Codenamed Chicago, Windows 95 benefited, just like Windows 10, from a beta program before its launch, so American testers could try out the operating system for only $19.95. A very straightforward tutorial on how to install Windows Chicago Build 58s. Hope it helps! Hardware used: 16 MB RAM Pentium 120 Trident ET4000 250 MB HDD.
-->This article describes previous updates to Power BI Desktop. For the most current month's release, check out Power BI Desktop latest updates.
You can always download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need an article or video.
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following sections describe previous months' updates to Power BI Desktop.
July 2019 Update (2.71.5523.641)
Our July updates were skyrocketing with colorful bursts of new features and functionality for your Power BI Desktop.
You can now download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need and article or video.
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following updates are new to Power BI Desktop this month:
Reporting
- Icon sets for table and matrix [video][blog]
- Percent support for conditional formatting by rules [video][blog]
- New filter pane is now generally available [video][blog]
- Data colors support when using play axis on scatter charts [video][blog]
- Performance improvements when using relative date and dropdown slicers [video][blog]
Analytics
- Counts for Key influencers visual (preview) [video][blog]
- Aggregations improvements [video][blog]
Visuals
- PowerApps visual is now certified [video][blog]
- Three new custom visuals and updates [video][blog]
Data connectivity
- Azure Data Lake Storage Gen2 connector (beta) [video][blog]
- Dynamics 365 Customer Insights connector [video][blog]
Data preparation
- New transform: Split column by positions [video][blog]
Note
You can also check out all the data sources available to Power BI Desktop; our list is always growing, so check back often.
Want more information about these updates? Take a look at the blog post, where you can get more detailed information about each of these new features (this is the same blog post references in the list above).
The following video describes and shows each of these updates. You can also see the video from the blog post.
Note
You might also be interested in learning what's new in the Power BI service, and also check out what's new in the mobile apps for Power BI.
You can also download previous versions of Power BI Desktop if your organization requires it. We always recommend that you use the most recent version of Power BI Desktop, rather than a previous version. All previous versions have the following limitations:
- Previous releases of Power BI Desktop are not being serviced - you should always use the most recent release for the latest features and updates.
- It may not be possible to open files created or saved in newer releases of Power BI Desktop with previous versions of Power BI Desktop.
- If you receive a warning when loading a report saved in a newer release of Power BI Desktop, then save that report in the previous version, you lose any information related to new features.
- We only archive the English versions of Power BI Desktop.
Select the following links to download this earlier version:
June 2019 Update (2.70.5494.561)
Our June updates spread sunshine and blue skies on your reports, with a refreshing and bright new color scheme for your Power BI Desktop, and a host of other improvements.
You can now download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need and article or video.
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following updates are new to Power BI Desktop this month:
Reporting
- Updated pane design [video][blog]
- Visual level filters for slicers [video][blog]
- Sorting for the performance analyzer pane [video][blog]
- Conditional formatting updates for formatting options [video][blog]
- Visual header tooltips [video][blog]
- Table and matrix total label customization [video][blog]
- Sync slicer support for hierarchy slicer [video][blog]
- Consistent font sizes across visuals [video][blog]
Analytics
- Key influencers visual updates (preview) [video][blog]
- Key influencers with Live connect to Power BI datasets
- Key influencers accessibility
- Support for Cloud RLS
- Manage aggregations dialog accessibility [video][blog]
Modeling
- New DAX comparison operator [video][blog]
Visuals
- Personalized visualization pane (preview) [video][blog]
- Three new custom visuals and updates [video][blog]
Data connectivity
- Connect to shared and certified datasets [video][blog]
- Common Data Service connector is now generally available [video][blog]
- Azure Data Explorer connector is now generally available [video][blog]
- Enhancements to the Cosmos DB connector [video][blog]
- Entersoft data connector [video][blog]
Data preparation
- Improvements to M Intellisense [video][blog]
Note
You can also check out all the data sources available to Power BI Desktop; our list is always growing, so check back often.
Want more information about these updates? Take a look at the blog post, where you can get more detailed information about each of these new features (this is the same blog post references in the list above).
The following video describes and shows each of these updates. You can also see the video from the blog post.
Note
You might also be interested in learning what's new in the Power BI service, and also check out what's new in the mobile apps for Power BI.
You can also download previous versions of Power BI Desktop if your organization requires it. We always recommend that you use the most recent version of Power BI Desktop, rather than a previous version. All previous versions have the following limitations:
- Previous releases of Power BI Desktop are not being serviced - you should always use the most recent release for the latest features and updates.
- It may not be possible to open files created or saved in newer releases of Power BI Desktop with previous versions of Power BI Desktop.
- If you receive a warning when loading a report saved in a newer release of Power BI Desktop, then save that report in the previous version, you lose any information related to new features.
- We only archive the English versions of Power BI Desktop.
Select the following links to download this earlier version:
May 2019 Update (2.69.5467.1251)
Our May updates bloomed in your garden of great reports, with compelling new features and a flower pot full of colorful, beautiful visuals.
You can now download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need and article or video.
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following updates are new to Power BI Desktop this month:
Reporting
- Performance Analyzer pane [video][article][blog]
- Filter pane improvements (preview) [video][blog]
- Table and matrix keyboard navigation [video][blog]
- Line data label position control [video][blog]
- KPI visual indicator text size control [video][blog]
Analytics
- Key influencers visual improvements (preview) [video][blog]
- Binning support
- Formatting options
- Mobile support
Modeling
- Disable auto-date tables for new reports [video][blog]
- Update to the ALLSELECTED DAX function [video][blog]
Visuals
- ArcGIS maps for Power BI updates [video][blog]
- Six new custom visuals and updates [video][blog]
Data connectivity
- Essbase connector - support for Native Query (MDX) [video][blog]
- Intune Data Warehouse connector [video][blog]
- Tenforce connector [video][blog]
- Roamler connector [video][blog]
Other
- Automatic query cancellation for Power BI Desktop [blog]
Note
You can also check out all the data sources available to Power BI Desktop; our list is always growing, so check back often.
Want more information about these updates? Take a look at the blog post, where you can get more detailed information about each of these new features (this is the same blog post references in the list above).
The following video describes and shows each of these updates. You can also see the video from the blog post.
Note
You might also be interested in learning what's new in the Power BI service, and also check out what's new in the mobile apps for Power BI.
You can also download previous versions of Power BI Desktop if your organization requires it. We always recommend that you use the most recent version of Power BI Desktop, rather than a previous version. All previous versions have the following limitations:
- Previous releases of Power BI Desktop are not being serviced - you should always use the most recent release for the latest features and updates.
- It may not be possible to open files created or saved in newer releases of Power BI Desktop with previous versions of Power BI Desktop.
- If you receive a warning when loading a report saved in a newer release of Power BI Desktop, then save that report in the previous version, you lose any information related to new features.
- We only archive the English versions of Power BI Desktop.
Select the following links to download this earlier version:
April 2019 Update (2.68.5432.361)
Our April updates were packed full of updates that put spring in your step on rainy days.
You can now download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need and article or video.
Loyola University Chicago Beta Alpha Psi
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following updates are new to Power BI Desktop this month:
Reporting
- Filter pane improvements [video][article][blog]
- Conditional formatting for visual titles [video][article][blog]
- Conditional formatting for web URL actions for buttons, shapes and images [video][blog]
Analytics
- Drillthrough across reports [video][article][blog]
- Key Influencers visual now supports continuous analysis for numeric targets [video][blog]
- Python support not generally available [video][blog]
- Partial synonym matching for terms in Q&A [video][blog]
Modeling
- New DAX function - ALLCROSSFILTERED [video][blog]
Custom visuals
- One new custom visual [blog]
Data connectivity
- Power BI dataflows connector now generally available [video][blog]
- Oracle Essbase connector now supports DirectQuery, and is generally available [video][blog]
- PDF connector now generally available [video][blog]
- Web By Example connector - automatic table inference [video][blog]
- Intersystems IRIS connector [video][blog]
- Indexima connector [video][blog]
- Luminis InformationGrid connector [video][blog]
- Solver BI360 connector [video][blog]
- Paxata connector [video][blog]
Data preparation
- Data Profiling enhancements and general availability [video][blog]
- Fuzzy merge performance enhancements and general availability [video][blog]
- M Intellisense supported in formula bar and custom column dialog, and is generally available [video][blog]
Other
- Power BI Paginated Report Builder [blog]
Note
You can also check out all the data sources available to Power BI Desktop; our list is always growing, so check back often.
Want more information about these updates? Take a look at the blog post, where you can get more detailed information about each of these new features (this is the same blog post references in the list above).
The following video channel describes and shows each of these updates. You can also see the videos from the blog post.
Note
You might also be interested in learning what's new in the Power BI service, and also check out what's new in the mobile apps for Power BI.
You can also download previous versions of Power BI Desktop if your organization requires it. We always recommend that you use the most recent version of Power BI Desktop, rather than a previous version. All previous versions have the following limitations:
- Previous releases of Power BI Desktop are not being serviced - you should always use the most recent release for the latest features and updates.
- It may not be possible to open files created or saved in newer releases of Power BI Desktop with previous versions of Power BI Desktop.
- If you receive a warning when loading a report saved in a newer release of Power BI Desktop, then save that report in the previous version, you lose any information related to new features.
- We only archive the English versions of Power BI Desktop.
Select the following links to download this earlier version:
March 2019 Update (2.67.5404.581)
Our March updates were packed full of compelling and useful updates, and we hope these improvements make you feel as lucky as finding a four-leaf clover.
You can now download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need and article or video.
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following updates were new to Power BI Desktop in March:
Reporting
- Single select slicer [video][blog]
- Heat map support for Bing maps [video][blog]
- Cross-highlight by axis labels [video][blog]
- Default tooltip formatting [video][blog]
- Static web URL support for buttons, shapes and images [video][blog]
- Filter pane improvements [video][blog]
- Page alignment options [video][blog]
- Selection pane improvements [video][blog]
- Formatting updates for maps [video][blog]
- Accessible visual interaction [video][blog]
Analytics
- Q&A recommendations for improving results [video][blog]
- Show dates as a hierarchy now generally available [video][blog]
Modeling
- New modeling view now generally available [video][blog]
- New DAX functions [video][blog]
Custom visuals
- New certified custom visuals setting in the admin portal [video][blog]
- Two new custom visuals [video][blog]
Data connectivity
- PDF connector now supports tables spanning multiple pages (preview) [video][blog]
- Intelligent Plant's Industrial App Store connector [video][blog]
- Azure Cost Management connector [video][blog]
Note
You can also check out all the data sources available to Power BI Desktop; our list is always growing, so check back often.
Want more information about these updates? Take a look at the blog post, where you can get more detailed information about each of these new features (this is the same blog post references in the list above).
The following video channel describes and shows each of these updates. You can also see the videos from the blog post.
Note
You might also be interested in learning what's new in the Power BI service, and also check out what's new in the mobile apps for Power BI.
You can also download previous versions of Power BI Desktop if your organization requires it. We always recommend that you use the most recent version of Power BI Desktop, rather than a previous version. All previous versions have the following limitations:
- Previous releases of Power BI Desktop are not being serviced - you should always use the most recent release for the latest features and updates.
- It may not be possible to open files created or saved in newer releases of Power BI Desktop with previous versions of Power BI Desktop.
- If you receive a warning when loading a report saved in a newer release of Power BI Desktop, then save that report in the previous version, you lose any information related to new features.
- We only archive the English versions of Power BI Desktop.
Select the following links to download this earlier version:
February 2019 Update (2.66.5376.1681)
Our February updates made customers swoon and love all our new data connectors, features, and analytics enhancements. Just like a box of chocolates, you never know what you get... but with this February update, all changes were sweet and downright delicious.
You can download the latest version of Power BI Desktop. If you're running Windows 10, you can also get Power BI Desktop from the Windows Store. The monthly versions are the same even though the version numbering may differ between the two, regardless of which way you install Power BI Desktop. See this article for more information.
The links beside each update mean the following:
Alpha Kappa Alpha Chicago Beta Chapter
- [video] excerpts play in a new browser tab, when the feature is being discussed.
- Some features have an [article] that provides more detail.
- Most features are explained in the monthly update [blog] post.
- Lastly, some features are self-explanatory and don't need and article or video.
You can also watch the Latest Updates video from the beginning, right inside this article, by clicking on the play icon on the video image found below the list of updates.
The following updates are new to Power BI Desktop this month:
Reporting
- Updates to the new filter pane (preview) [video][blog]
- Cross-highlight on a single point in line charts [video][blog]
- Word wrap on titles [video][blog]
- Update default visual interaction to cross-filter [video][blog]
- Rounded corners for visual borders [video][blog]
Analytics
- Key influencers visual (preview) [video][blog]
- Insights questions in Q&A [video][blog]
- Auto-generated suggested questions for Q&A explorer [video][blog]
- Improved Python & R script editor [video][blog]
Custom visuals
- Ten new custom visuals, new custom visuals feature [video][blog]
Data connectivity
- Microsoft Graph Security [video][blog]
- Guidanz' BI Connector for OBIEE [video][blog]
- MarkLogic [video][blog]
- Kronos Workforce Dimensions [video][blog]
- SurveyMonkey [video][blog]
- Qubole Presto [video][blog]
- Quick Base [video][blog]
- Sagra Emigo [video][blog]
Other
- Improved Live connect and DirectQuery error messages [video][blog]
Note
You can also check out all the data sources available to Power BI Desktop; our list is always growing, so check back often.
Want more information about these updates? Take a look at the blog post, where you can get more detailed information about each of these new features (this is the same blog post references in the list above).
The following video channel describes and shows each of these updates. You can also see the videos from the blog post.
Note
You might also be interested in learning what's new in the Power BI service, and also check out what's new in the mobile apps for Power BI.
January 2019 Update
There was no Power BI Desktop release in January 2019 - we were all busy having a happy holiday, spending time with friends and family.
December 2018 Update (2.65.5313.621)
Our December updates made sugar plums dance in our customers' heads, or at least created compelling
Other Improvements:
- Refresh Single Table (vs. All) from Report & Data Views
- Option to enable Preview features
- In-Product Ratings experience
You can view a video of all these updates, too.
For more information, check out the blog announcement that describes more details about each update.
September 2015 Update (2.27.4163.351)
The following massive collection of 44 features has been added to this update:
Report Authoring
- Report-level filters
- Drill Up/Down for column and scatter charts
- New Page Size and Page View options
- Support for inserting Shapes in the Report canvas
- Fields pane improvements
- Search Box to make it easier to find fields by name
- 'Expand/Collapse All' to improve navigation when there are multiple tables in the Fields pane
- Field well cardinality support, drag-replace for buckets with 1 item
- Additional Data Labels formatting options
- Chart Cartesian Axis Improvements:
- X-Axis label direction (horizontal / diagonal)
- Support for Logarithmic & Linear scales for values in Y-axis
- Display Text for hyperlinks in text boxes
- Improvements to existing visualizations: Table, Matrix, Slicer, Scatter Chart, Single Cards, Combo Charts and Gauges
- Support for displaying Color Saturation values in tooltips
- Ability to resize images and apply additional formatting options
Data Modeling
- Calculated Tables.
- Relationships view:
- Create relationships via drag/drop between two tables in the diagram.
- Delete relationships in relationship view by selecting and hitting the Delete key.
- Rename/delete tables and columns
- Data view:
- Copy Table contents to clipboard.
- Field Summarization:
- Support for additional operations in the Fields pane: median, standard deviation, and variance
- Default summarization: Users can now customize the default summarization operation for any given field in their model
Data Connectivity
- Support for on-premises Spark distributions
- Support for SharePoint lists from non-English sites
- Exchange connector - Enhanced support, now allowing connections to multiple mailboxes
- Excel Workbook Connector - Automatic Column Type detection when importing .XLS files
- 'Select Related Tables' option when connecting to database sources
- Enhanced Active Directory connector credentials, allowing alternate Windows Credentials
- Improved Function Invocation experience when loading functions from a data source (such as a database)
- 'Import Excel Workbook Contents' feature released last month now also supports external connections to Analysis Services tabular models
- New option to 'Delete All' entries in the Data Source Settings dialog
- Option to 'Enable Relationship Import during Refresh operations'
Data Transformations and Query Editor Improvements
- Copy to clipboard (available for cells/columns/tables)
- Filter date columns by earliest/latest date (dynamic filter)
- Extract min/max date/time value from a column
- Replace Values - Provision for specifying special characters
- 'Detect Column Types' option to trigger type detection on demand
- 'Refresh All Previews' to refresh all Query Editor previews with a single click
- Performance Improvements:
- Choose Columns dialog: Faster user experience for dealing with wide tables
- Auto-filter & Expand/Aggregate popups: Faster for large number of values/fields
The following video covers these features in more detail.
For more information about this update, check out the blog announcement that describes more details about each update.
August 2015 Update (2.26.4128.403)
The following features have been added to this update:
Overall Improvements:
Import Excel Power BI artifacts (Data Model, Queries, Power View) into a new Power BI Desktop file
HDInsight Spark connector
Azure SQL Data Warehouse connector
Support for custom MDX/DAQ queries when importing data from SSAS
Live Analysis Services Connections: ability to change the database from Edit Queries dialog
Navigator dialog improvements:
Resizable Navigator dialog
Ability to multi-select items in Navigator (CTRL+click, SHIFT+click, etc.)
Query Editor improvements:
Query Group creation/deletion improvements (multi-select, etc.)
Ability to Split Query (i.e., refactor common base steps into a new query)
Query Icons to reflect type of query in Queries navigator pane
Data Modeling improvements:
Resizing of columns in Data View
Moving Measures from one table to another
Take a look at the following video for more details about this update:
July 2015 Update (2.25.4095.554)
The following features have been added in this update:
New Data Connectors: appFigures, Quickbooks Online, Zendesk, GitHub, Twilio, and SweetIQ.
New Transformations: Extract First/Last/Range of characters from a Text Column; Option to specify Join Type in the Merge Queries dialog; Ability to customize Quote Style in Split Column by Delimiter dialog.
Report Authoring Improvements: New visualizations (Area Chart, Waterfall, Donut & Matrix); New visual formatting and customization options (labels, titles, background, legend, colors, etc.); Insert Textbox and Picture in your report; Support for hyperlinks in reports and report tables; Undo/Redo actions.
Direct Report Exploration over Analysis Services Tabular Models.
Data Modeling: New Data View & Relationships views.
Publish reports to PowerBI.com, directly from Power BI Desktop.
Support for opening Recent Files in Start Page and 'File -> Open' menu.
Support for Exchange UPN Credentials in the Exchange connector.
In addition to all these new features, we're also making Power BI Desktop available in 42 different languages. Get the full list of languages and install the one you want from our official download page.
Take a look at the following video for more details:
May 2015 Update (2.23.4036.161)
The following features have been added in this update:
Modeling Features
Calculated Columns
Data Categorization
Sort By Another Column
Improved DAX Formula Editor: Function Help and Prototype
Get Data & Query
New ODBC Tables connector (Beta)
Improved to the Excel Workbook connector: better column type inference and faster load for data previews
New Text Column Filters - Does Not Begin With and Does Not End With
Enhanced Privacy Levels dialog
Take a look at the following video for details:
April 2015 Update (2.22.4009.122)
You can now download the latest version of Power BI Desktop.
The following features have been added in this update:
Modeling Features
Initial support for DAX Measures
New DAX functions
Data Types & Formatting options in Report view
Rename & Delete fields in Report view
Get Data & Query
OData V4 support
Support for Custom ADFS Authentication Services
Updated Facebook connector due to Facebook API changes
Unified Options dialog
Option to disable Native Database query prompts
Support for Fixed Decimal Number type
Alternate Windows Credentials
Remove Blank Rows
Median Operation available for Group By and Aggregate Column
Convert DateTimeZone value to Local Time
Performance Improvements
Faster load of medium & large datasets by about 20%
Improved time to open an existing PBIX file by about 50%
You can watch the following video for details:
March 2015 Update (2.21.3975.261)
The following features have been added in this update:
Google Analytics connector
Additional operators for date filtering in Query view
Automatic Model Relationship Detection
Enhanced Add Relationship dialog
Report Pages Re-ordering (drag & drop)
~40-50% PerformanceImprovement filling database tables without filters/transforms
Lots of bug fixes
You can watch the following video for more details:
February 2015 Update (2.20.3945.102)
The following features have been added or improved in this update:
- Performance improvements
- Dynamics CRM Online connector
Note
Currently, only URLs within the crm.microsoft.com domain are accepted by this dialog. This does not include non-production tenants. We'll fix this issue in our March update. The temporary workaround is to connect to this feed using 'From OData'.*
- Navigator Dialog improvements
- Better preview experience for multi-dimensional sources (Analysis Services and SAP BusinessObjects)
- Show Selected Items option
- Improved Search capabilities in the Navigator tree
- New Transformations
- Age and Subtract operations for Date/Time columns
- Aggregate Columns: Option to disable new columns' prefix
- Field List improvements
- Expand/Collapse tables
- Hide/Unhide fields
- Optimized layout (spacing, margins, and fonts)
- Report Pages Navigation - Key boarding support
- Lots of bug fixes
January 2015 Update (2.19.3923.101)
This month we've made a number of improvements and bug fixes under the covers. Please try out the new version and continue to send us feedback if you find any issues!
In a few months, Google's Chrome browser will celebrate its tenth birthday. As that milestone approaches, it's apparent that Chrome has won the hearts and minds and, most importantly, the desktops of the majority of PC and Mac owners.
must read
Every company is claiming their latest web browser is the fastest one yet. So, which one really is the fastest? We took them to the test bench -- and here's what we found.
Chrome's dominance is so complete that most observers have stopped looking at the monthly market share statistics.
See: Google reveals Chrome's new look: Here's what you'll see in Material Design refresh
So imagine my surprise when I discovered that a brand-new browser war has broken out. Unfortunately for Microsoft, the main combatants are its two flagship browsers, and the battle is not going as expected.
Microsoft has made a substantial investment in its default browser for Windows 10, Microsoft Edge. In less than three years, Edge has improved dramatically, adding support for extensions and winning speed tests against entrenched competitors. But Microsoft's shiny new browser has struggled to achieve market share, mindshare, and positive reviews.
The cold hard numbers, as compiled by the U.S. Government's Digital Analytics Program (DAP) don't lie.
In the first three months of 2018, Microsoft Edge accounted for a paltry 8 percent of the 1.2 billion visits to government websites from consumer and business PCs and Macs.
That figure's a bit misleading, of course, because Edge isn't available on PCs running Windows 7 or on Macs.
Also: IE zero-day alert: Attackers hitting unpatched bug in Microsoft browser
But even if you restrict the universe to PCs running Windows 10, Edge is far from a roaring success story.
In the past year, among Windows 10 users, the usage share for Microsoft Edge, as measured by DAP, actually declined by nearly 1 percent, going from 20.3 percent in the second quarter of 2017 to 19.4 percent in the first three months of 2018.
(Those statistics measure more than 600 million visits from Windows 10 PCs over each period. The raw statistics are available from https://analytics.usa.gov if you want to check for yourself.)
Also: Windows 10 security: Google exposes how malicious sites can exploit Microsoft Edge
Meanwhile, guess which browser is up substantially among Windows 10 users over the same period?
Chrome usage remained steady, at just a fraction over 56 percent.
Firefox usage fell dramatically, from 11 percent to 9 percent.
The big winner was, shockingly, Internet Explorer, which grew its share from 11.8 percent to 14.8 percent.
| Browser | Q2 2017 | Q1 2018 |
| Google Chrome | 56.4 percent | 56.2 percent |
| Microsoft Edge | 20.3 percent | 19.4 percent |
| Internet Explorer | 11.8 percent | 14.8 percent |
| Firefox | 11.0 percent | 9.0 percent |
| All others | 0.4 percent | 0.6 percent |
Source: U.S. Government Digital Analytics Program
There might be a sliver of good news for Microsoft in those numbers. The increase in usage for Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is almost certainly a reflection of increased adoption of Windows 10 by enterprise customers.
Over that nine-month period, Windows 10 overtook Windows 7 dramatically.
In Q2 2017, visits from Windows 7 PCs outnumbered Windows 10 visits by more than 13 percent, 51.9 to 38.3 percent.
By the first quarter of 2018, that ratio had flipped, with Windows 10 usage firmly outpacing Windows 7, 49.4 percent to 42.9 percent.
Unfortunately for the developers of Microsoft Edge, more than 80 percent of Windows 10 users are changing the default browser at their first opportunity.
Perhaps the biggest mistake Microsoft made with Edge was a simple tactical error: They never released Edge for Windows 7. For the large number of customers still running Windows 7, the only available Microsoft browser is Internet Explorer.
And because Microsoft has actively disparaged Internet Explorer, any Windows 7 users who want to run a modern browser are effectively limited to third-party alternatives like Chrome.
So when those Windows 7 shops migrate to Windows 10, Edge is an unknown quantity, and they quite logically choose to continue using the same browser they used with Windows 7: Internet Explorer or Chrome.
It's hard to imagine any marketing strategy that's going to convince customers running Windows 10 to switch from Chrome to Edge. Likewise, those who have chosen Internet Explorer are typically doing so for compatibility with in-house apps written in the distant past. Edge isn't an option for them, either.
Oh well. At least Microsoft doesn't have to worry that it's going to get into antitrust trouble with this browser.
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