Microsoft Edge extension API roadmap

Note

This documentation is for extensions for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge. For information on the new Microsoft Edge, see Microsoft Edge (Chromium) Extensions.

Important

The new Microsoft Edge program is now open to accept chromium-based extensions for the new Microsoft Edge (v77 or later). If you want to submit a new extension, visit Publish to Microsoft Edge (Chromium) Add-ons Store to learn about the submission process.

With this announcement, Microsoft is no longer accepting new extensions for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge. If you own an Extension for the legacy version, you should begin the process of porting your Extension to the new Microsoft Edge. The new Microsoft Edge is based on Chromium, so Extensions designed for the legacy version of Microsoft Edge do not work with the new version.

In addition to web APIs, the extension API allows extensions to achieve deeper integration with the browser host. This API gives developers access to Microsoft Edge’s browser features such as tab and window manipulation. The following table details what APIs are supported/in development for Windows 10 publicly released builds of Microsoft Edge.

Class Description Status — Build Number
bookmarks Used to create, organize, and manipulate bookmarks. Supported — Microsoft Edge (40) / Windows 10 (15063)
browserAction Enables extensions to add a persistent button within Microsoft Edge. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
commands Defines keyboard shortcuts. Under consideration
contextMenus Adds a context menu item on a specific URL, in a specified context of a webpage. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
cookies Used to query and modify cookies, as well as notify when they change. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
downloads Used to programmatically initiate, monitor, manipulate, and search for downloads. Under consideration
extension Contains utilities that can be used by any extension page. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
history Interacts with the browser's record of visited pages. Under consideration
i18n Implements internationalization across an extension. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
identity Used to get an OAuth2 authorization code or access token. Under consideration
idle Used to detect when the machine's idle state is changed. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
management Gets information about installed add-ons. Under consideration
notifications Allows creation of notifications using templates to be displayed in the user's system tray. Supported - Microsoft Edge (42) / Windows 10 (17134)
pageAction Enables extensions to add a button inside the address bar. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
permissions Allows users to select what optional permissions they would like to grant an extension access to. Under consideration
runtime Retrieves the background page, returns details about the manifest, and listens for and responds to events in the extension lifecycle. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
storage Used by the extension to read/write data and to sync data. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
tabs Interacts with Microsoft Edge's tab system by creating, modifying, and rearranging tabs in the browser. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
webNavigation Used to receive notifications about the status of navigation requests in-flight. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
webRequest Enables use of the webRequest API to observe and analyze traffic and to intercept, block, or modify requests in-flight. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)
windows Interacts with the browser by creating, modifying, and rearranging windows. Supported — Microsoft Edge (38) / Windows 10 (14393)