: X-ray optics have been used in X-ray analytical instruments for several years. Applications of X-ray optics have been reported in X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, and wavelength dispersive spectroscopy. X-ray optics have been used to increase the X-ray flux incident on the sample or to direct and focus emitted X-rays from a sample. We report here the use of a grazing incidence optic (GIO) as a flux-enhancing collimator for use with an energy-dispersive (ED) detector used to perform electron beam microanalysis. We found that the GIO in combination with an ED spectrometer (EDS) provides substantial intensity gain for X-ray lines with energy below 1 keV. The GIO is also found to provide a modest focus effect, and introduces minimal spectral artifacts.