If you are planning a trip, researching a project, or comparing products to buy, traditional browser bookmarks quickly become a cluttered, unmanageable list of text links. Microsoft Edge solves this modern browsing problem with a powerful built-in feature called Collections.
Collections act as a visual scrapbook built directly into the browser. Instead of just saving URLs, Collections allow you to save entire webpages with visual thumbnails, drag and drop images, add personal text notes, and even send the entire collection to Microsoft Word or Excel. In this guide, you will learn how to use Microsoft Edge Collections to organise your digital research.
How to Access and Create a Collection
- Open the Microsoft Edge browser on your PC or Mac.
- Look at the top-right corner of the browser toolbar, next to the profile icon, and click the Collections icon (it looks like a square with a plus sign). Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Y.
- The Collections pane will slide out from the right side of the screen.
- Click + Start new collection.
- Give your collection a descriptive name (e.g., “Holiday Planning 2024” or “New Laptop Research”) and press Enter.
Adding Content to Your Collection
Once your collection is created, adding content to it is seamless and intuitive.
Adding Whole Webpages
If you are on a webpage you want to save, open the Collections pane, click into your specific collection, and select + Add current page. A visual thumbnail of the website will immediately appear in your list, making it much easier to identify later than a standard text bookmark.
Adding Specific Images and Text
You do not have to save the entire page. If you are comparing products and just want the product images and prices:
- Images: Click and hold on an image on the webpage, then drag and drop it directly into the open Collections pane on the right.
- Text: Highlight a paragraph of text, right-click it, select Add to Collections, and choose your specific collection from the dropdown list.
Adding Personal Notes
To keep your research organised, you can add sticky notes directly between your saved links and images.
- Inside your collection, click the Add note icon (it looks like a sticky note with a pen).
- Type your thoughts, such as “This laptop is cheaper but has less RAM”.
- You can change the background colour of the note to colour-code your thoughts.
Organising and Syncing Your Collections
As your collection grows, you can easily drag and drop items to reorder them. If you sign into Microsoft Edge with your Microsoft Account, your Collections will automatically sync across all your devices, meaning you can start researching on your laptop and continue seamlessly on the Edge browser on your smartphone.
Exporting Your Research to Word or Excel
This is where Collections elevate from a simple bookmarking tool to a powerful productivity suite. Once your research is complete, you can export the entire collection.
- Open your collection in the side pane.
- Click the three-dot menu (…) at the top of the pane.
- Select one of the export options:
- Send to Excel: Edge will automatically generate a spreadsheet. If you were researching products, it will intelligently try to extract the price, ratings, and URLs into neatly formatted columns.
- Send to Word: Edge will generate a formatted document containing all your visual thumbnails, text snippets, and personal notes, ready to be edited into a report or shared with colleagues.
By utilising Microsoft Edge Collections, you can stop relying on chaotic bookmark folders and start organising your digital research in a highly visual, actionable format.