Microsoft’s December 6, 2018 announcement was about adopting the open-source Chromium project as the web platform for desktop Microsoft Edge and contributing to that shared project. It was not an announcement that the complete Edge browser would become open source. Microsoft said the shift aimed to improve web compatibility and reduce fragmentation for developers.
What Microsoft announced in 2018
On December 6, 2018, Microsoft executive Joe Belfiore said the company intended to adopt Chromium in developing desktop Edge. Microsoft described a gradual transition, with work carried out in the open. Its stated goals were better compatibility for people using the web and fewer browser-platform combinations for developers to support. Microsoft’s announcement framed this as collaboration on the web platform, not publication of the entire Edge product’s source code.
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At the time, Microsoft also expected the move to bring more frequent Edge updates across supported Windows versions and to make Edge available on other desktop platforms, including macOS. Those were expectations in the 2018 announcement, not a description of every current Edge feature or release arrangement.
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What “open-source development” meant
Chromium is the open-source browser project whose code and web-platform work Microsoft planned to use and contribute to. Edge is a browser product built on that platform, with its own user experience and Microsoft features and connected services. Microsoft’s intent document explicitly described retaining a differentiated Edge experience while working with Chromium. The distinction matters: using and contributing to an open-source platform does not make every part of a product built on it open source.
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Microsoft published “Microsoft Edge and Chromium Open Source: Our Intent” on GitHub. It laid out the company’s approach to Chromium and initial contribution priorities. The priorities were a starting point for collaboration, not a list of Edge components Microsoft promised to release as open source.
Why Microsoft chose Chromium
Microsoft’s 2018 rationale focused on a shared web platform. If browsers rely on the same underlying platform, the company argued, websites are more likely to behave consistently and developers may need to test against fewer platform variations. Microsoft also said its experience with Windows could help improve how Chromium-based browsers work on Windows devices, including battery life and hardware integration. These were Microsoft’s stated aims, not measured outcomes documented in the announcement.
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The intent document discussed benefits for three groups: end users, web developers, and corporate IT teams. Microsoft pointed to compatibility for web content and older enterprise applications, alongside simpler testing for developers. The company presented these as reasons for the move rather than quantified results.
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Microsoft’s initial Chromium contribution priorities
Microsoft’s intent document named four initial focus areas and said the list could develop through collaboration:
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ARM64 support
Microsoft said it would continue work to support Chromium natively on ARM64 devices, including enabling Chromium-based browsers to run natively on Windows on ARM.
Accessibility
The proposed work included Microsoft UI Automation interfaces for Narrator and other assistive technologies, support for Windows Ease of Access settings, accessible controls, and caret browsing.
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- A 15" TOUCHSCREEN YOU'LL ACTUALLY USE — Sharp colors, real detail, smooth 120Hz scrolling on the PixelSense touchscreen[1] with LCD display[2]. Tap, scroll, or pinch to zoom - whichever feels right for streaming, editing photos, or daily work.
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- Two USB-C / USB4[4] ports and a microSD card reader for fast charging, big file transfers, or hooking up to three 4K monitors when you want a full desktop. Wi-Fi 7 keeps you online and fast wherever you are.
Touch and other modern input
Microsoft identified desktop touch, gesture recognition, scrolling, and panning on newer Windows devices as areas for improvement.
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The company said it would collaborate with Chromium’s security team and contribute its secure-software and Windows-platform expertise.
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- Work at the speed of your ideas – Built with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite (12 Core) processors, Surface Laptop delivers fast, AI‑accelerated performance—making it the most powerful Surface laptop for everything from multitasking to demanding workloads.
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The document also cited earlier work involving ARM64, WebRTC for UWP apps, and ANGLE. Those examples show work Microsoft referenced in 2018; they do not establish its present status or quantify its impact.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Microsoft reported later
In a January 9, 2025 post, Microsoft said it continued to contribute directly to Chromium and had joined the Linux Foundation’s Supporters of Chromium-Based Browsers initiative. The company described those contributions as bringing its expertise to the project to improve Edge and other Chromium-based browsers. This is a dated statement of Microsoft’s reported involvement; it does not provide a contribution count or establish the details of activity after that post. Microsoft’s 2025 update provides that status marker.
What the announcement did not establish
- It did not say that all Microsoft Edge source code would be released or that Edge itself had become an open-source browser.
- It did not report measured compatibility gains, performance improvements, or reductions in developer testing time.
- It did not quantify Microsoft’s Chromium contributions.
A December 7, 2018 recap from Microsoft Edge’s Kyle Pflug covered the announcement alongside other open-source-related documents and a separate ChakraCore support clarification. Those separate items should not be mistaken for parts of the Chromium adoption plan. The recap distinguishes the announcements.
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