Using the internet can often feel like browsing through loads of information, and spending hours scanning web content. Or, it could be flicking through page after page on the web to gain knowledge on a particular subject in the form of articles or blog posts.

Whatever the case, online reading is one activity that we often engage in, to take advantage of the numerous digital resources on the internet. Luckily, the Microsoft Edge browser has multiple advanced features to help you make the most of your reading experience.

Here, we’ll explore a number of them, so you can make reading worth your while.

1. Immersive Reader

Screenshot Showing Immersive Reader Mode on Microsoft Edge

Web pages are often populated with ads and notifications, which can disrupt the reading flow. With Immersive Reader on Microsoft Edge, the web page is stripped of this clutter, allowing you to focus on the actual content on the page.

What’s more, this feature comes with reading tools and preference options that can greatly improve your quality of reading.

To turn on Immersive Reader, locate the Enter Immersive Reader icon in the top-right corner of your web page.

Screenshot Showing the Immersive Reader Icon on Microsoft Edge

This will open up your web page in a more comprehensible layout, with warmer background colors, readable font, and an overall simplistic design.

Screenshot Showing Immersive Reader Text Preferences Menu on Microsoft Edge

You can adjust the Text size, Spacing, Font, and Text Column style from the Text Preferences menu.

There’s also a selection of reading themes to choose from, depending on which one you find most suitable. So, if you prefer a darker background to the light-colored one displayed above, you could opt for that.

Screenshot Showing Grammar Tool Options On Microsoft Edge Immersive Reader

With Grammar tools, you can split words into syllables, making them easier to comprehend. You can also highlight parts of speech with color-coded labels, so each one is distinct from the others.

Screenshot Showing Immersive Reader Reading Preferences on Microsoft Edge

Furthermore, you can turn on Line Focus to improve concentration as you read. This will highlight a number of lines, making them more prominent within the whole text so you can focus on one block of text at a time.

What’s more, with the Translate Entire Page toggle, you can convert the words on your web page to a different language.

2. Read Aloud

The Read Aloud feature on Microsoft Edge utilizes text-to-speech technology, to let you listen to the content of a web page in audio format. This enhances accessibility, especially for non-visual readers. It is also especially useful for multitasking, or learning a new language.

The Read Aloud icon is located in the address bar on the top right of a web page. It can also be accessed in the Immersive Reader mode.

Screenshot Showing Read Aloud Options on Microsoft Edge

You can use the playback buttons to move to a new paragraph or listen to a previous one. Using the Voice options settings, you can adjust the speed between Slow, Normal, and Fast.

Finally, by leveraging the Choose a Voice drop-down menu, you can customize your listening experience to your taste.

3. Import Bookmarks From Other Browsers

If you use more than one browser, or you’ve recently switched from a different browser to Microsoft Edge, you might want to consider importing your browser data, so you can restore your previous configuration.

The imported data can include your browser history, saved passwords, bookmarks, open tabs, extensions, favorites, etc. Specifically, importing your bookmarks will help you resume your reading journey right where you left off.

4. Organize Images and Text Using Collections

Screenshot Showing Collections on Microsoft Edge

Collections is a useful feature on Microsoft Edge for organizing ideas and information across web pages, so you can find them easily when you need them.

While reading or doing research, you can save up important lines of text or images that you want to refer back to.

This feature is also useful for simplifying a rather lengthy article by picking out the main points, so you can get a better grasp of the information.

Simply highlight a text or select a video or image and click the collection icon in the top-right corner, beside the address bar, to create one. You can add an entire web page as well as include notes in your collection.

To keep the Collections tab open on the sidebar, click the Pin Collections icon in the top-right corner of the Collections tab.

Screenshot Showing How to Pin The Collections Tab to the Sidebar on Microsoft Edge

Moreover, there are a couple of other actions you can perform on the Collections tab.

Screenshot Showing Quick Actions on the Microsoft Edge Collections Menu

You can import your collection to Excel, Word, or OneNote formats. In addition, this submenu allows you to show citations for your saved content and use the copy-and-paste function.

5. Add Web Pages to the Favorites Bar

The Favorites bar on your Microsoft Edge browser can come in handy for keeping tabs on web pages you use frequently or intend to consult later on.

To add a webpage to favorites, click the Add this Page to Favorites icon on the address bar of your browser.

Screenshot Showing the Favorites Icon on Microsoft Edge

If you’d like to see a list of all the webpages you've added to Favorites, click on the three-dotted menu in the top-right corner of your browser. Then, click on the Favourites option. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + O.

Screenshot Showing How to Locate the Favorites bar in Microsoft Edge

6. Web Capture and Web Select

These are two functional tools you can use to capture content from web pages, especially for note-taking and annotation.

With the web capture tool, you can obtain screenshots and edit them. Similarly, the Web Select tool allows you to copy content from a web page, including text and pictures.

Web capture is particularly useful for making annotations on screenshots you’ve created, which can aid comprehension. So, you can draw on them, underline important words or add highlights if you like.

Meanwhile, Web Select is more versatile because you are able to copy screen elements– texts, images, and even tables– directly to your clipboard. Essentially, a copy-paste function but retains its formatting, making it easy to transfer to your note-taking app or word processor.

They are both located on the right-hand menu of Microsoft Edge.

Screenshot Showing Web Capture and Web select on Microsoft Edge Menu

To use Web Capture, select it from the sidebar menu on Microsoft Edge and then choose either Capture area or Capture full page.

Screenshot Showing How to Use Web Capture on Microsoft Edge

Capture area lets you highlight a part of your screen to capture, while Capture full page will take a screenshot of the whole page.

Screenshot Showing How to Use the Capture Area Option Web Capture on Microsoft Edge

With the Capture area option, you can choose to copy, markup the capture, or run a visual search. Meanwhile, the Capture full-page option will automatically open the image editor.

7. Picture Dictionary

Picture dictionary is another feature you get in the Immersive Reader mode. Essentially, it provides you with picture depictions of words you hover over, which makes it easier to decipher word descriptions.

It can be difficult to sometimes visualize words we are unfamiliar with, so this feature is useful for providing associated meaning through visual representation.

To use this feature, you should first turn on Immersive Reader. Then, select reading preferences in the top-right corner.

Screenshot Showing How to Turn on Picture Dictionary on Microsoft Edge

Next, toggle on the Picture Dictionary menu. Once you’ve done that, you will see a star icon in place of your cursor when you hover over a word with a pictorial meaning.

Screenshot Showing a Picture Description with Microsoft Edge Picture Dictionary

8. Look Up Words on Search Sidebar

When reading on a web page, you may need to run a quick search on a term or word. While it might seem like the obvious thing to do, leaving your web page to search in a different tab can make you lose track of your current activity.

Microsoft Edge provides a more efficient way to do this through Sidebar Search by allowing you to use the function right from your current tab.

To use sidebar search, highlight a word and right-click on it to select the Search in Sidebar option.

Screenshot Showing How to Use Sidebar Search on Microsoft Edge

Utilizing Microsoft Edge’s Useful Reading Tools

Reading anywhere–online or in print–can be a profitable experience, especially with the right tools. So, it’s important that we seek out ways to make this activity truly worthwhile.

Luckily, Microsoft Edge is fully equipped with tools to improve your online reading experience. What’s more, the tips we’ve explored in this article will certainly help you get the most out of this browser, with respect to reading. But there's plenty more you can get out of Edge with some handy tricks.