Microsoft’s latest desperate attempt to stop people using Edge to download Google Chrome focuses on internet safety

• Microsoft is testing a new banner message in Edge
• Its aim is stop people downloading Google Chrome
• The message highlights Edge's security features

Microsoft appears to be getting even more heavy-handed in its attempts to stop Windows 11 users downloading Google Chrome, with a new pop-up appearing for some people in Edge, Microsoft’s rival internet browser, trying to convince people to stick with its product by highlighting its security features.

As Windows Report… uh… reports, a new banner has appeared for some Windows 11 users who use the Edge browser, which is installed by default, to go to Google’s Chrome download page. The new pop-up suggests that you can “Protect your privacy and security with Microsoft Edge,” and then highlights private browsing, password monitoring, and advanced threat defense as reasons why you’d want to stick with Edge.

If you click on the ‘Browse securely now’ button, Edge will open a page from Microsoft’s website that goes into further details about the browser’s online safety features.

Old game, new rules

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has used tactics like this to try and convince people to stick with Edge. Many people, myself included, who get a new Windows 11 PC will often open up Edge for the first and last time simply to download Chrome. Despite Edge having the advantage of coming pre-installed in Windows 11, it remains a rather unloved web browser, and we recently reported on how it’s actually lost users, with just 10.37% of the web browser market compared to Chrome’s 73.81% share.

This is clearly frustrating for Microsoft, which to be fair has worked hard on improving Edge, hence the new push to keep people using its web browser. What’s noticeable about its latest nag is that it focuses on online safety and how sticking with Edge can boost your security.

Now, while I don’t agree with its methods (more of that in a bit), I think this is a wise decision by Microsoft. Previous pop-ups leant more heavily on how Edge compares to Chrome, and highlights the fact that they both use the same Chromium web engine (which powers the browsers). I don’t think there are many regular users of Windows 11 who care about web engines, and trying to win over users by saying how similar your product is to your main competitor’s isn’t a terribly exciting way to sell something.

Online security is a much bigger concern for a lot of people, so I can see the logic with switching focus like this – but will it do anything to stem the tide of Windows 11 users dropping Edge for Chrome? I don’t think so.

The one time I want Microsoft to copy Apple

I’ve been getting increasingly frustrated with Microsoft’s attempts to stop me from using Chrome on my Windows 11 laptop. While Chrome is far from perfect, and I have my own reservations about Google as a company, there’s a reason why I (and millions of others) want to use Chrome over other web browsers.

So, when I load up Edge on a new PC or fresh install of Windows 11, and type ‘Chrome’ into the Bing search engine, it’s not a mistake, and I don’t appreciate Microsoft putting a big ‘All you need is right here’ banner that claims ‘Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft’ that appears above the page I’m actually looking for.

Putting aside that ‘with the added trust of Microsoft’ is nonsense (what does it even mean, and how could you quantify that?), it comes across as desperate. The fact that another pop-up appears when you finally get to the Chrome download page just deepens that sense of desperation, and ironically makes me even more determined to install Chrome and never return to Edge, no matter how good the browser is these days.

The thing is, I do exactly the same when reviewing a new Mac device. I open up Safari, Apple’s default web browser, and go to the Chrome download page and install Google’s web browser. The difference is that Apple doesn’t nag me about sticking with Safari – there are no annoying pop-ups or notifications pleading with me to stay, and changing the default web browser to Safari in macOS is also very easy, unlike in Windows 11.

The results are the same – I ditch the built-in web browser for Chrome – but I don’t feel exasperated and irritated by Apple, compared to Microsoft’s attempts.

So, while I understand Microsoft’s switch to talking about online safety, the fact that it’s still using heavy-handed methods and exploiting its advantage by having Edge and its search engine Bing, being the default, continues to annoy me.

That’s before I even get to the fact that some of the features Microsoft hypes up, such as InPrivate browsing, password monitoring and malicious content blocker, are also available in Chrome and other web browsers.

At the moment, this new pop-up appears to be in testing by Microsoft, so you might not see it if you try to download Chrome. However, if it is successful, be prepared to see it pop up more often.

But what if, as I suspect, it isn’t successful in getting people to stop using Edge just to install Chrome? Rather than treating its users like adults and going the Apple route, I fear Microsoft will get even more aggressive with its nagging. Let’s hope I’m wrong.

The best laptops for all budgets

➡️ Read our full guide to the best laptops
1. Best overall:
Apple MacBook Air 13-inch M4
2. Best budget:
Asus Chromebook CM14
3. Best Windows 11 laptop
Microsoft Surface Laptop 13-inch
4. Best gaming:
Razer Blade 16
5. Best for pros
MacBook Pro 16-inch (M4 Pro)

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