Critical Issue: Edge Workspaces Lost + Sync Inconsistency + Missing Collaboration Feature

This is a catastrophic break in Edge's functionality. If this isn't fixed, users will leave for Chrome and never come back.

Edge Workspaces are currently undergoing a migration to a new V2 architecture, and this directly affects sync behavior and collaboration/sharing.

From the current release notes:

1. Workspace data is being migrated from OneDrive/SharePoint to the Edge Sync service.
2. The collaboration/share functionality is being removed as part of this migration.
3. For organizations that have disabled Sync via policy, existing v1 Workspace data is still migrated, but new v2 Workspaces created after migration do not sync across devices and remain local to each device.
4. This migration and behavior change are rolling out progressively starting with Edge Stable v145 and fully rolling out in Edge Stable v146 and later.

Given these product changes, the following apply to the requests:

Request 1: Fix Sync & Restore Capability

• Workspaces are moving to the new V2 architecture backed by Edge Sync service. During and after this migration, behavior can differ from the previous OneDrive/SharePoint-based model.
• For some environments (for example, where sync is disabled by policy), new v2 Workspaces will not sync across devices and will remain local. In such cases, a “force full Workspace sync” from one device to another is not supported for new v2 Workspaces.
• The documentation does not describe an end-user or admin mechanism to:
  • Force a one-way Workspace sync from one device to another, or
  • Prevent the cloud state from overwriting local Workspace data, or
  • Restore Workspaces from a server-side backup.
• General Edge sync troubleshooting steps are available (for example, verifying licenses, signing out/in, confirming sync status in edge://sync-internals, checking policies in edge://policy, and performing a resync or reset as described in “Diagnose and fix Microsoft Edge sync issues”), but these are generic sync steps and not specific to restoring deleted or missing Workspaces from the server.

Based on the available information, there is no documented way to guarantee:

• A one-directional Workspace sync from Windows to Mac, or
• A server-side Workspace restore, or
• Protection against cloud overwriting the current local Workspace state.

Request 2: Restore Workspace Collaboration / Sharing

• The migration to the V2 architecture explicitly includes “removing the collaboration/share functionality of this feature.”
• This removal is called out as part of the design of the new Workspaces architecture and is not described as a temporary regression.
• The documentation does not provide any option or policy to re-enable the legacy collaboration/sharing model (for example, sharing Workspaces via link/invite) once the migration is in effect.

Therefore, based on the current product documentation:

• Workspace collaboration/sharing is intentionally being removed as part of the V2 migration.
• There is no documented way to restore the previous sharing model or to use Workspaces as a cross-device transfer/backup mechanism once the environment is on V2.

Practical next steps within documented capabilities

1. Confirm Edge version and rollout status
   • Check the Edge version on both Windows and Mac and compare against the versions mentioned in the release notes (145 and 146+). This will indicate whether the device is likely on the new V2 Workspaces architecture.
2. Run general sync diagnostics
   • Follow the “Basic troubleshooting steps” for Edge sync:
     • Ensure valid Microsoft 365/Azure licenses.
     • Sign out of the profile in Edge and sign back in.
     • Ensure Edge is updated to a supported version.
     • Perform a resync via Settings > Profiles > Sync > Re-sync data to this device.
     • Check edge://sync-internals to confirm sync is enabled and that the device appears under Sync Node Browser > Device info.
     • Check edge://signin-internals for sign-in status.
     • Check edge://policy for any policies that might affect sync.
3. Use alternative backup/sharing methods
   • Because collaboration/sharing for Workspaces is being removed and cross-device sync for new v2 Workspaces may not be available in some environments, structured tab sets may need to be backed up or transferred using other mechanisms (for example, exporting to Favorites or other supported export paths) as described in related features like Collections retirement.
4. Escalation
   • For tenant-wide or large-impact issues (such as loss of critical research structures), the documented path to influence or escalate product behavior is through Microsoft support (CSS) and feedback channels. The release notes mention that opting out of the migration in certain versions (for example, v145) required contacting Microsoft CSS before rollout, which indicates that CSS is the correct escalation route for environment-specific concerns.

References:

• Diagnose and fix Microsoft Edge sync issues
• Release notes for Microsoft Edge Beta Channel
• Microsoft Edge release notes for Stable and Extended Stable Channels
• Microsoft Edge Workspaces