The Menu Bar, once a given for any desktop web browser, has been removed from the majority of web browsers. Some, Firefox or Vivaldi, still support a menu bar but even these need to be configured to display the toolbar permanently in the browser. Firefox users may use the Alt-key to display the menu bar at any time.
Microsoft’s new Edge web browser does not support a menu bar at all; that is no surprise as Chromium does not come with a menu bar.
If you like to use a menu bar in your browser, you may install a browser extension in Microsoft Edge to restore it (also available for Google Chrome).
All you need to do is install the Proper Menubar for Microsoft Edge extension from the official Microsoft Edge Addons website to add it to the browser. The extension requires no special permissions which is always good.
Note that the extension does not alter the browser’s user interface but adds a row underneath the address bar of the browser that acts as a menu bar.
The menu bar displays the usual entry points such as File, Edit, View, or Bookmarks. Its nature limits some of its functionality as the extension does not display browser-specific data such as the last visited pages or bookmarks.
While that is limiting, users who like to work with menu bars do find some useful options attached to it. Here is a short list of useful options:
- Open or close Tabs or Windows.
- Zoom in or out.
- View Source
- Enter Full Screen mode.
- Minimize or maximize windows.
- Mute Tabs.
- Jump to different internal pages, e.g. downloads, bookmarks, history, flags, or the settings.
Obviously, there is a bit missing when you compare it to native implementations. If you take Vivaldi’s for example, the browser is also based on Chromium, you find the missing data entries for the history and bookmarks, as well as options to hide or show panels or toolbars, import options, and more.
Closing Words
Proper Menubar for Microsoft Edge adds a limited menu bar to the Edge web browser. Some users may like the functionality that it adds, others may dislike its limitations when compared to native solutions.
The extension could be improved by allowing it to access the history and bookmarks, as these could then be displayed in the history and bookmark menus.
(via Bleeping Computer)