the edit option.

Home Screen

Click the arrow next to the title of your collection to go back to the home screen for Collections. You can switch collections here. You can change the order in which your collections are displayed by dragging and dropping the collections.

By right-clicking on a collection, you can either rename the group, delete it entirely, or open all of the resources at once.

Extra Collections Features in Canary

There are still a few features of Collections that have not made their way to the Stable Version as of this writing, but hopefully, they will be available soon. These features allow you to send your collection links to Excel or Word.

To use this option, you would have to download the Canary channel.

Collections reminds me of a digital notebook, similar to Evernote or One Note. But it is integrated into your browser, and you don’t have to switch back and forth between applications. That should save time and make it easy to find what you need when you need it. Collections is another reason you should try the new Edge Chromium, even if you have said in the past that you would never use a Microsoft browser!

Related:

• How to Install Google Chrome Extensions in Microsoft Edge
• Hands on with the New Microsoft Edge (Chromium Version)
• Microsoft Edge (Chromium Version) vs Google Chrome

Tracey Rosenberger

Tracey Rosenberger spent 26 years teaching elementary students, using technology to enhance learning. Now she's excited to share helpful technology with teachers and everyone else who sees tech as intimidating.