Since the pandemic, more and more companies have started offering products and services that let users collaborate and work online together. The newest among these comes from Microsoft, which already has offerings like Teams for virtual meetings. This new utility, called Microsoft Edge Workspaces, is a feature of the Edge browser and allows you to work with others easily while keeping all team members informed of what other people are working on.

With Microsoft Edge Workspaces, you can use dedicated windows to organize your browser favorites and tabs easily. It is similar to the tab grouping feature in Edge but also allows sharing your browsing pages with others, which is not possible with tab groups. We've explained how this feature works and how you can set it up and use it on your Windows PC.

How does the Microsoft Edge Workspaces Feature Work?

The Edge Workspaces feature lets a group of people, such as a team working on a shared project, access the same web pages and files, eliminating the need for sharing multiple links. It lets users share links as open tabs while also letting them see what others are viewing and working on for better coordination.

When you create an Edge Workspace, it will share favorites, history, and tabs with all members of your team. It will also share the active tab for every team member having access to the workspace. However, your passwords, downloads, cookies, etc. will not be shared. Similarly, your device screen and content like emails are kept private.

Benefits of Microsoft Edge Workspaces

With Microsoft Edge Workspaces, you can manage various projects more efficiently. For instance, project managers can provide comments on different tabs and tag members who can then take the required action. Thus, you do not have to rely on a separate communication tool to interact with team members.

While Workspaces make collaboration easier, it also ensures your private content remains protected. For instance, when users access a workspace through a tab while also having their personal accounts open, other members can only see a placeholder tab and not the contents of your account.

Additionally, all tab groups and tabs can sync between your machines, so you can quickly access a tab on any device you want. This means you do not have to rely on the machine on which you first opened that particular tab, which can be very convenient if you cannot or do not want to keep all your machines open all the time.

There is also the fact that workspaces are automatically saved when you close them. So, you can be working on something else and your PC will be free to use all the resources at its disposal without them being used by the browser. When you open the workspace again the next time, all your tabs will be accessible immediately.

Setting Up Your Microsoft Edge Workspace

To set up your Microsoft Edge Workspace, you need to be signed into your Microsoft account in the Edge browser.

  1. Once you are signed in, click on the Microsoft Edge Workspace icon next to your profile picture.
  1. From the drop-down menu, click on the 'Create New' button.
  1. Next, choose a name and color for your workspace, and click on the 'Done' button.
  1. Edge will open a new browser window containing all your tabs which you can share with others.

Using Microsoft Edge Workspaces

To start using your Microsoft Edge Workspace, you need to invite your team members to it.

  1. Click on the 'Invite' button on the top right in the new workspace.
  1. Type in the email address of the team members you want to invite to the Workspace.
  1. Alternatively, you can click on the 'Copy Link' button and share the link with your team members directly.
  1. If you send the link via email, your team members can open their email and click on the link to join the Workspace. Once they join, their initials will appear in the top right on the tap they are viewing.
  1. You can chat with other team members collaborating in your workspace by clicking on the Chat icon at the top.
  1. You can also edit, delete, or leave a workspace by clicking on the workspace name and then on the respective option.
Note: Only collaborators can leave a workspace. If you are the owner of a workspace, you will only be able to delete it. Also, when you delete a workspace, it will no longer be accessible to you. Team members who are part of the workspace still be able to access it.

Microsoft Edge Workspaces makes it incredibly easy to collaborate with others when working on a project. It allows project managers to create workspaces with tabs for different components of the project that are accessible to everyone who is working on that project.

Additionally, you can view your team's progress and ensure team members are working on the tasks they are assigned. The live chat feature also makes it easy to communicate and share ideas immediately without having to rely on a separate tool.