Microsoft Edge is killing off Collections — and your data is caught in the crossfire

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Microsoft Edge is planning to remove another feature: Collections. This information comes from recent updates shared with Edge developers.

Your browser is phasing out the Collections feature. You won’t be able to save new items to it anymore. To preserve anything you’ve already saved, you can either download it or transfer your saved pages to your Favorites before the feature is removed.

Below that message sit shortcuts to move pages to favorites or export your data.

Rumors of this retirement have been circulating for a while, but it now appears to be moving forward. The website Windows Report recently discovered a related message within the Edge Dev browser.

Edge’s current options don’t completely replicate the functionality of Collections. Saving pages as favorites will remove things like images and notes. While you can export your data to a CSV file, this takes it out of your browser. Ultimately, you can’t keep all your Collection data directly within Edge.

Since we don’t know when Collections will be discontinued, it’s a good idea to move your data now if you currently use it.

Why is Microsoft Edge losing another feature?

I’m usually quick to point out when Microsoft takes away something people love, but I don’t believe that’s the case this time. It seems like most Edge users weren’t really using Collections.

As someone who tracks Microsoft Edge closely, I’ve noticed a significant drop in usage of the Collections feature. It seems many users abandoned it after Microsoft moved from a built-in version to one that runs entirely online.

After Microsoft switched this feature from a built-in application to a web version, most people stopped using it. If Microsoft removes it completely, it’s unlikely to be a significant loss for users. More details: https://t.co/DogOUP0zNN (December 11, 2025)

Some believe Microsoft’s changes actually made Collections less useful, leading to fewer people using it. Currently, it’s not a popular feature compared to others in Edge.

Collections and the Edge Sidebar are facing different issues. While Collections is having its own problems, the Sidebar app list is being removed, and the entire Sidebar feature might be discontinued.

Microsoft says they’re streamlining Edge, but it seems like the Edge Sidebar and Copilot are actually competing for the same screen space. It’s hard not to see some overlap between the two features.

I don’t usually gamble, but if I had to predict something, I’d confidently say Microsoft will always prioritize Copilot. They’re so committed to it, they’re even redesigning the Edge browser to better integrate with it.

No matter the reason for removing specific features, I believe Edge has lost sight of what originally made it special. When Microsoft rebuilt the browser using the Chromium engine, it initially felt like Chrome, but without Google’s influence and with some useful improvements.

Now, it feels like another tool for Microsoft to promote Copilot and shopping experiences.

What are your thoughts on Microsoft Edge as it is today? Do you believe it’s improving and moving in a positive direction?

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2026-01-13 17:09