Microsoft Designer, a free AI-powered design tool, is now widely accessible to Edge users in the US. This integration allows users to access Designer directly from Edge’s sidebar, eliminating the need to open a separate tab or program.
After its launch last year, Microsoft announced in April that Designer would be included in Edge. With this integration, users can create various designs, such as social media posts, fliers, greeting cards, and invitations, all from the convenience of Edge’s sidebar. Upon entering a prompt, Designer’s AI generates a grid of suggested designs, complete with customizable text and photos. Users have the flexibility to modify these designs by swapping out photos, adding illustrations, or changing fonts. Additionally, Designer’s text-to-image generator powered by DALL-E enables users to create their own images to incorporate into their designs.
While Designer may not always produce the most visually appealing designs, it serves as a helpful starting point for users who are uncertain where to begin their design process.
Although these features are already available in Microsoft’s standalone Designer app on the web, integrating them into Edge offers the advantage of a smoother workflow. Users can easily transfer their designs to email, Facebook, or Instagram without having to navigate through multiple windows. This integration may also help Edge compete with other AI-powered design tools such as Canva.
Microsoft Designer is currently in the preview stage, and a full release date has yet to be announced. To access the tool, users need to update Edge and click on the “plus” icon in the right column of the screen. Then, they can toggle on “Designer (Preview)” to enable it in their sidebar.
Apart from the integration of Designer into Edge, Microsoft has also introduced updates to Bing Chat in the browser. Users can now utilize the chatbot to perform additional actions, such as organizing tabs related to a specific topic or retrieving passwords from a different browser.