Microsoft has changed how Windows opens an Edge window when the browser is already running. The practical benefit is a shorter wait after clicking its taskbar icon or a supported link, rather than a promise that every website will load faster.
In its accelerated-launch announcement, the company reports a 15% launch-speed improvement for most Windows users and up to 33% during heavy multitasking. Those are Microsoft's figures, not independent Geeknewz measurements, and the comparison specifically requires an existing Edge process.
That process might belong to a visible browser window or be running in the background through Startup Boost. The change supports Edge 150 and later on Windows 11 versions 25H2, 26H1 and 26H2 with the relevant October 2026 non-security update or later. It covers the Start menu, taskbar and supported links that use Edge as their default browser.
Why an open browser can still take time to open
Previously, another launch could create an intermediary process whose job was to find the existing browser and pass the request along. The new arrangement lets the running browser register with Windows so the operating system can contact it directly.
The distinction is clearer in the developer documentation for accelerated warm launches. This is a shortcut for reaching a running instance, and the capability doesn't cover every launch source or Windows version. Applications still need their normal method of handling additional launches. It isn't a universal replacement for the startup path.
For you, that makes the useful question narrower than whether Edge is now a faster browser overall. If the irritating pause happens when you open another browser window while other work is going on, this change addresses that kind of delay. A slow connection or a demanding webpage is a different problem.
Check the Windows update that matches your installed version. The 26H1 preview release notes list accelerated Edge launches under the normal rollout rather than the gradual feature rollout, and again specify Edge 150 or newer. That release is a non-security preview available through Optional updates; it shouldn't be mistaken for a requirement to join the Windows Insider program.
If you're comparing performance before and after an update, repeat the same action with the browser in the same state. Opening a link into an already-running Edge session answers a different question from starting it after a reboot. Judge this improvement by the pause it is meant to remove, rather than expecting the percentage to apply to everything you do online.