Feature Request: reinstate Pin to Right-Hand Pane for Downloads on Edge (to be consistent with Favourites, History, Secure Networking & Performance)

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Feature Request: reinstate Pin to Right-Hand Pane for Downloads on Edge (to be consistent with Favourites, History, Secure Networking & Performance)

Andrew Macaulay 186

Although I have reported the missing pin for Edge Downloads (which went after 147) as a bug multiple times, it appears that this key option for many users was deliberately removed. This was a serious retrograde step!

Many power users find the ability to pin the Downloads to the right-hand pane (in the same way that Favourites and History can be pinned) important for their workflow - especially when downloading large numbers of files. The drop-down list does not work well in these cases, and the pin to right-hand pane worked very well, giving much better visibility of the download progress (without having to open the downloads page) plus better much visibility of files asking to be Kept. Please add this feature back in - it is not a complex feature and, in fact, is needed for a more consistent user interface for these key activities of Favourites, History and Downloads.

Having had to use this when doing downloads for maintaining systems (software and driver updates) especially with some downloads being picked up as potentially risky (when they aren't) this is REALLY REALLY bad from a user perspective - in fact, with the current dropdown it was easy to regularly download the same file multiple times as you lose context, and those picked up as potential risk often the positioning of the "Delete/Keep" drop down means you select Delete by mistake. Also noticed that the Secure Networking and Performance options still have their Pin to right hand side intact! Why, oh why, did you remove this from Downloads?

Also posted in feedback hub (and Edge Feedback again today) https://aka.ms/AA11toac so please upvote here and on the feedback hub to get the message across to Microsoft that this was a really backward step that impacts usability in many many ways for many users.

To be 100% clear, this is the ability to pin the downloads to the right-hand pane as was the case until Edge 148 remove this - not the ability to pin Downloads to the toolbar. Screenshots from how it WAS before 148 is below: User's image

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Vikki-T 12,080 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Andrew Macaulay,

Thank you for sharing this detailed feedback. I understand that this is about the Downloads right-hand pane / pinned Downloads panel in Microsoft Edge, not simply pinning the Downloads button to the toolbar.

Just to make sure I understand correctly that you are referring to the previous option to pin the Downloads panel as a fixed right-hand pane, not just showing the Downloads button on the toolbar. I can understand why losing that behavior would affect users who manage many downloads at once, especially when tracking progress or reviewing files that require a Keep/Delete decision.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, cannot directly restore or change Microsoft Edge features from here. That said, submitting this through Feedback Hub and Edge Feedback is absolutely the right path for a feature/design concern like this. I believe other users who rely on the same workflow or are affected by this change will be able to upvote your feedback and add their own reports, which can help make the impact more visible to the Edge product team.

In the meantime, the Downloads button or Ctrl + J can still be used to access downloads, although I understand these do not fully replace the previous pinned right-hand pane experience.

Thank you again for clearly explaining the workflow impact and for sharing the feedback link so other affected users can support the request.

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Andrew Macaulay 186 Reputation points

2026-07-04T09:15:47.2933333+00:00

Yes, this is 100% about the ability to pin to the Downloads to the right-hand pane, not just pinning to the toolbar - as was possible until Edge 148 remove it. I have added this and image from how it was to original post.
Vikki-T 12,080 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-07-05T10:28:42.8166667+00:00

Hi Andrew Macaulay,

Thank you for clarifying and for sharing the screenshots. I understand now that this is specifically about the previous ability to pin the Downloads panel to the right-hand pane, not just showing the Downloads button on the toolbar.

Please note that this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators and contributors, including external Microsoft employees, do not have access to Edge’s internal product roadmap or the ability to escalate, restore, or change this feature directly.

That said, thank you for already submitting this through Feedback Hub and Edge Feedback. At the moment, that is the correct and most appropriate path for this kind of feature/design request, as it allows the Edge product team to see user feedback and understand the impact on real workflows. I also hope other users who are affected by the same change will upvote or submit similar feedback so the request gets more visibility.

I understand why this feature was useful, especially for users managing many downloads at once, and I hope Microsoft will consider bringing this function back in a future update.

Thank you for your understanding.
Arash 0 Reputation points

2026-09-24T14:04:35.5833333+00:00

This is a very disappointing change. Removing this option overnight, without any real consideration for the fact that users have relied on it for years, is a poor way to treat your user base. In our company, this pinned downloads panel was a genuinely practical solution, it gave us fast, one click access to attachments, which matters a lot since we work with attachments constantly throughout the day.

What's frustrating is that it's not even clear who this feature was actually bothering, or why it couldn't simply have been kept as an optional setting for users who want it. Instead of giving people the choice, it was removed completely, with no alternative way to bring it back. That is simply not user friendly.

Taking away a feature that has become part of daily workflows for so long, without providing an equivalent replacement or even an opt-in toggle, is a serious regression. Please reconsider bringing this option back, at minimum as an optional setting.
Vikki-T 12,080 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-25T13:32:33.06+00:00

Hi Arash,

I understand your frustration. This was not simply a cosmetic preference, but a feature that supported your daily workflow, and the current Downloads menu does not provide the same experience.

You have explained clearly how this change affects your work, and I understand why bringing back the pinned Downloads pane as an optional setting would be preferable to removing it entirely.

Unfortunately, this is a user-to-user support forum, so I do not have access to Microsoft Edge’s internal development decisions or the ability to restore the feature. I recommend submitting this request through Edge > Settings and more (…) > Help and feedback > Send feedback, clearly stating that you would like the option to pin Downloads to the right-hand pane to be restored.

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. I sincerely hope Microsoft considers restoring this option in a future Edge update.
Andrew Macaulay 186 Reputation points

2026-09-25T13:56:25.4066667+00:00

I had already posted this feedback both through Edge and on the Feedback hub - maybe you can add to it here https://aka.ms/AA11toac so that it shows actual feedback coming from multiple users, or at least link it to this post so that it starts to show some numbers.

I had also previously reported this as a bug through Edge feedback and here https://aka.ms/AA13lddu and here https://aka.ms/AA11080a
Vikki-T 12,080 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-09-26T11:11:42.8633333+00:00

Hi Andrew Macaulay,

Thank you for following the steps I suggested and for taking the time to submit your feedback. I really appreciate your effort in providing the details through the appropriate feedback channel.

Hopefully, your feedback will be helpful to the relevant team as they continue to improve the experience. Thank you again for your time and cooperation!