Microsoft Edge may soon let users open links in web apps

Tech giant Microsoft is reportedly working on a new feature for its Edge browser that will make Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) and web apps feel more native.

The new option lets users set Edge to open links in associated Progressive Web Apps or installed web apps. For example, a person could set their browser to open the YouTube PWA after clicking a YouTube link within Edge, reports Windows Central.

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First spotted and shared by a prominent Reddit user Leo Varela, the feature can be enabled right now through a flag in Edge Canary.

Searching for "Enable opening support links within installed web apps" should make the option appear within edge://flags in Edge.

Developers can already register apps to open when an associated link is clicked in Edge, but this new feature works with websites installed as applications.

Varela believes that the option may bypass the need for developers to register their web apps as link handlers.

An entry on the Edge Insider feature roadmap appears to refer to the same feature that was spotted by Varela.

"Starting in Microsoft Edge version 97, you can opt into launching the browser in a PWA rather than the full native browser," states the roadmap.

That entry mentions a target release date of the first quarter of 2022, which has already passed.