Microsoft Edge Secure Network, the VPN built into the browser

Microsoft has begun testing Edge Secure Network, a new VPN-like security feature for its Edge browser. This new feature promises to provide a secure browsing experience, especially when you connect to public networks in a bar, restaurant, airport, or other public place. In this article, we have detailed what Edge Secure Network is and how you can try this free VPN service in Microsoft Edge now.

Microsoft's Edge secure network is a new security feature that allows you to safely surf the Web with the Edge browser. Created in partnership with Cloudflare, the feature masks your device's IP address, encrypts your data and routes it through the nearest Cloudflare server in your location. Just like other popular browsers such as Opera and Firefox, Microsoft offers a free VPN service built into its Edge browser.

Edge Secure Network is currently available on Edge Canary build 104 and later. As part of the first preview, Microsoft is offering 1 GB free monthly quota for users to test the feature. We may expect more new plans with higher data limits, perhaps locked behind a subscription when the feature reaches the stable version of Edge.{}

In addition, the browser requires you to log in to your Microsoft account to access the VPN feature. If you want to try the feature before its implementation on the stable channel, you can follow the steps below.

• First, go to this link and download Microsoft Edge Canary to your computer. Open Edge Canary and click on the three horizontal dots icon in the upper right corner. When the list of options appears, choose "Settings" at the bottom to view Edge's settings.
• Then, switch to the "Appearance" tab from the left sidebar and activate the "Secure Network (VPN) Button" switch to access the Cloudflare-supported VPN service on your Edge browser.
• Now you will notice that the secure network icon appears in the toolbar next to the address bar and in the settings context menu. By clicking on the icon you can enable or disable the Edge secure network.
• After clicking the secure network icon in the toolbar, click the "Try Now" button to test the Edge secure network. As mentioned earlier, you will need to log in to your Microsoft account to test the secure network right away.

And that's it! You have enabled secure network protection on the Edge browser. There is a progress bar in the Edge Secure Network pop-up menu to indicate how much data you have used from the free 1 GB monthly quota. In case you change your mind, you can turn off the "Secure Network Protection" switch to disable Edge secure network.

VPNs are useful for cybersecurity, if you want to learn more about them see our article here.