Microsoft has been pushing a lot of major features and changes to Edge, making it more competitive against Google Chrome and other similar Chrome-based browsers. Currently, this is only available on Edge Canary, and if you want to enable it on Mica Material in Edge Browser,
This won’t drastically change the behaviour of Edge, but it will make Edge visuals more integrated with Windows 11. There is a hidden visual, the semi-transparent blur effect, and also rounded corners on the tabs and address bar, which match the colours of desktop background images on the frame.
Microsoft Edge updated with Mica Material
Mica Material was introduced to Edge but taken down for some time, and now Microsoft has brought back the Mica Redesign to Microsoft Edge. To get this, you need to update your Edge to version 118 or higher, which brings several changes, including the newly redesigned Bing CoPilot. The update also brings enhanced Find on Page, Smart Screen Policies, and other update controls.
A few months ago, Google also introduced the Mica effects, and now they are finally expected to come to Edge. The new Mica material is infused into Edge’s title bar and toolbar, but it’s not a more dynamic material. If you’re not aware, it’s a Windows 11 exclusive dynamic material that matches the Windows 11 theme and desktop wallpaper. Furthermore, the Mica Material is identical to the design language used in File Explorer.
How to Enable Mica Material in the Edge Browser
It is quite straightforward to enable Mica Material in Edge through the Edge flag on Windows 11.
- Start by updating Microsoft Edge to the latest version, v120.0.2167.0 or higher.
- Next, simply launch Microsoft Edge and type edge://flags in the address bar.
- Search for the “Show Windows 11 Visual Effects in the Title Bar and Toolbar” page.
- From the right, you will find a drop-down menu for the edge: //flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-mica flag to enable the mica effect.
- Additionally, you can also enable the “Make Rounded Task Feature” available with this flag: edge://flags/#edge-visual-rejuv-rounded-tabs.
- Then, restart Edge.
Once you have enabled “Show Windows 11 Visual Effects in the Title Bar and Toolbar,” you can simply enable Mica Material in the Edge Browser.
- After relaunching Edge, open Edge Settings and go to the Appearance tab.
- Now, enable “Show Windows 11 Visual Effects in the Title Bar and Toolbar (Preview)” and restart the browser.
- Now, it will enable the Mica effect, which will be visible in the browser after a restart.
Don’t be confused with acrylic, which is more intensive. Once you have enabled both of these flags, you can change the browser’s appearance to Mica and the Rounded Tab and Addressbar. Not only this, but there are also improvements under the hood with the effect of the Fluent Design Language. These effects apply a slight transparency, allowing the desktop background to be blurred away.