Microsoft Edge is closing the gap with Safari for second place in the great browser war

Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge (Image credit: Windows Central)

What you need to know

  • Desktop browser market share has been seeing a shakeup over the course of 2021 and 2022.
  • Microsoft Edge is making steady progress toward matching Safari's market share percentage.
  • Google Chrome continues to lose market share, albeit by very little amounts, meaning it will remain the uncontested king for the foreseeable future.

Beating out the established players is no easy task, but Microsoft Edge is slowly on its way to doing just that. Having risen from 8.1% of global desktop browser market share in February 2021 to 9.56% in February 2022, it's now within spitting distance of Safari. According to Statcounter, Safari has gone from 10.27% in February 2021 down to 9.75% in February 2022. Based on these figures, it appears the tides are turning.

If the two browsers keep trending in the directions they're currently headed, Edge will overtake the silver medalist browser in a matter of months. Meanwhile, Chrome remains untouchable in a distant first place, since it sits high above the others with 64.92% market share as of February 2022.

Source: StatCounter Global Stats - Browser Market Share

Even if Edge clutches silver, it's not worth getting hopes up for a gold sweep anytime soon. That's not going to stop Edge from trying to better itself in the meantime, though. Regardless of its place in the market, Edge is always releasing new updates to better its overall user experience. For example, with its money-minded features, the browser has helped save users millions upon millions of dollars.

In the event you feel the need to always be on the winning (in market share) team and are tired of Edge and Microsoft in general, don't forget you can now transform your PC into a Chromebook so every fiber of its being is shiny and chrome.

Robert Carnevale

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He's a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author of Cold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.