• A post about Microsoft Edge has ignited a fierce debate on X
• The post asked who runs Edge on Apple’s macOS platform
• Users both praised and criticized Edge, but I still prefer Firefox

Apple and Microsoft are known to be arch-rivals in the tech world, so when X user Macfolio asked its followers “what kind of freak uses Microsoft Edge on a Mac?” they might have expected the debate to fall along partisan lines, with rival sets of fans lining up to berate each other’s products.

But while there was indeed a vigorous debate, it wasn’t the pile-on you might have expected. Instead, many users chipped in with reasons why they enjoy using the combination of Microsoft’s web browser and Apple’s macOS operating system.

X user @wiedymi, for example, described Edge as “the best browser for Mac.” User @secretised explained that when they used it, it was “the only browser that didn’t consume 4GB of RAM with four tabs,” while @osxdaily said “It’s actually pretty good!”

For others, the reason was more prosaic, with @asikunaa pointing out that “some internal government sites require you to use Edge actually because they don’t distribute the security certificates for Chrome.”

Meanwhile, user @tarekmohmd9 summed up what many people apparently felt, saying Edge on macOS has “the speed boost of Chromium without the horrible RAM management of Chrome, it’s great (faster than Safari, uses less resources than Chrome, supports most Chromium extensions unlike Opera and Firefox).” They finished succinctly by saying “it is excellent.”

Of course, not every response was positive. User @rafalo claimed that “I just downloaded it and uninstalled it after [five seconds].” And @LansorHQ simply asked, “What kind of freak uses Edge in general?”

Why I use Firefox instead

I’m a long-time Firefox user and have been rocking Mozilla’s browser for over 20 years. I’ve dabbled with other browsers, from big dogs like Chrome and Safari to more niche offerings like Opera and Vivaldi. And yes, I’ve spent plenty of time with Microsoft Edge, too.

Yet despite all that, I keep coming back to Firefox. There are a few reasons for that, and I’ve got to admit that a sizable one is inertia. After so many years of usage, Firefox feels comfortable and familiar. I like how it works and switching would be a chore considering how many extensions and tabs I have running.

But there’s a lot more I love about Firefox. I use both a Mac and a PC in my day-to-day life and Firefox runs on both, unlike the Mac-only Safari. I can also send tabs between any of my devices, which is helpful when I find something interesting on my iPhone and want to read it later on my Mac or PC.

As I've written about previously, it's also a genuine privacy-first browser that goes to great lengths to protect your data, which is something that I truly appreciate. It isolates cookies to stop them building a detailed picture of you, and Firefox limits access to my data that could be used to create a digital 'fingerprint' of my browsing habits.

So despite the debate on X, I won’t be switching to Microsoft Edge any time soon. But the discussion highlights that just because you use one operating system or another, you don’t have to be exclusively loyal to that developer’s own products — you can even switch to those made by their arch-rival.

• Cloudflare and web browsers to develop new internet protocol
• PACT protocol will help to verify legitimate web access from human and bots
• Users will be given an anonymized "personhood" token to show they have a real reason to access a website

Now that bot traffic on the internet has officially surpassed human HTTP requests, both web browsers and web infrastructure providers agree something needs to be done, especially as AI agents enter the fray.

Today, Cloudflare has announced a joint initiative with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge to launch a new internet protocol designed to verify if web access is legitimate or malicious - without intruding on user privacy.

Private Access Control Tokens (PACT) will act as anonymous tokens that verify legitimate access by both humans and authorized agents without the need for user logins or CAPTCHAs that cause friction and harm the browsing experience.

Cloudflare establishes PACT with web browsers

To start, PACT won’t deny access to automated traffic completely. According to Cloudflare, the protocol is designed to recognize legitimate access from certain bots. As consumers and businesses turn to new automations provided by AI agents, there is still a legitimate case for allowing certain bots to access websites.

For many AI agents, there is still a human at some point in the loop with a real reason for accessing a website. PACT offers an anonymous “personhood” token that is attached to the user’s browser. This token uses “trusted information from contexts that have authentic relationships with people” to verify legitimate access “while keeping that information private.”

StatCounter places the combined market share of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge at around 77%, meaning that the PACT protocol will likely roll out to the majority of internet users.

“PACT will further empower businesses to identify genuine visitors, ensuring they can focus their resources on the traffic that matters to them,” Cloudflare said in the announcement. “Using PACT on Cloudflare’s network raises the bar for trustworthiness and integrity online without the traditional costs.”

“In commerce, every extra challenge, delay, or false positive can turn a purchase into an abandoned cart. Merchants need effective protections against automated abuse, but buyers shouldn’t have to pay for them with unnecessary friction or invasive tracking,” said Ilya Grigorik, Distinguished Engineer at Shopify.

“Shopify is proud to help develop PACT as an open, privacy-preserving standard that can help the millions of businesses on our platform distinguish legitimate shoppers and authorized agents from abusive traffic while preserving buyer privacy."

• A new Surfshark study found that over 50% of the top 15 mobile browsers collect user location data.
• Microsoft Edge, Aloha, Yandex, and Phoenix collect precise location data, with Edge and Aloha openly sharing it with third parties.
• Privacy-focused browsers like Tor, Brave, and DuckDuckGo do not collect app-level location data, proving that continuous tracking isn't technically necessary.

Google Chrome recently introduced approximate location sharing to give users more control over their whereabouts. While that’s a step in the right direction, a new study indicates that the mobile browser industry still has a massive location-tracking problem.

Cybersecurity firm Surfshark analyzed 15 popular mobile browser applications and discovered that over half of them actively gather user location data. Even more concerningly, four of those apps are scooping up your precise location, rather than a generalized area.

While using the best VPN is a fantastic way to spoof your IP address and encrypt your online traffic, granting app-level location permissions on your smartphone can completely bypass those protections, giving away your physical whereabouts.

“Your browser maps your daily routine and weekend plans before you’ve shared them with anyone. This location tracking is a profit-driven exploitation of personal habits, rather than a technical necessity for the browser to function,” said Justas Pukys, Senior Product Manager at Surfshark.

To help you understand exactly what data you are handing over, here is how the top 15 mobile browsers stack up when it comes to tracking your physical location.

The worst offenders

Precise location collection is far from an industry standard, but four browsers in the study, Microsoft Edge, Aloha, Yandex, and Phoenix, declare that they collect both approximate and precise location data.

Most browsers that collect this data keep it internal, but Microsoft Edge and Aloha are glaring exceptions. Both companies openly acknowledge that they share this location data with third parties, severely elevating the privacy risks for their users.

Phoenix collects this data under the guise of "App functionality" and "Personalization," while Yandex claims it needs your location for five distinct purposes: "Personalization," "Advertising or marketing," "App functionality," "Analytics," and "Fraud prevention, security, and compliance."

Approximate location tracking

Four popular mobile browsers collect only your approximate location: Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Opera, and Mozilla Firefox.

However, the intent behind this collection varies wildly. According to Surfshark's analysis, Safari limits its location collection strictly to personalizing the user experience.

Opera, on the other hand, relies on your location exclusively for advertising and marketing purposes. Chrome and Firefox fall into the same boat as Yandex, citing a wide spectrum of five distinct purposes ranging from analytics to marketing.

Browsers that don't track you

The good news is that seven browsers in the study do not collect location data at the app level at all. This proves that continuous location tracking is a lucrative choice, not a technical requirement for rendering web pages.

If you want to keep your daily routines entirely private, Surfshark’s research points to privacy-branded browsers like DuckDuckGo, Brave, Tor, and Ecosia, alongside Samsung Internet, UC Browser, and Mi Browser. All of these declare no app-level location data collection in their Google Play Data Safety disclosures.

The real-world risks of location tracking

Mobile browsers simply do not need to harvest your location data. As Pukys points out, websites that genuinely need your location, like a local weather or delivery site, can request one-time location access directly through the browser.

Allowing your browser app to continuously monitor your movements leaves your daily habits vulnerable.

Constant surveillance exposes your weekly routines to potential malicious entities and data brokers. By opting for approximate location settings in your device menus, or simply switching to less intrusive apps, you can easily reclaim your physical privacy.

• There was a nasty bug in the March update that broke a bunch of apps, including Edge, OneDrive, and some Office applications
• Microsoft has now fixed this glitch with an emergency patch for Windows 11
• Windows 11 users won't get this fix unless they've enabled a certain option, and most will need to manually download it

Microsoft has rushed out a fix for a recent bug in Windows 11, which broke some important apps, although you'll have to manually download the emergency patch, as it won't install automatically (for most folks).

The glitch, caused by the March update for Windows 11, meant that apps with Microsoft account sign-ins — including Microsoft Edge, OneDrive, some Office apps, and the free version of Teams — would fail with an error telling the user they weren't connected to the internet (which wasn't the case).

Windows Latest reports that the fix has been deployed as KB5085516, rolling out to those on Windows 11 24H2 and 25H2 who have installed the March update.

As this is an emergency or 'out of band' update — outside the normal pattern of Windows updates — it isn't the case that you'll receive KB5085516 automatically.

You may do so, but only if you've turned on the 'Get the latest updates as soon as they're available' option in the settings for Windows Update, as Microsoft explains in the patch notes.

If you haven't enabled that — and most Windows 11 users won't, as this means the PC gets optional (preview) updates, which can still be buggy — then you'll need to grab the patch yourself if you're suffering from broken apps due to this connectivity error.

To do this, check for updates in the Windows Update panel (in Settings), and you'll see KB5085516, whereupon you can click to download and install it.

After applying the patch, which typically takes about five minutes to download and the same length of time to install, according to Windows Latest, you should be good to go with the mentioned apps.

Analysis: a necessarily swift fix

Microsoft has got this fix out quickly, as the company promised. The software giant said the bug would be fixed in a few days, and that's exactly what has happened — KB5085516 actually started rolling out two days ago, at the weekend.

So, at this point, you should definitely see the patch if you check under Windows Update. You won't see this fix, however, if you haven't installed the March update (KB5079473) yet, as you won't need it (of course). Presumably, Microsoft will have directly applied this emergency patch to the March update, so anybody installing the latter going forward won't encounter the bug.

Are you tempted to switch on 'Get the latest updates as soon as they're available' because this should ensure you get emergency updates like this one automatically? After all, if you don't, it's true that there's a chance you might miss an important fix if you don't read about it in an article like this. However, what you must bear in mind is that enabling this feature means you'll receive all of Microsoft's optional updates, too. These tend to be buggier than the release versions of monthly updates, which, as we see with the March update, can already play host to some troublesome gremlins.

So just be aware of what you might be signing up for, and I'd be wary of doing this unless you're a more confident PC user.

• Windows 11's March update has an annoying bug
• It breaks some apps which use a Microsoft account login, including OneDrive, Edge and the free version of Teams
• Microsoft has a workaround, but doesn't sound fully confident in it – though fortunately a patch is already underway and should arrive soon

Windows 11's latest update suffers from a bug which has broken some apps that use a Microsoft account login.

Bleeping Computer reports that the March update released last week (known as KB5079473) has messed up the Microsoft account sign-ins for OneDrive and the Edge browser, as well as the free version of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot, along with Microsoft Word and Excel.

Microsoft explains: "As a result of this issue, sign in attempts will display an error message with text similar to 'You'll need the Internet for this. It doesn't look like you're connected to the Internet'. This appears even if the device is connected to the internet."

As to what can be done here, Microsoft's advice is: "This issue occurs when the device enters a specific network connectivity state, and may resolve on its own. If you encounter this issue, restart the device while keeping it connected to the internet. This should repair the device connectivity state and prevent the issue from occurring."

This is a bug that hits consumers more, as it's Microsoft accounts which are causing the problem. Microsoft clarifies that businesses using Entra ID won't be affected, and this is just Microsoft Teams Free which has a problem (via Microsoft account sign-ins which are prevalent with that freebie version).

That said, Windows 11 Enterprise versions have encountered other bugs with the March update which Microsoft has been forced to release emergency patches for. This includes a problem whereby Bluetooth devices aren't visible, so you can't connect them to the PC.

Analysis: workaround sounds a little hit-or-miss, but thankfully a patch is imminent

If you've had trouble with Edge or OneDrive logins, or indeed one of the other mentioned pieces of software, since installing last week's Windows 11 update, now you know the problem. And it might be quite a nasty one to come across, as folks could well assume there's something wrong with their internet connection, and may end up having a frustrating time of trying to troubleshoot an issue that doesn't actually exist.

As for the supplied workaround from Microsoft, it is effectively that old standby: turn it off, turn it on again. However, it's not too heartening to read that Microsoft believes this 'should repair' the internet connection, which doesn't sound as definitive as I'd like. Keep your fingers crossed, basically.

Microsoft says it's working on a resolution for the bug and it should be patched in the "next few days", so the good news is that at least this particular network-related gremlin shouldn't be hanging around for long.

Note that the February preview update – the optional release just before the March patch – also carried a very nasty bug for Samsung laptops where access to the system (C:) drive was lost. This was the fault of the Samsung Galaxy Connect app, mind, and not Windows 11, but if you were unfortunate enough to be affected, here's how to extract yourself from that particular mess.

• Yandex, Edge, and Chrome are the most data-hungry mobile browsers
• Yandex even collects in-app messages, warns Surshark's latest report
• Surfshark recommends switching to safer alternatives

UPDATE: On January 13, Yandex contacted TechRadar to clarify that it does not collect users' private messages and has no access to conversations in other apps. The article has been updated to reflect this.

Do you regularly use Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, or Yandex to surf the internet on your phone or tablet? You might want to rethink that choice. According to Surfshark, these mobile browsers are the most voracious data harvesters of all, which could potentially put your privacy at serious risk.

The creator of one of the best VPNs recently examined how the 15 most popular mobile browsers handle user data, basing its analysis on the Google Play Store's privacy policy pages.

In its findings, Chrome and Edge ranked third and second, respectively, among the most data-hungry browsers, aggregating 19 and 20 of the 38 possible types of user data. Yandex topped the list with 25. Data includes user photos, voice and audio recordings, web browser history, and user payment information.

Yandex and Google Chrome also collect location data, while Microsoft Edge and Yandex access user content, files, and documents.

Particularly disturbing is that Yandex’s users, often based in Russia, India, and Brazil, appear to be the most exposed to extensive data harvesting, with the browser even accessing their in-app messages and personal chats.

A company spokesperson reached out to TechRadar to clarify that Yandex Browser does not collect users' private messages and has no access to conversations in other apps.

"The in-built messages mentioned in the study are not private correspondence; they are a feature that lets users open a Yandex Browser support chat. Yandex Browser collects only the data needed to operate and improve the service – and only after explicit users' consent," said the spokesperson.

Chrome, used by seven out of ten Internet users worldwide, further damages its already tarnished reputation as one of the least data-friendly browsers. A previous study showed the iOS app version retrieves more than three times as much data as its competitors.

What's happen to your data?

These browsers’ developers assure that data collected aims to ensure app functionality, including personalisation, account management, and fraud prevention, notes Surfshark.

However, browsers including Yandex, Microsoft Edge, and Aloha confirm sharing a substantial amount of data with third parties. This may include payment information, precise location, user ID, crash logs, or app interactions.

In the best-case scenario, this excessive collection is used to create user advertising profiles and offer highly personalised offers.

"Collected user data allows companies to create digital profiles, predict user behaviour, and make decisions based on it, for example, showing users different prices, ads, or offers," explains Justas Pukys, senior product manager at Surfshark.

Browsing habits and interests can also reveal highly sensitive details such as health concerns, financial status, political views, or personal struggles – details people often prefer to keep private.

Unfortunately, Surfshark’s data claims only two out of ten people still consider themselves ‘privacy policy conscious.' This could increase the chances of them losing control over what data is used, how, and by whom.

In the worst-case scenario, sensitive information could end up in the wrong hands during a third-party breach, where browser-derived identifiers appear to have become extremely valuable to attackers.

Last year, the UK market was hit hard by data breaches, with customer identification data being the most frequently exposed category according to incident trends recently reported by IBM.

How to protect your browsing privacy

In this climate, choosing a mobile browser that respects privacy is essential, and fortunately, there are many alternatives to choose from besides the usual suspects.

According to Surshark, Ecosia collects only four types of data, Samsung Internet browser collects only two, while Brave, Mi Browser, and Tor collect no user data at all, ensuring virtually zero risk to your privacy.

And, if you don’t fancy a switch, Surfshark advises sharing as little personal data as possible, as well as regularly checking your browser app permissions and using a password manager that protects your account passwords.

Finally, of course, you may not be surprised to learn they suggest you never forget to use a VPN to add an extra layer of protection on your phone (something we couldn’t agree with more). You will be thankful when the next company gets hacked.

• Microsoft's new tool protects users from fake support and scam popups
• The new scareware sensor in Edge promises faster SmartScreen threat detection
• The AI-driven Scareware blocker is backed with community reports and real-time protection

Microsoft is expanding its protection tools in its Edge browser with the wider release of its Scareware blocker and the introduction of a new scareware sensor aimed at stopping tech support scams before they reach users.

The update extends automatic protection to most Windows and Mac devices, combining AI, computer vision, and SmartScreen threat intelligence.

The Scareware blocker, now enabled by default on devices with at least 2GB of RAM and four CPU cores, uses a local computer vision model to identify deceptive full-screen pages that trick users into believing their computer is infected.

Protecting customers from attacks

Once detected, Edge shuts down the scam before users are prompted to call fake support numbers or make payments.

IT administrators can also manage Scareware blocker settings through enterprise policies and allow-lists.

"AI-powered features like Scareware blocker will forever change the way we protect customers from attacks,” Rob Franco, Principal PM Manager for Microsoft Edge, Enterprise & Security said in a blog post announcing the news, adding the system can shield users from fresh scams “hours or even days before they appear on global blocklists.”

Microsoft says when users report a scam through the blocker, it helps Defender SmartScreen add the threat to its global protection list.

On average, in initial tests, a single report prevented around 50 other users from being targeted.

The reported scams went beyond simple “virus alerts,” including fake blue screens, counterfeit control panels, and even fraudulent law enforcement messages demanding payments.

Microsoft Edge version 142 also introduces a new scareware sensor that alerts SmartScreen about potential scams in real time, without sending screenshots or extra data.

This feature is currently turned off by default but will later be switched on for users with SmartScreen enabled.

Franco says the company is also upgrading the underlying pipeline to shorten response times and extend SmartScreen coverage faster once threats are reported.

“Even after a user has reported a scam, it may continue to impact others before SmartScreen can start blocking,” Franco explained. “We’re working to reduce latency and deliver faster protection for scams reported by Scareware blocker users.”

• Microsoft Edge is adding malicious sideloaded extension detection
• Other productivity and AI enhancements are in the works
• Edge still struggles with market share (vs. Chrome)

Microsoft has announced plans to add a new security feature to its Edge browser to protect users against malicious sideloaded extensions as it continues with plans to entice more users away from Chrome.

Sideloading allows developers to install extensions locally, but attackers have also exploited sideloading to trick users into installing harmful extensions, bypassing the checks that extensions usually undergo via the Edge Add-ons store.

The company confirmed its browser “will detect and revoke malicious sideloaded extensions” in a roadmap entry.

Edge will soon detect malicious sideloaded extensions

Microsoft said that this new security feature is currently in development, but is set to roll out in November 2025.

The company refrained from sharing any details, such as the detection methods – all we have is the limited roadmap entry (tracked as 503593) to go by.

However, it’s not Microsoft’s first stab at making Edge a more secure web environment. It has also rolled out warnings for extensions that harm Edge’s performance and an HTTPS-first mode to upgrade from HTTP to HTTPS wherever possible.

It’s not just security updates that are finding their way into Microsoft’s native browser. The company also hopes to make it a more productive place to be, with plans to introduce a built-in Adobe-powered PDF reader as soon as October 2025. Of course, Copilot generative AI tools are also finding their way into every aspect of the browser too.

All of that being said, Microsoft continues to struggle with Edge adoption, as recent figures claim the browser accounts for around 12% of all desktop browser sessions worldwide, compared with 70% for Chrome. Still, it’s twice as far ahead as Safari (6%) on desktop, at least.

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• Microsoft Edge has a new AI feature hidden in testing
• 'Journeys' uses your browsing activity to produce AI-powered "helpful summaries"
• This could be a very convenient touch - the catches are it may require a Copilot Pro subscription and some privacy worries are attached

Microsoft has another AI feature planned for its Edge web browser – or at least that appears to be the case – but there's something of a catch here.

Windows Latest noticed the new functionality, called 'Journeys', in testing with Edge, where it's currently hidden in the latest Canary build of the browser. You need to set a flag to enable it, but even then, the feature doesn't actually work yet.

All you can see is the option for turning on Journeys in the interface, which lives in the 'AI Innovations' panel in Edge's settings, and the accompanying text that explains what Journeys is all about.

We're told that Journeys uses AI to turn your browsing activity, including the content of web pages, into "helpful summaries" to make it easy for you to revisit past work or resume whatever tasks you may have previously been carrying out in Edge.

Let's come back to the aforementioned catch with this new AI trick for Edge, which is that it won't be free. At least if it's implemented as the interface shows in testing, because next to the slider to enable it is an 'Upgrade to Pro' button.

In other words, this feature looks like it'll only be available to those who subscribe to Copilot Pro (at the price of $20 per month currently).

Of course, you wouldn't be paying that $20 just for access to Journeys, but a whole bunch of other stuff that's provided in the Copilot Pro package. Still, the fact remains that this isn't something your average Edge user will benefit from - unless Microsoft changes its mind about the positioning of the feature between now and release.

Analysis: how Journeys might work – and some privacy concerns

Of course, Microsoft may never realize this concept as part of Copilot Pro, or in any other form. This is still very early work in testing. However, the company is obviously keen to push AI hard in Edge (and more broadly, Windows 11), so I'd bet that this is a fairly likely development for the future.

As to how it might work, we don't get much in the way of clues, although the name 'Journeys' suggests there will be various threads of activity kept by Edge, presumably organized by AI in what should be a helpful way.

It sounds like a potentially useful feature, though anything that involves the monitoring your browsing activity, and specifically diving into the content of web pages you visit, is likely to induce cold sweats for the privacy conscious – particularly after the whole ongoing Recall debacle.

That said, in the case of Journeys, the blurb revealed in testing also contains an assurance that "your data is securely stored on your device and is never used for AI training and advertising". I take that to mean that the relevant data will be used locally by Edge, and not sent to the cloud, thereby theoretically maintaining the privacy of your browsing history – although the cloud isn't explicitly ruled out as such. So, concerns remain at this (admittedly early) stage of the game.

Microsoft will doubtless explain more when – or rather, if – the company officially makes Journeys a part of Edge. As Windows Latest points out, Edge has a built-in AI model (Phi-4-mini) that could be used to deal with the necessary processing locally, on the device, staying out of the cloud (and making the feature run more snappily, too) – so that could well be the plan.

If this does turn out to be a vehicle to help drive Copilot Pro subscriptions, though, it may see limited usage anyway.

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• Latest Windows 11 update packs a great new feature - but I hope I never have to use it
• Microsoft promises to crack one of the biggest problems with Windows 11: slow performance
• Microsoft has all but given up on Windows 11 SE – and it looks like the war against Chromebooks has been lost

• Microsoft has a new plan to target Chrome addicts to use Edge more
• A planned pop-up is only hidden in testing right now, though
• It may never be enabled, even in preview builds of Windows 11 - and I hope that's the case, as I think this is a dangerous road for Microsoft to go down

Microsoft is apparently testing another way to drive Edge adoption and attempt to cajole Chrome users into switching to its browser in Windows 11.

Windows Latest reports that in a new preview build of Windows 11 (in the Canary channel) there's some work hidden in the background pertaining to a new campaign to promote Edge.

This is targeting those who use Google's Chrome browser with a pop-up to get them to pin Edge to the taskbar when they close Microsoft's browser. Specifically, it's aimed at those who use Chrome a lot, and Edge a little (obviously you have to use Edge a bit to be exiting the browser in order to be shown the nag screen).

Windows Latest observes that one of the hidden flags - and remember, they are just lurking in the background, and not activated yet, even in testing - is for 'pin Edge when you close the browser' (so with it pinned permanently to the taskbar, you're more likely to come back and use it).

But the shadier move here is another flag which is for 'msPinningCampaignChromeUsageGreaterThan90Trigger' - and the key bit here is that the trigger for the pop-up appearing is if the Windows 11 user's Chrome usage is greater than 90 (meaning 90%.)

So, this means that those who run Edge more - who are using Chrome less than 90% of the time - won't see this pop-up. The reason why, presumably, is because Microsoft doesn't want to annoy people who already use its web browser a fair chunk of the time.

However, those who almost exclusively run with Chrome (90% of the time, or more) will see this nag prompt, and the question is: how might Microsoft quantify whether any given person's Chrome usage is 90% or more?

Analysis: Microsoft needs to tread carefully

Okay, so we can't jump to any conclusions about Microsoft snooping on folks on the basis of some flags hidden in testing - all of this remains theoretical and speculation. But this does appear to indicate that some sort of measurement is being mulled - and how would Microsoft gauge a heavy Chrome user? The obvious assumption is that it must be through some kind of telemetry (data collection).

And regardless of the true answer behind this question, or indeed whether this feature is ever enabled - remember, it's not even live in preview, as noted - this kind of flag is not going to do anything to assuage the fears of those who believe Microsoft is 'spying' on them with Windows 11. And there's a good deal of paranoia around that issue, because Microsoft does, of course, utilize some telemetry with Windows 11. (Some of which may be justified, and some of which can be turned off - though notably not all of it, not unless you go to considerable lengths).

So, while we know that Microsoft collects some data on Windows 11 users, glimpses of the inner workings of the operating system laid bare like this aren't going to help the company's reputation. In my opinion, the software giant needs to tread very carefully in areas like this - and gauging browser usage to determine whether or not an Edge pop-up is shown (to Chrome addicts) is crossing a line.

No, it might not ever happen - and I hope it doesn't, because this really isn't a path Microsoft needs to be going any further down. With some of the pop-ups and various suggestions in Windows 11, Microsoft can argue that it's helping the user in some way - prompting to make a backup might be useful in some scenarios, for example, that's not inconceivable by any means. But in this case, Microsoft is only helping itself (and Edge).

From a broader perspective, we don't need any more nagging to use the Edge browser anyway - there's already far too much of this kind of activity going on in Windows 11 (which I feel is very much counterproductive anyway).

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• Microsoft has a new (and somewhat duplicitous) promotion going on
• It happens when searching for a rival AI service on Bing
• A Copilot banner appears at the top of the results, and it's easy for users to mistakenly use that instead of the AI they were really looking for

Microsoft is up to some sneaky tricks again in terms of promoting its own services, and this time it's Copilot AI, which is now being pushed on those using Bing search.

As Windows Latest reports, if you go to Bing.com and search for a major AI service that rivals Microsoft's own Copilot - meaning ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, or Claude AI - you'll get a Copilot banner popping up.

This appears right at the top of the search, announcing that 'Your Copilot is here' and offering a prompt to ask Microsoft's AI 'anything'. You can then type a query in the presented box if you want, and it'll open up the Copilot website with the results.

This behavior is implemented via the Bing search site itself, so it'll happen if you go to Bing.com in any web browser (not just Edge).

Analysis: spotlight and shade

While the Copilot banner that Bing search serves up is labelled as 'Promoted by Microsoft', the company has chosen a very small font for that particular detail, so it's easy enough to miss.

In fact, the way the search result is laid out in this scenario is quite deceptive in a few aspects. So, say you search for ChatGPT in Bing, the ChatGPT website is the top result (as you'd expect, of course), but the way the Copilot banner is perched right above it could trick you into thinking the query box is actually for ChatGPT. Some people might not realize that and then end up redirected to the Copilot website with their query, which is clearly the idea. If the Copilot banner was presented to the side, for example - out of the way - this would be much less likely to happen.

Furthermore, if you leave the tab with the Bing search for ChatGPT (or the other mentioned AI services), and then return to it, the Copilot banner is actually highlighted in bright white, with the rest of the results greyed out. The banner is effectively spotlighted - check out the above screenshot to see what I mean - so people are even more likely to be drawn to it, especially if they aren't tech-savvy and don't really look at the page properly.

All in all, this feels like a bit of unwelcome duplicity, but in truth, it's nothing new for Microsoft - or other tech giants, for that matter. Microsoft is particularly keen on prompting folks to use its Edge browser in one way or another, including if you try to download Chrome. Indeed, searching for Chrome in Bing.com results in a very similar 'Promoted by Microsoft' banner at the top of the results (and we've seen even shadier moves than this in the past).

And yes, Google pulls this sort of chicanery as well, and if you head to Google.com you'll be prompted to make use of its AI, Gemini, with a pop-up. That said, if you search for 'Copilot' on Google, you won't get Gemini inserted into the search results in the same way Microsoft does with Copilot in Bing.

At any rate, while it's very unlikely this kind of promotional nonsense will ever go away, it's disappointing to see a somewhat more blatant example from Microsoft here - particularly in the highlighting of the Copilot query box, should you flick away from the active tab, and then switch back.

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• Microsoft Edge has dropped a chunk of users in the past month
• This is according to Statcounter's figures, which show Chrome making some major gains at the top
• Microsoft may hope that Copilot in Edge will help turn things around, but there are other factors at work

Chrome has cemented its dominance in the web browser world in the past month to the detriment of Microsoft Edge, which has slipped back in its tall order quest to challenge Google's top dog.

Neowin flagged up the latest report from Statcounter showing how the world's best desktop browsers stack up to each other, and Chrome has accelerated ahead in July, gaining just over 3% to put it a whisker away from a 70% share of the entire market (69.98% to be precise).

Microsoft Edge is in second place, but after making a little headway through 2025 thus far – in between periods of stalling – the browser has again slipped, as it did in June. It's now down to 11.8% which represents a month-on-month drop of 1.26%.

If you're wondering about the rest of Chrome's rivals, there's Safari, which is in third place, but it barely has half of Edge's user base, with the Apple browser sitting on 6.51% (also down from last month; in fact, it's lost 0.85%).

Firefox is next and is close behind Safari on 5.32%, and again, that's a loss, this time of half a percentage point. All of those losses have, of course, provided fuel for Google's Chrome fire.

Analysis: Copilot isn't the answer - or at least not the only one

Naturally, we need to take any single source that's measuring the popularity of any given set of products with some caution - it represents a sample of the market, not the entire picture. Although in Statcounter's case, it's a pretty beefy sample, and the company is regarded as one of the more accurate judges of how the browser world stands.

Microsoft isn't doing well, then, in its bid to get Edge noticed - and as I've said before, I think part of the problem the software giant has is that it's trying too hard to get the browser noticed. It does this mainly by shoving it in the faces of Windows 11 (and 10) users with too much gusto, recommending it as the default browser in certain circumstances, or having Edge pop up in various ways even though it isn't set as the default browser.

Notably, Microsoft has been changing this kind of behavior in Europe due to regulatory pressures, so, for example, the company just made it so that web links in Windows 11's widget board now don't open in Edge automatically, but use the selected default browser in the OS (as they should for a consistent experience).

I wish Microsoft would adopt this scheme of things in other regions outside of Europe, but sadly, it doesn't seem like this will happen, not when there's no legislation twisting the company's arm.

Microsoft has another tactic in mind to get traction for Edge, though, and that's AI. The introduction of Copilot in Edge has just happened (so won't have made an impact in July's figures from Statcounter), and while it may not seem like a massive carrot to many – who might think, 'Not more AI', complete with a yawn – as we've recently reported, this feature actually looks pretty nifty. It offers voice commands and some clever touches like being able to instruct the browser to skip to a certain section of a YouTube video, and with agentic AI abilities promised down the line (the ability for AI to book things for you within the browser, for example).

I accept that it could be a promising lure for new recruits to the Edge flock. However, I think Microsoft will struggle to make its browser more relevant unless it also reins in some of the excesses of its constant promotion of Edge within Windows. And of course, don't forget that Google has its own AI (Gemini) tricks in the pipeline for Chrome, too, so it's not like the dominant competition will be standing still on the AI front.

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• Koi Security researchers found almost two dozen browser add-ons spying on users
• The add-ons were tracking visited sites and communicating with remote C2 infrastructure
• Users were likely compromised along the way

Many Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browser add-ons, including several prominent products, were found to be spying on users and communicating with a third-party server, in what appears to be a supply-chain attack with millions of victims.

Security researchers from Koi Security were recently looking into a seemingly benign Chrome add-on called “Color Picker, Eyedropper — Geco colorpick” which allows users to quickly identify and copy color codes from any point within their browser.

While working as advertised, and having thousands of downloads and positive reviews, the add-on also did something in the background - it hijacked browser activity, tracked the websites users were visiting, and communicated with remote C2 infrastructure. This prompted the researchers to investigate further, leading to the discovery of an entire web of add-ons, all doing similar things.

How to stay safe

They named the campaign Operation RedDirection, and counted 18 add-ons, cumulatively compromising 2.3 million users across Chrome and Edge.

The entire list of add-ons can be found here - it includes VPNs, site “unblockers”, weather forecast add-ons, emoji add-ons, and more.

The researchers also determined that these add-ons were not malicious from the get-go. They were simple, clean products that were most likely hijacked somewhere along the line. Many have hundreds of positive reviews, and some were featured in prominent places on the Chrome Web Store.

Most were removed from the Play Store, but according to BleepingComputer, “many of them continue to be available”. Although it wasn’t clearly specified, it’s safe to assume they’re available through third-party stores and standalone websites.

If you were running any of the add-ons from the list, you should remove them immediately, clear browsing data, and run a full system scan using an updated antivirus solution.

It would also be wise to replace any passwords stored in the browser, as well as other sensitive auto-fill data. Data breaches are becoming increasingly common, with almost a third of enterprises experiencing a breach despite increased cybersecurity investments. You can see whether your information is affected using the popular breach checking website HaveIBeenPwned?

As well as identity theft protection software, users can keep themselves secure by being ultra cautious of any unexpected communications, thoroughly checking any emails and texts they receive, and never clicking on any untrusted links.

Via BleepingComputer

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• Microsoft Edge has introduced a new password management feature
• The tool is available as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription
• Administrators now have more control over users credential sharing

Microsoft Edge’s new built-in business-oriented secure password deployment feature has reached general availability.

This added browser feature helps keep credentials safe by preventing passwords from being shared with the wrong people - accidentally or otherwise.

Secure password deployment is now available to Microsoft Edge for Business users across the M365 Business Premium, E3, and E5 subscription options.

Prevent credential leakage

The secure password deployment tool allows users to autofill passwords on authorized websites to create a smooth login experience, but prevents users from viewing, editing, deleting- and most importantly, prevents the user from exporting their passwords.

"In many organizations today, employees often resort to sharing passwords via sticky notes or emails. This not only exposes sensitive credentials to unintended recipients, but also increases the risk of those passwords being forwarded or misused," Microsoft said in the announcement.

"Secure password deployment allows administrators to deploy encrypted shared passwords to a set of users within their organization. With this feature, users will receive the deployed passwords on their device and can seamlessly log into websites."

Passwords stored in the secure password deployment tool are encrypted using Microsoft Information Protection SDK, and tied to a user's Entra identity, allowing businesses to enforce access control policies.

Administrators can use the tool to apply highly granular configuration on browser settings for individual users or user groups. Administrators can begin using the tools by using the Microsoft 365 admin center to access the Edge management service, and then configuring an existing policy or creating a new policy, then heading to the Secure Password Deployment page via the Customization Settings tab.

"This integration brings the power of Microsoft's data protection platform directly into the Edge Management experience, giving administrators a seamless way to deploy credentials securely while aligning with Zero Trust principles and compliance requirements," Microsoft continued.

"By embedding the Protection SDK directly into Edge for Business, we extend Microsoft's data protection capabilities all the way to the endpoint—ensuring that sensitive information is safeguarded from configuration to consumption."

Via BleepingComputer

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• Microsoft Edge has two smart new features in beta testing
• AI will help you find websites in your browsing history
• A new media control center provides a hub for all media playback activity

Have you ever found a useful web page, forgot to bookmark it, then remembered about it later, and had to go hunting through your browser history to try and find the site? This can be a frustrating experience, but Microsoft Edge is aiming to remove the pain from such a scenario.

Neowin reports that as of the beta release of Edge 138 for testers (version 138.0.3351.14 to be precise), there’s a new AI-powered web history search.

Of course, you already get a search facility in Edge’s history (and the other best web browsers out there), but the new feature gives your search query a wider scope and the ability to use synonyms (and more besides).

Microsoft explains: “Enhanced search finds sites in your History even when you use a synonym, phrase, or typo.”

In short, you can type something only vaguely related, and possibly make mistakes or typos when doing so, and AI will still be able to work out what you’re looking for – and hopefully surface the correct website.

Elsewhere in the beta of Edge 138, Microsoft has introduced a media control center. This is a central hub that allows for controlling any video or music playback that’s currently underway within the browser, or other activity such as casting media to another device.

Whatever’s happening media-wise, you can deal with it from here, and the control center is opened by clicking the music note icon along from the address bar in Edge.

Analysis: On-device model

Remember that these features are just in testing for the moment. On top of that, the AI-powered web history search is a limited rollout among testers, so even if you do run the beta of Edge, you may not see it for a while.

In short, it may be some time before this functionality progresses to the release version of the browser, but it’s inbound. And with Microsoft keen to expand AI powers however it can, I can’t imagine this is a feature that’s in any danger of being discarded.

For those worried about privacy in terms of AI hooking its tendrils into your web history, Microsoft is using an “on-device model” and the company promises that none of your data is ever sent off the device into the cloud, or to Microsoft’s servers. Furthermore, the feature needs to actively be enabled, rather than being on by default.

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• Microsoft is changing Edge for the better in the European Economic Area
• This is happening due to the Digital Markets Act in that region
• It means Edge will stop nagging to be the default browser

Microsoft is relenting with its constant prompting of folks to use the Edge browser under Windows 11, but not everyone is getting this welcome relief.

Sadly, the pushing of Edge in some notable ways is only being curtailed in the European Economic Area (EEA) due to rules imposed by the Digital Markets Act. With no such regulatory pressure in the US or elsewhere, these restrictions on Edge aren’t happening.

TechSpot noticed Microsoft’s blog post introducing these various changes, the key one being that Edge will stop annoying you to set it as the default browser in Windows 10 and Windows 11. It’ll only prompt a request to be your go-to app for web browsing if you open Edge directly, and this feature has already been implemented as of the end of May, with version 137.0.3296.52 of the browser.

Another change is that when Edge is uninstalled, you won’t get other Microsoft apps telling you to reinstall it.

Furthermore, when you set any web browser as your default choice, it’ll have a whole lot more file formats (and link types) tied to it, rather than having Edge still open some file types. This stood as another sneaky way to get Edge back on your radar after you’ve chosen to give it a wide berth.

Additionally, when using the Windows search box and clicking on a web search result, it will be opened in your chosen default browser, rather than Edge, in Bing.

All these changes should be in place soon, and will be rolling out in June in the EEA, save for the main one, which is already in place as noted.

Away from Edge, another potentially sizeable plus point for Windows users in this region is that they’ll be able to uninstall the Microsoft Store, should they wish. That move won’t be coming until later in 2025, though.

Microsoft clarifies that if you remove the Microsoft Store, but have already used it to install some apps, that software will continue to receive updates in order to ensure it gets the latest security patches, which is good news.

Analysis: Give us all a break, Microsoft

These are welcome moves for Windows 11 and 10 users in this region, but it’d be nice if Microsoft could implement them elsewhere as well. However, without the relevant authorities breathing down the neck of the software giant, it won’t do anything of the sort. All these behaviors will persist outside the EEA because Microsoft clearly believes they may help drive more users to Edge.

When in fact they are more likely to drive people up the wall. Repeatedly insisting that folks should use Edge in scenarios of varying degrees of overreach is a tiresome policy, as is popping up Edge whenever possible, rather than using the default browser choice. That should always be the default; no matter what’s happening, the clue is in the name, Microsoft.

Don’t expect Microsoft’s overall attitude to change anytime soon. Still, at least some people will get to enjoy a slightly less nag-laden experience in Windows 11, and fewer instances of Edge clambering onto their monitor screen in a bid to remind them that it exists. However, the majority of us can doubtless expect more pop-ups and general weirdness in terms of some of the more left-field efforts Microsoft has made to promote its browser.

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• Microsoft is implementing Copilot prompts on Edge’s New Tab Page
• It’s also rolling out an ability to trigger a web search to happen with Copilot rather than Bing
• Moves in testing to have Copilot take over the New Tab Page still appear to be in the pipeline

Microsoft Edge is getting more Copilot, with the AI assistant coming to the New Tab Page (or NTP) in a more prominent way.

The NTP is what you see in the web browser when you open up a new tab, serving as a place to start for exploring what you might want to do in Edge – which will usually, but not always, be a web search.

However, rather than that traditional query in the search box (which fires up a Bing search, unsurprisingly), Microsoft would prefer you to use Copilot, as there’s an icon for the AI assistant right next to said web search option.

Clicking that icon brings up Copilot on the web, ready for your query, but with the latest update for Edge version 136 (which was deployed earlier this month), Microsoft is rolling out a fuller integration of the AI in the NTP.

Windows Latest reports that Microsoft explains in the release notes for the update to Edge that: “Starting at the end of May 2025, users may see suggested work and productivity-related Copilot prompts by their search box on the NTP page.”

Those suggested prompts are efforts along the lines of ‘get advice’ or ‘write a first draft’ which invoke Copilot to achieve the indicated task.

Microsoft further notes that some Edge users may also see the Copilot icon in the search box, and when clicked this triggers the current search query, but sends it to Copilot rather than having Bing resolve it.

Analysis: Copilot context

In short, Copilot is slowly gaining a grip on the New Tab Page, although the mentioned capabilities are part of what Microsoft calls a “controlled feature rollout,” and I’d imagine this will be a fairly slow and tentative affair. I don’t have this feature yet on my Edge browser, and neither does Windows Latest.

The company will likely want to conduct this deployment at a leisurely pace because there are some Windows 11 users who are wary of seeing AI creep into more corners of the OS and its various apps, which is certainly a goal Microsoft’s intent on pursuing. So, moving slowly and regularly taking the temperature of feedback is likely to be the way forward for Microsoft.

More AI is likely coming to Microsoft’s browser, though, in the form of the Edge Copilot Mode spotted by Windows Latest (hidden in the flags menu, as an experimental feature in Edge).

This appears to be Microsoft’s plan that’s already been seen in testing, whereby the New Tab Page becomes far more Copilot-focused – read more about that here (and see the above screenshot for a glimpse of what this might look like). It also dumps the MSN feed in favor of Copilot, which I feel is a good trade-off (though your opinion on that may vary, of course).

A second part of this Copilot Mode may be a less popular addition, namely so-called ‘context clues’ that tap into the web page you’re visiting, and your web history, to allow the AI to provide better and more personal responses.

A fair few privacy red flags are appearing at this point, but we don’t know how (or even if) this feature will be implemented – though it certainly appears to be allowing Copilot to access your browsing history. As such, it’s surely going to be an optional (and opt-in) capability, if any of this is realized with Edge.

Remember, all this is still in testing, save for the changes to the NTP that Microsoft has confirmed are now rolling out with Edge v136.

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• Microsoft Edge slipped slightly to 13.29% according to Statcounter’s latest figures for the browser market in April 2025
• Edge has been stuck around the 13% mark for over a year now
• To make progress, Microsoft needs to rethink its strategy, and stop overzealously promoting Edge in Windows 11

Microsoft’s Edge browser appears to be facing a distinctly uphill battle in the browser wars, with its market share having clearly stalled over the past year.

Granted, that percentage share of the browser market has been bobbling up and down a bit as time has passed, going by analytics firm Statcounter’s global figures. But the upshot is Edge doesn’t seem to be making any real headway against Google’s Chrome browser.

As Neowin noticed, with April’s browser stats, Edge is on 13.29% which is a slight loss of 0.08% on March 2025. If we rewind a year, it’s actually up a little bit, but the increase is marginal with a 0.32% gain.

Essentially, Edge has been stuck around the 13% mark for over a year now, and has been unable to break free of the shackles of that particular number.

At the start of 2024, it crept over 13%, then hit 13.8% in August 2024, seeming to make some decent progress – except it dropped back down under 13% towards the end of last year.

Then it rose like a phoenix (ahem) to reach 13.9% in February 2025, again a solid uptick, before dropping back down (like a phoenix somebody turned a fire hose on) to 13.29% this past month.

In short, whenever there’s an increase that makes it look like Edge could get over 14%, the browser appears to shed users again. And given how far away Microsoft’s app is from Chrome – which is way in the lead on 65% – it’s not looking good for the overall campaign to dethrone Google here.

Analysis: Drop the promos, Microsoft – or, erm, just buy Chrome

Actually, looking at the entire browser market in recent history, nothing is really doing much – it’s a very static overall picture. All the major browsers have pretty much flatlined, and are maintaining a strict balance of power, with only minor fluctuations from month-to-month.

Chrome holds most of that power, as noted, and Edge is a very distant second, ahead of Safari and Firefox which are a good way behind it (relatively speaking at the low-end). Opera is the other minor player bringing up the rear, but whichever graph you look at, it’s pretty much a straight line through the months for all these browsers, with very slight bobbles.

What is Microsoft getting wrong? Well, I know it’s a well-beaten drum, but I’m convinced part of the problem is the overzealous promotion of Edge in Windows 11 (and 10). These kind of exercises – which have been numerous in recent history – only smack of desperation, and will likely turn off people, rather than persuade them to give Edge a chance.

I know that repeated prompts to make Edge my default browser have annoyed me quite a number of times, cropping up here and there, and I’m sure I am not alone (a quick rifle through some online posts on typical forums like Reddit underlines this).

The crying shame is that Edge is actually a good product. Indeed, it’s rated as the top pick in our roundup of the best web browsers, so it deserves to be a meaningful rival to Chrome, even if it’s not perfect. And Microsoft is working to iron out some of those imperfections, like bloat, slowly but surely.

What does Microsoft need to do to stand a chance of breaking through the 15% barrier, then? Well, keep on the path of streamlining by all means, but just shut up about Edge in Windows 11 (or elsewhere), and try to get a turnaround in the public perception of the browser being overly promoted. Because that only leads to suspicion that Edge needs to be promoted because it’s not all that great – which isn’t true.

Microsoft positioning itself to gain favor and more goodwill from the computing public in this way could stand Edge in good stead, given that the top dog browser is currently navigating some unsteady waters, with Google currently under fire regarding selling off Chrome.

Or there’s an idea: just buy Chrome, Microsoft. Of course, that remote prospect would be highly unlikely to fly with regulators as it’s rather an ‘out of the fire and into the frying pan’ solution.

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• Microsoft appears to be mulling the idea of building Edge’s new tab page around Copilot
• The new layout for the page is still hidden in testing, though, so it’s still very early days
• It looks more streamlined, dispensing with MSN content on the face of it, though it’s not clear if that’s how the final implementation will pan out

Microsoft Edge already has the Copilot AI assistant built in, but now it’s been spotted taking center stage in the web browser’s new tab page (known as NTP for short).

Windows Latest flagged up that this change (first noticed on Reddit) is present in the Canary (earliest) testing channel for Edge, although it’s not active by default. You must enable various experimental flags behind the scenes to get it working.

To explain the NTP briefly, whenever you create a new tab in Edge, this is what you see. Effectively it’s a (kind of) blank canvas, and right now in the release version of Microsoft’s web browser it contains a central search box (for firing up a Bing search) which is complemented by MSN feed material. (You can customize the latter to show very little of the feed, or have it cover most of the screen – in the latter case, the NTP isn’t such a blank canvas).

With the new scheme of things seen in testing, all that is replaced by a central Copilot prompt.

You can still type in a search query – as you would with the current search box – but alternatively, you can ask the AI assistant anything you would elsewhere (such as via Copilot on the web, or in the Windows taskbar, or Copilot in the Edge side panel for that matter).

There are shortcut buttons below the Copilot prompt box on the NTP, allowing the user to click to ‘write a draft’ or to ‘learn something new’ and so forth.

Windows Latest further points out that there’s also a small dropdown menu that allows you to adjust how the NTP works. The ‘Default’ setting here is a mix of search and chat suggestions, so based on what you type in the Copilot prompt, theoretically Edge will determine whether you’ll get a fuller AI response, or a simple Bing search result.

Alternatively, you can select ‘Search and Navigate’ which is focused on web searching (with no AI responses), or there’s a ‘Chat’ setting which offers a conversational experience with Copilot.

In other words, you can go for a more traditional search (as is currently the case with the NTP), a full-on AI experience, or a mix of the two (by default) with Edge hopefully making intelligent decisions about what needs to be done based on your initial query.

Analysis: More AI, but more streamlined (for now)

Remember, all of this isn’t even in testing yet, it’s still in the early stages of being readied to be tried out in the Canary channel. The ‘Chat’ setting mentioned above doesn’t work at all yet – it just brings up a Bing search result – and the shortcut buttons (for the likes of writing a draft) don’t work either. As such, this is still a rough idea, and it could well change before it’s fully enabled even for testers.

We can see the direction that Microsoft is thinking of heading in, though, and this overhauled NTP certainly has positive aspects. It’s a lot less cluttered and the refreshed new tab page looks commendably clean, notably rid of the MSN feed gunk that a lot of folks aren’t keen on.

There are people who will argue that it’s just Microsoft pushing AI and Copilot in yet another way, but to be fair to the software giant, there is a choice to dispense with the AI responses (by electing for the basic ‘search’ option). And also, if that’s the price we must pay to get a more streamlined NTP with no MSN content peppered about, then it’s arguably well worth paying.

That said, as Windows Latest also points out, Microsoft is testing MSN content within Copilot (on Android currently), and it’s quite possible that this (personalized and targeted) material will be served via the Copilot box on Edge’s refreshed NTP. It might not pan out that way, but it seems unlikely that Microsoft is going to stop pushing its network content anytime soon.

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• Google’s Chrome installer for PCs with AMD and Intel CPUs has been broken for the past week
• Detective work suggests that the version for these PCs was accidentally replaced by the Arm installer, which is for very different Snapdragon CPUs
• While the issue has now been fixed, Google took a long time to resolve it

Those trying to install the Chrome browser in Windows 11 or 10 over the course of the past week may well have been flummoxed by an error telling them the app won’t run on their PC – and I can’t quite believe how long it’s taken Google to fix this.

Nonetheless, the good news is that the glitch is fixed, even if it took the company way longer than it should have.

The problem, in case you missed it, was flagged on Reddit and by Windows Latest a week ago.

What happened was that on firing up the Chrome Installer file (ChromeSetup.exe, download from Google’s website), people watched the process come to a screeching halt, with an error message that read: “This app can’t run on your PC: To find a version for your PC, check with the software publisher.”

As to the cause, Windows Latest did some detective work, and theorized that what Google had done here – somehow – was accidentally swap the Arm installer of Chrome with the x86 installer. Meaning that the version of Chrome for Copilot+ PCs with Snapdragon (Arm-based) processors got swapped with the version for AMD or Intel CPUs.

That conclusion was based on digging into the setup file and finding references to ‘Arm’ which surely wouldn’t be there with a non-Arm executable. Furthermore, 9 to 5 Google backs up this theory, as the tech site tried the faulty version of Chrome on a Snapdragon PC, and found it worked fine (as it would do if it was the Arm installer).

9 to 5 Google was also on the ball in terms of noticing that the issue is finally cured, and you can now download the Chrome installer on a Windows PC with an AMD or Intel CPU, and it’ll work just as you’d expect.

Analysis: A bafflingly basic mistake with only one winner (Edge)

Okay, so mistakes can be made. Indeed, they happen all the time in the tech world, or elsewhere for that matter. But for such a basic glitch to be left in place to annoy a bunch of Windows users for the best part of a week is baffling – especially while reports were flying around about the problem.

I can’t imagine this was something that was particularly difficult to resolve, either, as it looks like a simple mix up of files, as noted (unless there’s something I’m missing here). Apparently, the Arm version of Google Chrome wasn’t affected, and the installer still worked for those with a Snapdragon-powered machine.

This could have cost Google some Chrome users potentially, who might have got fed up with the browser failing to install, and maybe even plumped for Microsoft Edge, its main rival, instead. (Incidentally, Edge is the best overall web browser as far as our roundup of the most compelling offerings out there is concerned).

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• Microsoft Edge is telling testers their old extensions, like uBlock Origin, are no longer supported
• However, this appears to be a move accidentally introduced to the earliest test version of Edge
• Don’t be under any illusions that this won’t happen eventually, but looking at Microsoft’s timeline, it feels like that’s still quite a way off

Microsoft Edge just received a change in testing that makes it look like the browser might soon follow in Chrome’s footsteps in ditching certain extensions – notably including a popular ad blocker, uBlock Origin – but in actual fact, this isn’t the case.

Granted, it’s a somewhat worrying development for some folks – and it does point the way to the future, I won’t argue that. However, as the discoverer of the change for the earliest test version of Edge assures us, it’s likely something that’s been piped through automatically into testing prematurely, rather than an intentional move by Microsoft.

As highlighted by Leopeva64 on X in the below post, the Canary version of Edge recently received a new preview build and it’s producing a message about some extensions (add-ons for the browser) not being supported anymore, instructing users to remove them.

This is happening to uBlock Origin as mentioned, and other extensions which are built using Manifest V2. This is the platform these browser extensions are built on, and it’s been upgraded to Manifest V3 – a change long in the works, and one that has already come into play for Chrome (by which I mean the release version of Google’s browser, not just test builds).

However, what appears to have happened here is because Edge is built on Chromium – the same engine as Google Chrome – the change has been piped through automatically somehow.

In other words, Microsoft didn’t mean to enact this, and the move will (presumably) be corrected soon enough.

It’s worth noting that even in this (seemingly errant) form in testing, only extensions grabbed from the Chrome web store are affected, and not the official add-ons from the Edge store.

Analysis: A big shift for all Chromium browsers (albeit with some Brave resistance)

All that said, we don’t know for sure if this is what has actually gone on here – Leopeva64 says they ‘think’ this is the case, and that does seem likely.

Mainly because Microsoft has a schedule for migrating from Manifest V2 to V3 extensions with Edge, and currently, as Neowin flagged up, there is no firm date for ditching the older V2 add-ons – the timeframe remains marked as TBD (To Be Determined). That’s both in terms of dumping these V2 extensions for consumers and businesses (the latter will happen later).

But there is a schedule, and this V2 to V3 migration is happening, make no mistake, which will mean that the traditional version of uBlock Origin – which is the extension most folks are bothered about in terms of losing support – will be given the elbow from Edge eventually. It’s just that it probably won’t be for quite some time yet.

Indeed, in its support document on the timeframes involved, Microsoft notes: “The Microsoft Edge team is currently in the process of updating this MV3 migration timeline.” So, we may hear more on the exact schedule soon enough, perhaps.

All web browsers built on Chromium will eventually be affected by the change Google has instigated here, although some developers are going to try and swerve around it as best they can.

For example, the maker of the Brave browser, another from the Chromium stable, has said it will apply patches to try and keep certain popular V2 extensions alive even after support is fully yanked by Google (and that includes uBlock Origin). Although that’s going to be implemented on a ‘best-effort’ basis and there are no guarantees made.

On a final note, it’s also worth remembering that there’s already a V3 version of uBlock Origin in place, but it’s a ‘lite’ take on the ad blocker, because with V3 it simply isn’t possible to offer the same capabilities.

Google’s big switchover to V3 is being made to get what the company argues is better security and performance for browser extensions over V2, but not everyone agrees with this line of thinking, to put it mildly.

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Chrome is a pain, isn't it? It's one of those browsers that just sticks with you, no matter what you try. For better or worse. I've personally shifted back and forth between a number of browsers over the years; mostly alternating between Firefox and Chrome, and using Opera as a backup, usually to see if one website or another is broken or not. Yet no matter how long I'm gone, even in the deepest of Firefox stints, inevitably, I always end up back with Google's shiny metal goliath.

Unlike phones, operating systems, processors, graphics cards, or even the best VPNs, browsers inherently don't have that flux. It never feels like there's a need to swap to upgrade. No single one has a significant advantage over the other, and no browser has ever really introduced any feature that's quite as revolutionary as something like Nvidia's DLSS upscaling tech or AMD's CPU 3D V-cache. It's all iterative change, trying to entice you over and keep you there, and I do believe a lot of Google's initial success was down to societal peer pressure and just being one of the first alternatives that provided a slicker initial setup and user experience than anything else.

Although it ended up as a browser that has a RAM footprint akin to the mass of a small brown dwarf star, it simply provided people with a slicker, seamless experience than what Internet Explorer, Safari, Netscape, or Firefox could back in the day.

Chromed up

So how did Google corner the market following on from the success of those early years? How did it manage to oust IE, Firefox, and later Edge as kings of the free browsers? Particularly given how Microsoft literally installs its own browser on Windows for you? It's one of those questions that you genuinely have to step back, look at Microsoft, and ask: "No seriously, how did you mess this up so badly?".

In today's era, the answer is simple enough. It's not because of anything Google is doing directly with Chrome. There's no killer app or silver bullet here, no feature that's going to blow your mind wide open. It's still easy to use and operates smoothly as it almost always has done (memory quandaries aside), but it's the entire environment Google has built around it that really nails its dominance to the table.

It's effectively built out this beautiful, seamless ecosystem for us regular folk. Create a Google account, and you immediately have access to YouTube, Drive for office work, Gmail, and a Chrome account that'll sync all of your settings, passwords, passkeys, bookmarks, cookies, and extensions, all in one place. On top of that, for Android users, it'll tie into your phone too, syncing across platforms in the process.

Dominant Search Engines

Not only that, but Google as a search engine is just impeccable. Sure, its recent experiments with generative AI have been hit and miss, but it's not utterly littered with ads or incorrect listings. If you try to use Bing, DuckDuckGo, or Yahoo, the experience by comparison is shocking. It's like traveling back in time by five to ten years, depending on which one you use.

As a web-based tech journalist, I'm conscious that Google often gets a lot of ire from those in my line of work for its constant iterative SEO changes and updates to how it ranks things. This can massively impact site rankings, and kill smaller brands, potentially leaving people without work. It's a grim dance with livelihoods on the line, particularly with Google's new use of Gemini AI prompts as well.

The reality is, though, that as harsh as that is, it does this because it's still trying to provide the best search experience for the user. It comes from a good place. Although that drive might be market-driven, it still needs to provide the best sources, the best answers to your questions. Those SEO changes are necessary, and you can see the way it's going is centered around making sure it selects content and answers that align with its EEAT philosophy ('Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness' - basically, choosing authors and content that have good knowledge in a certain field) while providing information that is accurate, unique, and to the point.

YouTube is a whole other kettle of fish, and it's anyone's guess as to which way the wind blows on that search algorithm, but for its core brand, its core product, Google's search is unparalleled in many ways.

And the fact is that this wider ecosystem and everything tied into it, as much as some of us might dislike it, still makes Chrome my go-to browser. No doubt in a year's time, I'll get fed up and dive back into Firefox for a few months, enjoying the new experience, the feel of being slightly edgy (and having adblockers on my phone), only inevitably to fall back into that old habit, to miss my army of extensions on a platform that just works, without fault, without hindrance. It's sad, but it's true.

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Microsoft Edge just got a smart feature that a fair few people have been keenly awaiting for a long time now – the ability to control how much RAM the web browser gobbles up, with a useful side serving for gamers here, too.

Windows Latest reports that resource controls are now live in the finished (stable) version of Edge, after having been in testing since around the middle of 2024.

These are controls to limit how much RAM that Edge uses (certainly not the only hardware resource in a computer, but a major part of the picture, particularly for a web browser when running a whole load of tabs).

The resource controls panel offers a slider that can be adjusted to make all of the system RAM on your PC available to Edge, or as little as 1GB.

You can also choose whether that limit applies all the time, or only when you’re playing a PC game. The latter option allows those keen on gaming to have Edge operating normally, with the full amount of RAM, when doing other tasks, but whenever a PC game is running, the browser’s allocation of system memory can be trimmed down considerably to help ensure games run a bit more smoothly.

It likely won’t be a world of difference for gamers, but every extra frame helps in terms of having a better gameplay experience. Google Chrome, take notes.

Analysis: A definite Edge over Chrome

You might be thinking: why would I want to have Edge running while I’m gaming, anyway? Fair point, and closing the browser completely is obviously going to free up the maximum amount of memory resources for the PC game you’re playing.

However, there may be situations where you’re tackling a single-player game and get stuck, needing to consult a walkthrough. So, in that case, you might want Edge running in the background with the walkthrough open so you can Alt-Tab between the game and the tips. You’ll want a minimal impact on your gaming session, so you can turn Edge right down to use just a small amount of RAM.

Obviously, Edge can be limited in the general use of your computer, too, giving more of your RAM to the other apps you have running on your PC, but I’d be very careful about being too stingy with the memory allocation for Microsoft’s browser. Turning it down to the absolute minimum of 1GB of RAM (or near there) is likely to make Edge chug like a rusty old steamboat, especially if you have multiple tabs open.

My advice, then, is not to go too far to the left (minimum) side with that RAM slider, and start with a more middling setting to test the waters. As you might imagine, it’ll be a bit of trial-and-error as to exactly where might be best to position the slider for your particular system.

Overall, the new resource controls are a smart move to give Edge something extra over its big rival Chrome. Google’s browser does have performance alerts, along with a Memory Saver feature (which makes tabs that haven’t been used for a while inactive to save RAM), but this doesn’t provide anything like the same level of control as this fresh introduction for Edge.

I’ve got to say that I’m more tempted than ever to switch to Edge at this point. I do use Microsoft’s browser as a secondary option right now, here and there, but maybe it’s time to start thinking about adopting it as a primary candidate – or at least giving that a whirl for a time.

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Microsoft has ditched an online document that was ostensibly about catering for those wanting to uninstall the Edge browser, but in actual fact, was an attempt to dissuade those thinking of removing the app to stick with it.

We reported on the ‘uninstall document’ last week, which came in the form of a web page that, from search results, looked like it pertained to removing Edge from your PC.

However, when actually navigating to the page, it turned out that the document was all about comparing Edge to Google Chrome, and extolling the virtues of the former.

When this hit the headlines, there were a fair few people left unimpressed by this heavy-handed attempt at persuasion – unsurprisingly – and so now Microsoft has canned the web page, as Windows Latest noticed.

When you try to visit this page now, you’re redirected to Microsoft’s Edge portal, which is still all about promoting the benefits of the browser – but without any pretence that this might help you remove Edge (and no mention of Chrome anywhere, either, it should be noted).

Analysis: A misleading tactic that needed to be canned

As you’re likely aware, Microsoft has a long history of prodding folks to use Edge, dating back to, well, the inception of the browser. The Windows operating system has long played host to various nudges, or outright adverts, pushing Edge, so it’s not exactly a surprise to see Microsoft having tried yet another angle on persuasion.

The misleading nature of the search result, compared to the contents of the web page (when it was still active), was the real problem here – and I’m not surprised Microsoft has quickly dropped this one.

What made it worse was the lure of clicking through to ‘uninstall Edge’ when for most folks (outside of Europe), there’s no official way to completely remove the browser from a Windows 11 installation. That’s because other bits of the operating system rely on code within Edge, or this is Microsoft’s stance on the matter, anyway.

You can delete all the shortcuts and so on to the browser, and ignore it, but you can’t actually remove the app as such. It’ll still be sat there lurking in the background. (Furthermore, I should clarify, you can try to ignore it, but it’ll pop up again and again with some regularity in the form of suggestions in various parts of Windows that you should be using Edge, and to make it your default browser).

One of the more frustrating elements about all this is that Edge is a genuinely good product – it tops our list of the best web browsers, in fact – but with constant attempts to promote it, Microsoft is more likely to drive folks away from the app, not into the fold.

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• There's no official way to uninstall Microsoft Edge, as the control panel only allows for a 'repair'

It's no surprise that Microsoft is making more attempts to shift PC users away from other browsers in favor of its own Edge option yet again - but its latest scheme could be a new low point.

As spotted by Windows Latest, a new 'uninstall document' was released by Microsoft, supposedly explaining how to remove Microsoft Edge from your PC, but surprisingly, it doesn't. Instead, it compares Edge to Google Chrome with a checklist (pictured below) of features that it claims are available on Edge but not Chrome (which isn't completely true) - essentially, it's doing the opposite of what most people would expect a document about uninstalling an app to do..

It’s a shame that this comes after Microsoft’s well-received privacy updates for Chrome incognito mode, which is a huge positive for its users. However, it’s now hit a low with this 'uninstall' document that users won't like at all. Microsoft already aggressively pushes Edge via pop-ups and ads in Windows 11, which many users consider to be invasive and annoying. Meanwhile, Chrome remains the most popular browser despite Microsoft’s boasts of Edge’s high user numbers in 2024, so it’s not a surprise that many may want to uninstall Edge.

It shouldn't come as a big surprise, since Microsoft has used numerous tactics to win users over to its browser - but this feels particularly disingenuous.

Reminds me of membership cancellation pages...

Trying to get rid of something, only instead to be bombarded with reasons for not getting rid of it, will feel awfully familiar to many people who have tried to cancel a subscription. Try to cancel your PlayStation Plus subscription, for example, and Sony will try to tempt you to stay with an offer on a 12-month premium subscription.

Amazon is also notorious for this - if you try to cancel Prime, you have to click through multiple pages convincing you to stay - and it was actually sued for this, mainly because its marketing tactics were viewed as deceptive and coercive by the FTC (US Federal Trade Commission).

So, Microsoft is far from the only company that is trying to change the minds of its customers wanting to ditch a product. However, there’s no denying that this move seems particularly strange - you'd expect a document which is supposed to give you instructions to uninstall a program to do just that, rather than the opposite by trying to get you to keep using it. It also feels a bit cheeky using the word ‘uninstall’ if there’s literally no way to officially uninstall Edge.

Personally, I think that essentially forcing users to keep a program installed on their PCs will instead push them further away from using it. Saying one thing but doing another could come back to bite Microsoft...

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Microsoft has a grand plan to revamp Edge apparently, and one of the possible next steps in the evolution of the web browser has just been flagged up.

As Windows Latest explains, the software giant has a project with the codename of ‘Phoenix’ which has the aim of overhauling Edge, and making it look more modern, but not in one big update – rather a series of drip-fed moves.

And one of the incoming changes could be the ability for the browser to morph its color palette to match Windows 11’s settings, the tech site theorizes.

This is based on a couple of flags Windows Latest noticed in a test build of Edge from the Canary channel (the earliest preview builds).

The flags are ‘msEdgePhoenixColorPaletteGenerator’ and ‘msUseSnappingPointsForPhoenixPaletteGeneration’, so we have the clear reference to the Phoenix project here.

What these flags likely refer to is the ability for Edge to run a piece of ‘color palette generator’ code that could detect Windows 11’s accent colors or theme, and change the browser to match that. In other words, Edge would dynamically switch to complement the Windows 11 environment in this respect.

Analysis: What happens in testing, sometimes stays in testing

This is educated guesswork on Windows Latest’s part, but it makes sense to me. Bear in mind that not only is this early testing, but the functionality isn’t even enabled in preview yet, and only present in these flags hidden away in the background. It’s possible that nothing may come of this ultimately, but we can keep a watchful eye out for further clues.

Mica is also apparently coming to the Edge title bar, which is an opaque effect that means the bar is slightly tinted by the desktop color behind it.

While all this is commendable – if it happens – will it be enough to propel Edge forward in terms of browser share? I’m looking for bigger moves than this, and expect you will be too, although it certainly won’t hurt the chances of Microsoft’s browser.

To be fair to the software giant, some nifty bits have been brought in as part of Project Phoenix in the past, such as Edge’s split-screen feature which lets you browse two websites simultaneously, side-by-side in the browser window. Now that is a smart touch.

A further point to note here – albeit more minor – is another flag Windows Latest spotted recently in testing, namely ‘msVisualRejuvTooltips’ which likely represents a revamp of Edge tooltips. While this has since been removed, it’s still something Microsoft could return to at some point down the line.

Furthermore, Leopeva64, a source of a lot of Edge rumors and leaks on X, recently flagged up that the ‘Auto Picture in Picture’ feature in Microsoft’s browser is being removed from testing (see the below post).

All of which illustrates exactly why changes in testing need to be regarded carefully – not all of them make it through to release by any means.

Whatever happens, it’s clear Microsoft is hoping to improve Edge substantially with Project Phoenix, but I’m hoping to see some bigger pieces of that puzzle come into view this year.

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• Microsoft has been accused of using an underhand trick to drive Bing traffic
• In certain situations, searching for ‘Google’ in Bing will produce a results page that looks a lot like Google's home page
• Critics argue this might lead to people searching via Bing rather than Google without knowing

Microsoft’s been accused of using underhand tricks that push the use of the Bing search engine at the expense of Google – and the outcry has prompted a senior Google employee to speak out.

According to Windows Latest, people who searched for Google using either Edge or Chrome web browsers with Bing set as their default search engine would get a results page that looked a lot like Google's home page, rather than the usual Bing results page.

When Bing returns the search results, Microsoft has apparently made a change so that the Bing search bar – normally found at the top of the list of results – has had an image added to it, rather like a Google doodle.

This has led to some on the internet accusing Microsoft of making it look like the Google home page has loaded, and even suggesting that the web page is loaded in such a way that the ‘Microsoft Bing’ logo and bar at the very top are hidden away.

This could make users go ahead and run a search, using the Bing bar, while thinking they are using Google.

The backlash has been swift and vocal, with even a senior employee at Google weighing in.

This is a major intervention – and a surprising one at that. Parisa Tabriz is VP of Chrome at Google, and she's making some bold accusations, even going as far as to tag Microsoft. We don't often see such senior employees getting involved in accusations that (as far as we can tell) are far from substantiated.

The fact that Tabriz has commented on this, likely with senior Google staff knowing about it, suggests that Google is not happy about this. However, we shouldn't rush to judgment, and Google should be careful about amplifying accusations against a major rival (and one that Google frequently collaborates with).

Analysis: An unedifying spat

Neither Google nor Microsoft come out of this particularly well. There's no denying that the results page for 'Google' using Bing does look a lot like Google's home page (we've tried it here ourselves), and the usual Bing branding is indeed obscured as the page loads slightly scrolled down. Perhaps the most damning aspect is that this only happens when you search for 'Google'. Other searches (we tried 'hats') gives you the default Bing page.

Microsoft's past attempts to get people to use its services means many people are reluctant to give it the benefit of the doubt – but regardless of your opinion of the company, we have to bear in mind that there's no evidence that this is a deliberate ploy to trick users into using Bing over Google.

This makes Tabriz's comment all the more risky, especially as due to her position in the company, many people might assume her comments reflect the views of Google – and that opens it up to accusations of hypocrisy.

Google's rise to the top of the search engine and browser markets has led to accusations of limiting choice for users with tactics that some describe as unfair.

So, while Microsoft's motivations should definitely be interrogated, Google should also be careful about throwing too many stones from its own glass house. We've reached out to both Microsoft and Google for their responses to these accusations and we'll update this story when we hear back.

As for users who just want to search the internet in peace – this is a reminder that like most things you do on the internet, you should always make sure you're using the website or service that you trust by double-checking before you enter in any information.

Via 9 to 5 Google

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Microsoft has boldly suggested its Edge browser has been central to the AI experience for users across the world over the last 12 months.

In a blog post, the company's General Manager for Product Management and Growth at Microsoft Edge, Search and Mobile, Roger Capriotti, revealed users accessed Copilot within the Edge browser window to engage in over 10 billion generative AI chats in 2024.

Edge has also, apparently, proven instrumental in other areas, like improving accessibility with built-in translation and supporting the world of ecommerce.

Microsoft gives us Edge unwrapped: 2024

An estimated 38 trillion characters were translated using Edge’s auto-translate function in 2024, with built-in shopping features saving shoppers $400 per year on average. Furthermore, 800 million articles and stories were consumed on MSN, with 46 million messages and files shared with Drop.

Capriotti also drew attention to the browser’s performance enhancements, quantifying their usefulness by stating seven trillion megabytes of PC memory were saved by using sleeping tabs.

Security features also got a major mention for the role in preventing over 1.4 billion phishing, malware, and scam attacks on Edge and over 1.8 trillion trackers on the Edge mobile app.

However despite all this success, Edge still lags behind in the global browser market. Google Chrome accounts for two in three (67%) desktop browser sessions (via the December 2024 Statcounter figures), with Edge in a very distant second place (13%). Across all platforms, including smartphones and tablets, Edge resides in third place with a tiny 5% market share, second to Safari (17%).

The update also notes Bing reached over 140 million daily active users, however it, too, lags behind competition. Google, with a 90% market share, leads the way, with Bing taking just a 4% slice.

Looking ahead, Microsoft is hoping injecting artificial intelligence into its browser to improve its usefulness could be one way to help it boost takeup.

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• Performance improvements make Edge more efficient for low-spec PCs, reducing resource demands compared to Chrome
• Microsoft aims to enhance Edge further, benefiting users with faster browsing, especially on older hardware

Microsoft has just made some important updates to its Edge browser, making it faster, more responsive, and more efficient even if you’re using a less powerful computer. These changes are thanks to Microsoft incorporating a new system, called the WebUI 2.0 framework, which will help the browser load things like buttons, menus, and settings much more quickly.

Here’s what that means for the latest versions of Edge in Windows 11.

When you use the browser after these changes, things like the ‘Favorites’ bar and the ‘Browser Essentials’ section will open much faster. These reduced loading times are due to the new framework, with Microsoft claiming that

the ‘Favorites’ bar opens 40% faster and the ‘Browser Essentials’ loads 42% faster than before, as reported by PCWorld.

If you’re using a PC with lower specs, such as one with less RAM or with an older hard drive instead of a modern SSD, you’ll also see performance improvements. This could give people using a budget PC that may be classed as ‘lower performance’ or an older device an extra reason to consider using Edge over other browsers like Google Chrome - which has become infamous because of its high RAM demands.

Credit where credit is due for Microsoft

That’s not all the good news, as Microsoft has plans to keep improving parts of Edge by incorporating the WebUI 2.0 framework. In the next few months, you can expect to have a faster, smoother loading experience in Edge overall as Microsoft.

This will make Edge a more appealing choice, especially for everyday users and people who don’t have the most powerful PCs. As tech companies push ahead to offer novelties like AI-powered features, I want to give Microsoft credit for improvements like this that will improve the user experience of people who continue to use older or lower-end hardware.

Using fewer resources and still delivering a solid browser experience might make someone think twice about using Edge as their browser of choice. I think improvements like this are what can convince someone to convert, and hopefully a more popular Edge inspires Google’s Chrome team to also continue improving its rival browser, especially when it comes to how it uses your PC’s resources. That could lead to better browser choices overall which benefits users in the end whether they choose Edge or something else.

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• Now out in a limited beta for a select few, Copilot can browse the web in Edge
• It's entirely opt-in, but you'll be able to converse with Copilot about what you're seeing

Similar to how Windows Recall will give AI access to what’s on your screen, Microsoft’s rolling out a similar experience for Copilot in a limited preview. Originally teased alongside the redesign of Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot Vision is now rolling out as an early preview for a select few in the United States.

As the name suggests, it will let Copilot see what’s on your screen, specifically within Microsoft’s Edge browser, so it can essentially browse the web with you. This way, you can hit it with topical questions about what you’re seeing – be it an illustration, a video, type-based text, or even handwriting. And no, you won't need to type these out, but you can converse with Copilot with just your voice.

In an announcement post published by Microsoft, Copilot Vision is described as: “When you choose to enable Copilot Vision, it sees the page you’re on, it reads along with you, and you can talk through the problem you’re facing together. Browsing no longer needs to be a lonely experience with just you and all your tabs.”

It seems like it’s almost being pitched as a companion, so if you’re browsing a shopping website like Amazon or Zappos, you could potentially ask for suggestions about what you’re looking at. Moreover, though, if you're browsing restaurant reviews, you could ask if any mention a specific event – like good for anniversaries – or ask for other recommendations. Seeing how it’s built directly into Edge – if you opt-in – Microsoft seemingly hopes that it’ll be called upon quite a bit and prove to be useful.

Microsoft is also sharing three of Copilot Vision being used for shopping, planning a trip to a museum, and gaming. The latter is almost similar to Game Assist in Edge, which reduces the need to alt-tab.

Suppose you’re concerned about privacy with Copilot Vision, which may be similar to Recall, which finally launched in November in beta. In that case, you'll be happy that Microsoft is taking a better approach with this new AI feature. It’s entirely opt-in and is only currently available via Copilot Labs to a limited number of Copilot Pro subscribers in the United States.

Furthermore, in its current build, Copilot Vision is only available for a select set of websites, and it seems Microsoft will only expand on that when it deems it ready to do so. Slow and steady will be the approach for adding more subscribers and expanding the sites it works with; Microsoft explains: “We’re taking our time to gather feedback, iterate on the technology, and will expand access to more Pro subscribers and more websites over time.”

If you’re in the early beta of Copilot Vision, another win is that after the session, the associated data and the context it’s used within will be deleted. So that information does not stick around Copilot, only the response to the tools “are logged to improve our safety systems,” says Microsoft.

If you’re keen to give it a go and are a Copilot Pro subscriber in the United States, you can check via Copilot Labs to see if Copilot Vision for Edge is available as a preview for you.

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• Game Assist mode is part of the Game Bar and is now in testing
• It pops up a compact Edge panel right in your gaming session
• You can look at online tips and guides without Alt-Tabbing out of the game

Microsoft is adding a new feature to the Edge browser that could give it a distinct edge over Chrome (and other rivals), at least for PC gamers.

This is the Game Assist mode, which is now in preview (testing) with Microsoft Edge beta version 132, and it’s part of the functionality integrated into the Game Bar on Windows 11.

The basic idea is to give you access to, say, game guides or tips while you’re playing a game. So, instead of having to Alt-Tab constantly in and out of the game to look at said guide in the browser – or have the guide open on your phone, staring at a small screen – you can have it right there in your game session.

Game Assist is essentially a mini version of Edge running in the Game Bar overlay, so you can look at those hints and tips – or whatever you want – and still see the game world, and when you’re about to be attacked by a monster or something that might be similarly disastrous if you’d Alt-Tabbed out.

This gaming-centric Edge panel shares the same data as the main Edge browser on your PC, so you get access to your favorites, cookies, and so on. It’s also trimmed down and streamlined so it doesn’t sap resources, Microsoft notes – which obviously wouldn’t be helpful for gaming.

Furthermore, Game Assist is aware of what you’re playing and can surface tips or walkthroughs appropriate to that game.

Analysis: Game on!

All in all, this sounds like a great idea – providing what Microsoft says about the Game Assist feature not using too much in the way of resources holds true. Of course, as it’s in beta right now, if you do try the capability out, it’s possible that Game Assist could be wonky in any number of ways.

To begin with, the test version only supports the English language and a ‘selection’ of popular games. The initially supported PC games include Baldur’s Gate 3, Diablo IV, Fortnite, and League of Legends, among others, but no doubt more will be added as we go along – assuming Game Assist makes it out of testing.

We don’t see why it wouldn’t, as this is a pretty neat idea for gamers who don’t have a multiple-monitor setup that allows them to peruse guides or tips on a separate large screen (and not a fiddly little smartphone screen). It also avoids clumsy Alt-Tabbing, as mentioned.

If it works well, this is a feature that we could see persuading a number of PC gamers to give the browser a whirl and perhaps drive more adoption of Microsoft Edge (which is, in fact, already rated as our top pick out of the best web browsers).

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Google is finally letting the sun go down on Manifest V2 as it switches to V3, meaning that many apps reliant on V2 will no longer work - including one of the most popular ad blockers, uBlock Origin.

Manifest is part of the Google Chrome browser that governs how browser extensions function, as well as the permissions they are granted. The V3 version of Manifest is not as liberal with its permission grants, rendering many ad blockers and other extensions effectively useless.

Ad blockers have grown in popularity for users looking to speed up the performance of their browsing experience, reduce the amount of data websites collect on them, or simply get rid of clutter displayed on articles. Unfortunately, Chrome generates a hefty sum through advertising which is undercut by ad blockers.

Grin and bear it or time to switch?

uBlock Origin Lite, a barebones version of the main version, will still work with Manifest V3 but will not block every single ad. Those looking to continue using uBlock Origin may want to consider using a different web browser.

Google says the move to V3 brings additional benefits such as more capabilities, new APIs, and enhanced security.

“Manifest V3 removes the ability for an extension to use remotely hosted code, which presents security risks by allowing unreviewed code to be executed in extensions. With this change, an extension can only execute JavaScript that is included within its package and subject to review by the Chrome Web Store,” the Manifest V3 page states.

It is important to note that Manifest V3 is a change to the Chromium engine, but so far only Chrome has removed the ability to use V2, with Microsoft Edge and Opera continuing to offer V2 support with no confirmed dates for a V2 switch off.

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Some of the top browser makers around have issued a letter to the European Commission (EC) alleging that Microsoft gives the Edge browser an unfair advantage and should be subject to EU tech rules.

A letter seen by Reuters, sent by Vivaldi, Waterfox, and Wavebox, and supported by a group of web developers, also supports Opera’s move to take the EC to court over its decision to exclude Microsoft Edge from being subject to the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Edge’s exclusion from the DMA means that it is not subjected to the same rules as other browsers, which includes restrictions aimed at making it easier for consumers to choose a service best suited to them.

Edging out the market

The letter, sent on September 17, stated, “It is paramount that the Commission reconsiders its position. Unfair practices are currently allowed to persist on the Windows' ecosystem with respect to Edge, unmitigated by the choice screens that exist on mobile.”

As Edge comes pre-installed by default on Windows machines, users must navigate the Microsoft offering in order to download their browser of choice. The letter states that, “No platform independent browser can aspire to match Edge's unparalleled distribution advantage on Windows. Edge is, moreover, the most important gateway for consumers to download an independent browser on Windows PCs.”

The authors also alleged that Edge, which accounts for just over 5% of the browser market share, mischaracterizes features of rival browsers in pop-up messages to users. However a EC decision in February deemed that Edge was not a “gatekeeper” and that Microsoft should ensure that users can uninstall Edge, alongside any other software.

TechRadar Pro reached out to The European Commission and Microsoft, but neither offered a comment on the letter.

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Microsoft Edge has steadily been seeing improvements over the course of the year, and a fresh innovation in testing promises to boost the performance of the browser. It does so by keeping a close eye out for any misbehaving extensions which are consuming too much in the way of resources.

Neowin spotted the introduction of the feature called ‘extension performance detector’ in Edge (Canary v130, meaning an early test version), which warns you if any browser extensions are slowing down Edge repeatedly over time.

The notification that pops up as a warning when this happens tells you how much slowdown your browser extensions are causing, and breaks down the impact of each extension, with the worst offenders at the top. You can hit a button to turn off any of these extensions right there and then to improve your browser’s performance.

Extensions can be really useful - but they can also carry potential pitfalls

For the uninitiated, browser extensions are compact add-ons installed in Edge (or other browsers) that add extra features. For example, they can instantly translate the contents of a web page, or read a page out aloud to you. 

While such add-ons can deliver powerful bits of extra functionality in a convenient way, some extensions can malfunction and potentially drag down your browser’s performance, or worse still, perhaps the overall performance of your device. 

Right now, as noted, this feature is only available in the Canary build of Edge (where it can be enabled using a flag). It’s likely to be unstable in its current experimental form, but hopefully, Microsoft will iron out any problems, and the extension performance detector tool will come to the full release of Edge eventually.

I’m looking forward to this capability arriving in the stable version of Edge, as extensions can certainly mess with your browser’s performance in some cases, and sometimes without you even realizing that it’s an extension that’s causing the trouble. So, a feature that keeps a constant lookout for such misfiring extensions is going to be worth its weight in gold.

Microsoft has made a number of improvements to Edge throughout 2024, including other work to boost performance of the browser, and to better organize and streamline Edge’s Settings page, which is a rather sprawling mess these days.

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Microsoft is planning to streamline its Edge browser considerably when it comes to the configuration of the app.

Windows Latest noticed that the official roadmap website for Microsoft 365 now has an update for Edge which informs us that the Settings for the browser are going to be revamped to be more organized.

In the roadmap entry titled ‘Microsoft Edge: Elevating top settings and improving settings page navigability,’ the software giant explains what streamlining measures are being enacted, and that the rollout of these changes is expected to begin in October 2024.

The first step Microsoft is taking is a new quick access panel on the landing page for Edge Settings. This will provide one-click shortcuts to the most commonly used actions front and center in the menu that first greets you when you access Settings.

Secondly, when you dive into a submenu in Settings – such as System and Performance, or Appearance – this will also have the same one-click shortcuts for the options that are most often used.

And finally, Microsoft plans to break up the long lists of options you drill down into in Settings to make them smaller subsections, similar to a table of contents in a book.

Analysis: A move in the right direction

All of this aims to make hunting around to change things in Edge much easier, and it seems like a sound plan to us. Navigating Settings can be a painful task at times, and having shortcuts to all your most-used options right there upfront will be very handy. No, it’s not a move that’ll suddenly make Edge more popular than Chrome, but it’ll help (and Edge is actually a good product already – it’s top of our best web browser list, after all).

Note that there are no changes being made in terms of the actual functionality of the settings in Edge here – it’s a reorganization of how they are presented, with a large helping of handy one-click shortcuts thrown in.

In some ways, this is taking a leaf out of Chrome’s book, as Google’s browser has generally tighter organization when it comes to Settings (and even in its more cluttered parts, Chrome is certainly no worse than Edge).

Further note that while the rollout is kicking off in October, Microsoft is referring to the initial stages of testing the revamped Settings panel. It could be some time before work progresses through testing and on to the release version of Edge, of course – and some work in preview never sees the light of day. Mind you, we’ve a feeling this will make the cut, as Edge could use a boost in the organization of its options.

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In its latest push to increase the adoption of Edge, Microsoft is apparently increasingly arketing the browser to users of its Defender security suite in a move that has drawn criticism for blurring the line between advising and advertising.

The user interface design choice has been slated for deceptively steering users towards installing Microsoft’s in-house browser by promoting a feature called ‘In-browser protection with Microsoft Edge for Business.’

The tool is designed to help administrators separate personal and business browsing profiles in order to keep confidential company information secure.

Microsoft accused of deceptively enticing customers to Edge

Although the tool, which offers protection similar to a reverse proxy, can be a useful control for companies, the way Microsoft has gone about pushing it has sparked online debate. The prompt appears as a security recommendation rather than clearly being identified as an advertisement.

Chrome currently accounts for around 65% of all browser sessions on desktops, compared with just 14% for Edge. Still, Edge has the edge over Safari, which only accounts for around 9% of the desktop browser market (according to Statcounter), with Firefox and Opera rounding up the top five.

When asked about the criticism, a Microsoft spokesperson emphasized (via The Register) that administrators have full control over the experience and can disable the feature if desired.

However, this isn’t the first time that Microsoft has faced scrutiny over its Edge marketing tactics. Earlier this year, Mozilla published a report criticizing the company for using dark patterns to push users towards Edge, highlighting examples of targeted Edge ads on Google’s website.

More broadly, Microsoft has also been struggling with the adoption of its latest operating system. Windows 11 finally broke the 30% market share last month, but still accounts for fewer than one in three instances of Windows OS. Windows 10 accounts for a sliver under 65%.

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Discovering how to mute a tab is vital if you don’t want to be plagued by loud, unexpected video ads on websites. 

All popular web browsers let you control the audio of individual tabs for more customized browsing. Whether for work or listening to music/podcasts without disturbance, muting a tab is handy for a distraction-free browsing environment. 

In this guide, we’ll show you how to mute tabs on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. And if you want to optimize your browsing experience further, consider our roundup of the best ad blockers. 

Steps for how to mute a tab

• Mute site on Chrome: right-click the tab then click Mute Site. 
• Mute tab on Chrome: Add Tab Muter extension, then click the mute icon. 
• Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari: click the speaker icon on the tab to mute it.

Step by step guide to mute a tab

As of May 2024, Google Chrome has an option to mute sites, but not to mute tabs. To demonstrate how to mute tabs on Chrome, we’ve used the Tab Muter extension, but you could select a different one. 

Final thoughts

Muting tabs goes a long way in creating a more focused and interruption-free browsing experience. And with the steps outlined above, you can conveniently mute Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Safari tabs.  

Looking for more tips to optimize your browsing experience? Learn how to get Firefox dark mode, how to view and clear your web browsing history in Safari, and how to use profiles in Chrome.

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‘Draft with Copilot’ is an AI-powered feature introduced to Edge relatively recently, with the web browser being one of the first avenues where Microsoft pushed its Copilot AI assistant, and soon, it could be getting a minor upgrade.

Trusted watcher of all things browser-related, Leopeva64, spotted the new development and highlighted it on X, sharing some screenshots (and animated GIFs) of the new ‘Draft with Copilot’ ability which is part of an Edge Canary preview build.

As you might guess, the feature enlists the help of the AI to craft some text for you, and the addition here is that it’s now available when you right-click an empty text field in Edge. When you fire up ‘Draft with Copilot’ in such an empty field, it opens a window for the AI assistant, and here you can enter the subject that you’d like Copilot to compose some text about.

You can then click ‘Generate’ and watch Copilot work its magic as the AI whips up a piece of text on the topic you chose. When Copilot has provided its offering, you can subsequently modify the tone and length of Copilot’s text to better fit your purpose, or just play around with possible tweaks.

Right now, the feature is only supported in US English in the Edge browser, but in time, I’d expect this will open up to further languages.

The second GIF that Leopeva64 posted shows an interesting twist to the new update. Seemingly when you right-click on an editable text field with text already in it, the ‘Draft with Copilot’ option is not available. While this could change during testing, presumably it’s this way because there’s already text present, so you wouldn’t want to be drafting something from scratch.

Copilot as a co-author

MS Power User, which spotted this development, points out that the concept is similar to Google Chrome’s ‘Help Me Write’ feature, and I’d agree.

Microsoft has previously written a blog post about Copilot’s creative composition abilities when working with text fields, describing how you can use the AI to “quickly generate well-written text to use as input text in text boxes” and further noting: “Using Copilot saves time because you won’t have to worry about creating text that meets grammar rules. Copilot is especially helpful for users who are using apps that aren’t in their native language.”

One thing to consider carefully is the quality of the text that Copilot produces. Critics of AI-generated text in general complain that it can seem very generic and read in a toneless, bland, way - and that could be a problem if you’re going for something to try and grab the attention of readers.

Still, the particular implementation here is more about knocking up something concise in swift order, right there in the browser, and Copilot is likely to do a more serviceable job in that respect, or what it generates could work as a useful jumping-off point that you can expand on - or it’ll give you some further ideas.

Whatever the case, Copilot is slowly making its way into different corners of more Windows apps, including Edge, that much is clear.

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Microsoft is seemingly going backwards with Copilot in Windows 11, and things certainly don’t look great in testing for the AI assistant right now.

Windows Latest spearheads a complaint – echoed elsewhere by other denizens of various forums and social media outlets – that the latest incarnation of Copilot sees Microsoft ‘downgrading’ the AI to a “Microsoft Edge-based web wrapper” (we’ll come back to that point shortly).

To take a step back for a moment, this is all part of Microsoft’s recent move – announced in May 2024, and implemented in June – to switch Copilot from being an assistant anchored to a side panel (on the right) to a full app experience (a window you can move around the desktop, resize and so on, like a normal app basically).

As Windows Latest points out, in the latest update for Windows 11 (in testing), changes that are rolling out to some users turn Copilot into a basic web app – although in fact, Copilot has always been a web app (even when in its previous incarnation as a locked side panel, before the standalone app idea came about).

What the tech site is really complaining about is how basic and transparent Copilot’s nature really is in this freshly deployed take. This means the Copilot window shows Edge menus and options, and just opens copilot.microsoft.com in an Edge tab – and you can even open any old website in the Copilot app with a bit of fudging and a few clicks here and there. And all that feels rather disappointing and basic, of course.

Analysis: Strip it back, then build it up

We get the criticism here, although as noted, all that’s really happening is that Copilot is being more obviously exposed for what it is – a simple web app that basically just pipes you through to the same AI chatbot experience you get with the Copilot website.

However, there is a twist here - namely that the extra options Copilot offered for manipulating Windows 11 settings in some respects (in the pre-standalone app days) have reportedly been ditched. Not that these abilities were any great shakes to begin with – they’ve always been fairly limited – but still, it does feel like a step back to see them vanish.

Ultimately, this leaves the new Copilot experience in Windows 11 feeling very disjointed and not at all well integrated into the OS – just slapped on top, really. However, we do have to remember that this is still in testing.

Stripping features back in preview can be expected – even if it isn’t a pretty sight right now, presumably Microsoft is going to build it back up, make the new Copilot app more seamless, and reintroduce those powers related to Windows settings. In fact, we’d be shocked if that didn’t happen…

Unless Microsoft does have plans to make Copilot a more basic entity in Windows 11, but that seems very unlikely unless many more future AI powers are going to be forked off exclusively for Copilot+ PCs, perhaps (like Recall – which is another controversial topic in itself).

Time will tell, but eventually, we expect Copilot to become a more well-rounded and seamless app, and crucially, when powerful NPUs become more widespread, the AI assistant will be able to perform a good deal more AI workloads on-device (rather than hooking up to the cloud to get the necessary processing power). That’s when a more fully-fledged app with greater powers to operate locally will likely become a reality.

In its current format, though, which has always been pretty basic, Copilot in Windows 11 doesn’t really need to be any more than a simple web wrapper.

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Microsoft is forging onwards with its mission to pack the Edge browser full of AI features, and the newest innovation allows you to generate your own themes for the browser, letting you express yourself more with the app.

The Theme Generator (previously spotted in a leak) uses generative AI to create themes such as, looking at the examples picked out in Microsoft’s blog post, summer landscapes or a ‘fantasy football season with your very own custom image to represent your team.’ The color of the browser frame can also be changed to match the theme, which is a nice extra touch in terms of a uniform overall look.

You can visit the AI Theme Generator website right now and have a look at some of the examples of what to expect from the feature, which to be honest do look pretty stunning. In fact, some of the examples kind of look like my own Google Chrome layout!

Creating your own theme is as easy as visiting the site and typing in a description of the theme you’re after - the AI will then take over and hopefully concoct something suitable to fit your vision.

AI pepping up screenshots, too?

Want more AI in Edge other than this new theme creation feature? Well, you could be in luck, at least if clues spotted in the browser by Windows Latest are anything to go by.

In case you weren’t aware, Edge has a screenshot function, and it seems that Microsoft is mulling the idea of tying it in with Copilot somehow.

The theory is based on Windows Latest’s discovery of a feature hidden in a recent test build of Edge (in the Canary channel), namely: ‘msEdgeWebCaptureAskCopilotMenu.’

This functionality doesn’t work yet, but Windows Latest guesses that it could point to an ‘Ask Copilot’ option appearing in the window that pops up after you’ve captured a grab with Edge. Or it could simply send a screenshot that’s just been taken directly to Copilot in the browser’s sidebar, running a query on it.

The smart money is on one of those handy shortcuts, although of course because this isn’t even working in preview versions of Edge yet, it may never actually happen. However, given Microsoft’s big push to jam in as much AI as possible – to Edge, and Windows 11 in general – it wouldn’t be a surprise to see this feature inbound soon enough.

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As Windows 11 users are becoming accustomed to more ads in key places of the operating system, Microsoft is seemingly experimenting with adding yet another advert covertly presented as a recommendation. This time the software giant is trying out having PC Manager suggest that you 'repair' your system by reverting to Microsoft's default search engine, Bing.

PC Manager is a Microsoft utility available in some regions that enables you to get a handle on system storage management and file management, and it can help optimize your PC's performance. Generally speaking, it's considered a pretty good app, but as with a lot of its products, that's not enough for Microsoft - it's also increasingly in the business of turning various products and features into ad vehicles (especially if they’re free!). 

Windows 11 has already seen ads introduced in parts of the interface like File Explorer, the Settings app, and, most recently, the Start menu. That roster is being expanded, as Windows Latest discovered, to include PC Manager, which recently got the addition of a 'Repair Tips' section and a Files Cleanup feature (which can detect duplicate files and more besides).

Looking for potential repairs? Microsoft has a suggestion

The advert was discovered when Windows Latest checked out the new 'Repair Tips' section of the PC Manager app, which suggested that the PC be 'repaired' by switching the default search engine back to Bing (which is the Windows pre-installed default) from Google Search (or whatever other browser is set as default). 

People who use Windows have picked up on Microsoft's persistence when it comes to ads, for example the 'promoted' third-party ads beginning to show up in the Start menu's 'Recommended' section. The suggestion that switching back to Bing is a ‘repair’ is a new low, though, as it’s effectively implying that using another search engine is actually a fault with your PC, in a way. Switching to Bing search is not going to improve your PC’s performance, is it? Hardly.

As Windows Latest reports, the PC Manager app was developed by Microsoft engineers in China, and it’s possible that the company may drop odd manner to push Bing if the software is rolled out more broadly elsewhere - it may come to the US eventually.

Letting Edge, Bing, and PC Manager stand on their own merits

From what we've seen so far, aside from this advertising push that's been witnessed across Windows 11 more broadly, PC Manager looks like a good app to help you better manage your PC's resources and files, and Windows Latest recommends it as a seemingly secure performance-boosting app. This makes sense as it's developed by Microsoft itself, which has an interest in ensuring that its apps are as secure as they can be. 

Microsoft Edge, the default browser pre-installed on Windows machines, and Bing Search aren't bad products by any means - they are solid alternatives to Google's own Chrome and Search. Edge has recently seen a whole host of new useful features like a sidebar, sleeping tabs, and an immersive reader. That said, there are parts of the browser that some people consider 'bloatware' and unnecessary clutter. For example, some folks don't currently see much purpose in using Microsoft's AI assistant, Copilot, which is integrated into Edge. 

Bing Search and Edge have enough of their own merits to be considered viable alternatives to the industry leaders, and I know personally that this kind of repeated prodding doesn't convince me to try them. If anything, it can push people away, and tech companies would do well to remember that what wins people's minds are products that work well. It’s as simple as that - let the product speak for itself, and the user base will grow.

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Microsoft Edge, the pre-installed default browser for Windows devices, could be getting a new AI-powered capability that will enable you to create custom browser themes. This might be the next step in Edge’s AI evolution, with the browser already having Copilot, Microsoft’s AI assistant, integrated into its user interface. This development will affect Microsoft Edge in both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

As highlighted by Windows Latest, the revelation comes courtesy of a section in the Microsoft 365 roadmap titled ‘Microsoft Edge: AI theme generator,’ which explains how the new feature will allow you to enter a text prompt and generate a series of images to preview as potential Edge themes. If you choose one of these images to apply, it will become the background in newly opened tab pages, and the dominant color in the image will be applied to the browser’s frame. 

Currently, Edge only supports Windows 10’s and Windows 11’s default themes (dark or light) and other built-in themes. While there are more themes available for download in Microsoft’s Edge Add-Ons store (in the Themes section), the AI-generated theme feature will allow you to whip up a theme that’s unique to your PC. 

An AI image generation tool already exists within Edge in the form of Copilot’s image generator feature that’s powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 tech. Microsoft’s classic Paint app has also got an AI tune-up, with its own image generator named Image Creator (formerly Cocreator).

One catch with these, though, is that they produce images with a 1,024 x 1,024 resolution. With Edge, though, the resolution will be ramped up to cater for creating backgrounds that will be displayed sharply and clearly on 1080p (1,920 x 1,080) or higher resolution monitors.

Edge could also get ‘clutter-free’ printing

Windows Latest further observes that Microsoft is also testing a ‘clutter-free’ printing feature in Edge, with the reference ‘ClutterFreePrinting’ found in a test build of the browser (from the Canary channel).

This feature appears in the Edge interface as a ‘Smart Print’ toggle, and when used it automatically removes ads from the page you’re trying to print, leaving only the main contents of the page. Windows Latest gave this a go and didn’t have much luck, trying the tool on a page with no adverts (from Wikipedia) and a page with ads (from its own site). The former resulted in the site’s structure being jumbled, and the latter cut out all the images on the site, whether an ad or relevant to the article. Of course, the tool is still being tested and Microsoft is still working on it, so it’ll doubtless be improved by the time it’s included in a future Edge update. 

The AI theme generation feature is kind of neat, I suppose, but it’s not totally necessary and I don’t know how much it’ll meaningfully improve the core Edge user experience. Still, it might be fun to try, and a way of adding more visual customization to your software. On the other hand, there are people out there who will likely feel it’s about capitalizing on AI hype by sticking this functionality in everywhere possible, whether there’s a substantial benefit or not. 

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Windows 11’s Share menu is getting a new feature - the ability to share links as QR codes that a smartphone or other suitable device can scan (you can check out our guides on how to scan QR codes with an iPhone or with an Android).

The Share menu isn’t the most widely used, especially outside of Microsoft’s own apps and services, but Microsoft looks like it’s hoping to boost its popularity by making the sharing of web pages more seamless, especially across different devices. 

This feature is part of a new preview version, Windows 11 build 26212, available to Windows Insiders through the Canary Channel. The build saw the introduction of a button that generates a QR code within the Share menu dialog box, which will apply to Microsoft Edge and other supported apps. People can generate QR codes for URL addresses and cloud files in the Windows 11 Share menu, which is opened in most apps by clicking the share button in the app’s toolbar.

Once you have the preview build installed and you follow the process to generate a QR code, you can then open the Camera app or dedicated QR scanner on your device, and hold it up to the screen. 

More about the new Share window

Writing in a blog post publicizing the development, Microsoft explains that the Share menu will not close if you accidentally (or deliberately) click outside of it. To close it, you’ll have to click the close button in the top right corner.

There’s also an added provision if you use your Gmail address for your Microsoft Account: you can send yourself an email from the share window and receive it in your Gmail inbox (instead of just Outlook/Hotmail accounts).

A similar process already exists in Windows 11 for people who have Phone Link set up on multiple devices. These users can send a link via the Share menu, but this development makes it even easier to share things across devices as you don’t have to log in or set up anything after installing the preview build. 

We’ll have to see if this makes the Share menu more popular with users, as most people are used to the clipboard functions in Windows for moving information from one place to another, or they just save the data to the device they’re currently using to retrieve when they need it.

This development isn’t a dramatically big change, which means it can be easy to adopt, but also easy to miss. It’s also still in the testing stage, so we’ll have to wait and see if and when Microsoft chooses to fully adopt it in a future Windows 11 update.

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If you’re running an unactivated version of Windows 11 (or Windows 10), your access to Microsoft Edge’s settings might be restricted in the future. This is already the case when it comes to things like Personalization settings for Windows 11 in an unactivated installation, as well as constant reminders prompting you to activate the OS.

If you don’t mind those constraints and plentiful reminders, you can install and run Windows 11 and Windows 10 without activation for free.

However, it seems like Microsoft has added multiple flags in testing that allow for blocking certain browser capabilities in an Edge preview build - if you’re using Windows 11 (or Windows 10) and it’s unactivated. The three flags in question in Edge spotted by Windows Latest are:

• msEdgeActivatedStateCheckAndUpdate
• msEdgeNonActivatedOSTrigger
• msEdgeLockSettingsInNonActivatedOS

Looking to see the effects of each of these flags being enabled, Windows Latest tried running the Edge Canary test build with one flag enabled at a time. Windows Latest turned on the ‘msEdgeLockSettingsInNonActivatedOS’ flag successfully, which resulted in some of Edge’s settings being locked. Then, when Edge’s settings page was opened, it displayed a banner that stated:

“We notice your Windows is not activated, some customization has been limited.”

Pushing further, Windows Latest explored other parts of Edge settings and also discovered that the ‘When Edge starts’ panel (which allows for configuration of what happens when the browser launches) was blocked due to Windows 11 not being activated.

An unwise move?

This is an interesting strategy that doesn’t entirely make sense to me, because as Windows Latest points out, the policy seemingly only targets Windows - Edge users on Mac devices and mobiles don’t see this kind of interference. That makes me think, well, Microsoft is mulling this move simply because it can, and if you want Windows enough to install it, then you want the OS enough to tolerate measures like this. 

Considering how clearly desperate Microsoft is for more people to use Edge, having instigated multiple instances of aggressively pushing users to make Edge their browser of choice, this strategy is even more puzzling since it could drive people away (having finally gotten what Microsoft wants, apparently!).

If you want to continue using Windows unactivated, you could just switch to Chrome, Firefox, or another of the best web browsers that doesn’t have these restrictions. It’s worth remembering that this development is still in the early testing stages, though, and hopefully won’t make it to the final version rollout - but I wouldn’t put it past Microsoft. 

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Microsoft seems intent on making ads disguised as recommendations a fact of life in Windows 11, and the tech giant has apparently begun testing promotional recommendation pages that take up your whole screen, urging users to install Edge and other services - similar to the page you see when you first set up your device or install Windows 11.

Thinking back, I recall a few times when this screen appeared on my own Windows 11 PC after an update, and it caught me off guard as my PC is already set up to my liking. Like myself, some users would be greeted with “Let’s finish setting up your PC” automatically after a Windows Update had been installed. Before this, this sort of notification might appear if you bought a PC and set it up for the first time, but now it looks like anyone already up and running could also see it. 

A breakdown of the new notification in Windows 11

The new notification screens were spotted by Windows Latest following Microsoft’s monthly Patch Tuesday update in April 2024. As shown in a screenshot provided in Windows Latest’s report, the notification screen explains that the ‘set-up’ process will involve backing up your files using OneDrive, restoring “Microsoft recommended settings” (read: setting Edge as your default browser), backing up your phone on your PC, setting up Windows Hello, as well as getting a Microsoft 365 subscription, and turning on Phone Link between your phone and PC.

You are then given two options, neither of which is to opt out of the notification if you’re not interested. You can choose to “Continue” or select “Remind me in 3 days,” and the pop-ups will eventually return. Windows Latest tried the ‘Continue’ option, which led to a “Let’s customize your experience” page which prompts users to customize their Start menu’s ‘Recommended’ section. As shown in a provided screenshot, users would be given some control over the apps that appear in this section. 

If you decide not to make any adjustments you’ll be guided to a page with the heading “Use recommended browser settings.” The top option, not by coincidence, is Microsoft Edge - Windows 11’s default browser. This is accompanied by Bing as the default search engine, which again no surprise. Enabling these also pins the Edge icon to the taskbar and creates a desktop icon (if you’ve removed these). Luckily, if you’re not interested in using Microsoft’s web browser and search engine, you can click on “Don’t update your settings,” (which sounds like you’re getting left behind), and you can keep your previous settings. 

A closer look at Microsoft's promotional tactics

This isn’t the first of Microsoft’s heavy-handed attempts to get people to use its software and services, and not the first to be met with distaste from users. As Windows Latest points out, Edge already comes preinstalled, and it’s difficult to remove for users running Windows 11 outside of Europe. 

If you make it through all of these option screens and have any patience left, you’ll be met with more promotional pages for other Microsoft services, like the offer to try Microsoft 365 Family with a free trial. You could forgo this and subscribe to Microsoft 365 Basic, which includes ad-free OneDrive and Outlook, along with 100GB of cloud storage. In the screenshot that Windows Latest includes, no prices are stated - just a ‘Continue’ button. After this page, users are urged to set up Microsoft’s Phone Link app, which works in a similar way to Apple’s AirDrop feature, and allows you to access data on a linked Android phone on your PC.

Each page does at least have an option to skip that particular step and finish the PC setup process, but this is strange wording, because as I mentioned earlier when I saw the notification, and as Windows Latest stated while documenting this process, our PCs were already set up to our liking.

This has been happening in parallel with Microsoft adding ads disguised as recommendations in the Start menu and experimenting with adding Xbox Game Pass ads on the Settings page. I don’t like this direction for Microsoft, and if it’s not careful, it could end up annoying users rather than encouraging them to try out the software.  We live in a time when people’s attention spans can be short, but frustrations and annoyance can live in people’s minds for a pretty long time. 

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Edge, Microsoft’s default web browser in Windows 11, is getting new text editing capabilities, including Copilot-assisted rewriting, improved clipboard functionality, and support for handwritten text in forms and web pages via a stylus. 

Windows Copilot is the AI assistant that Microsoft has been busy integrating into Windows 11 and various other products, including Microsoft Edge. It was presented as eventually being able to help you with any task on your device, and while it still looks like there’s a way to go before Copilot lives up to that lofty ambition, it is getting there. 

The new feature, AI Compose, will make rewrite suggestions for text selected by users in editable parts of a web page and can assist writers with possible phrasing improvements and pointers on sentence structure. It’ll also allow users to change the text suggestions’ tone, format, or length.

MSPowerUser compares the new functionality to the popular AI-powered writing assistance tool Grammarly. Apparently, this update will make Copilot more competitive with Google’s large language model and AI assistant project, Gemini, which is rumored to bring similar features to Google’s rival Chrome web browser. 

Adding support in for digital pens and more

Edge will also get support for digital pen writing that will let users write in web pages’ input fields directly, turning their handwriting into text. Microsoft also describes in a blog post that users will be able to make use of Windows Ink support in Edge to do the following with digital pens:  

• Enter text by writing with a pen in or near an input field 
• Delete text by scribbling over words to delete them
• Add or remove spaces by drawing vertical lines in the text
• Add line breaks by drawing horizontal lines

Other text-related updates that are coming to Edge include a new EditContext API tool for web developers that’s intended to simplify the process of creating custom text editors, an enhanced copy-and-paste function that allows users to copy and paste formatted rich HTML content more reliably, and more control for web developers over Edge’s text prediction function. 

I think this certainly has the potential to be a very helpful addition to Edge, because as Microsoft itself points out, a lot of the web’s success in general is due to its form submission and text editing capabilities. Microsoft has also stated that it would like feedback to improve the feature if needed, and this is a feature where it could take the initiative and actively encourage users to try the feature.

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Windows 11 is going to see a lot more of Copilot in the future – that’s pretty obviously the line Microsoft is taking with its desktop-based assistant – and there’s fresh evidence of the AI creeping into more corners of the OS.

Firstly, we have a sighting of a new wallpaper, which came yesterday, when a couple of inbound laptops with the promising Snapdragon X Elite CPU were leaked. Both of those Lenovo notebooks had a Copilot-themed wallpaper on the desktop, so it’s a safe assumption that Microsoft has an official new background for the AI in the pipeline.

As Windows Latest observes, this is actually a traditional ‘bloom’ wallpaper, except Microsoft has redone the image in the Copilot colors (mirroring the Copilot button in the taskbar).

The tech site also points out other ways in which Copilot is creeping into Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge. For example, in the Edge browser, as highlighted by leaker Leopeva64, there’s now a bar of options pertaining to the AI when you open the Settings panel.

This bar contains suggestions for how you might use Copilot, allowing you to get advice on security settings for example, or managing your passwords in the browser. These suggestions change depending on what section of Edge’s settings you’re in, by the way, making them more relevant to what you might be looking to do.

Note that this idea is just in testing right now, and in the Canary channel to boot (the earliest test avenue).

Another ability brought in for Copilot in Edge (again, in the Canary channel) is an expanded Ask Copilot context menu. This means that when you select a section of text in a web page, there are new options for directly interacting with Copilot in this menu.

As Windows Latest explains, these choices are: Explain, Summarize, Expand, and Ask anything in Chat.

The last option acts like the current incarnation of Ask Copilot – it just fires up the AI’s panel with a query on the selected text.

With the new options, however, Explain prompts Copilot to do just that – offer an explanation of the text – and Summarize provides a summary, as you’d expect. In a similar vein, Expand goes the other way, furnishing you with extra facts or information about the selected text.

Again with Edge, Leopeva64 also spotted that AI is going to be integrated into the browser’s ‘Magnify Image’ option, with a button spotted that offers to ‘AI Enhance’ the image after it’s been blown up. This is in very early testing, though, and the button doesn’t yet do anything at all.

Another recent addition Windows Latest flagged up is ‘Circle to Copilot’ in Edge in Windows 11 (and iOS), allowing you to literally draw a circle around something to activate a Copilot query about the highlighted item.

All this comes on top of a recent move in the Beta channel of Windows 11 previews, trying out a new way of highlighting that Copilot can help with something – by animating the taskbar button for the AI when this is the case. New options have also been added to the menu that appears when you hover over the Copilot button, too, expanding that further.

Analysis: Making Copilot a more visible presence

All of this is still to come, we should note – these are changes in testing for Windows 11 or its Edge browser, and in the case of the wallpaper, a glimpse of what’s very likely to come.

Indeed, that Copilot background will likely be the default wallpaper for AI PCs starting with Snapdragon X Elite-powered laptops that launch in June. (Not forgetting Microsoft’s own Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, the consumer spins on which will land then, and may have a custom version of the Elite SoC inside).

Overall, though, it’s clear that Microsoft is pushing forward with expanding Copilot’s capabilities, and sussing out ways in which the AI can be made more visible on the desktop. Whether that’s about an animation for the taskbar button (effectively declaring “It’s-a-me, Copilot, I can help with that”), or a fancy desktop wallpaper that could be a permanent reminder of the AI, if you fall for the color scheme (which does look quite funky, to be fair).

We’d be surprised if most of these tested changes didn’t come to fruition, frankly, and as noted, there’s a theme of Microsoft increasingly pushing Copilot which comes as no surprise.

The big rumored addition on the horizon is, of course, AI Explorer – but that feature (supposedly debuting in the Windows 11 24H2 update) may have an unexpected twist in its initial incarnation that’s a bit of a shocker. (Spoiler alert: If you don’t have an ARM CPU like the aforementioned Snapdragon, then you can forget it – Intel and AMD-powered PCs might be left out in the cold).

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Users with an unactivated version of Windows 11 (or Windows 10) may need to start considering activating their operating system - as it looks like Microsoft could start cracking down again, starting with the Edge web browser.

According to Windows Report, the change is currently contained to Edge Canary, a build of Edge that Windows Insiders have access to to try out and test potential upcoming changes, and it seems Insiders have spotted a lockdown on Microsoft Edge settings. 

The browser is still likely to work on unactivated Windows, and normally you can use Windows 10 and 11 without having to activate your license key - but with limitations. People using unactivated Windows are likely to have a prompt to activate pop up often in their settings and have limitations with their personalization options. 

While this is inconvenient, it does at least allow people to use their machines without activating Windows 10 or 11 - a far cry from previous Windows releases which would not let you install the operating system without a valid product key. However, if this change to how Edge runs does make it past the Insiders stage of development you may find all your settings regarding Microsoft Edge locked entirely, presumably until you activate your version of Windows. 

Cruel but fair? 

Why would Microsoft want to take such a harsh approach to getting people to activate their operating system? Without activation, you are very likely to miss out on security updates, protect yourself from viruses and cyber threats, and be bothered consistently by pop-ups. Activation also proves that you paid for that version of Windows and that it is legitimate.

With all the new AI advancements stuffed into Microsoft Edge, there are probably a lot more people using Edge now than before, and this could just be a good opportunity to force as many people as possible to activate their Windows by threatening to tamper with their newly boosted, feature-filled web browser. 

I can appreciate why the tech giant would want to prompt people to make their devices more secure by activating them, while also making sure people aren’t using pirated or ‘cracked’ versions of its software. 

Hopefully, if we do see this development make it out to a public release Microsoft will give users time to activate their operating systems, rather than just taking everything away first and expecting users to figure it out later. 

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Everyone’s familiar with the paranoia around having a web browser active, and how much RAM it might eat – particularly with lots of tabs running – but Microsoft has had a bright idea to help ease those fears with its Edge browser.

As regular leaker on X (formerly Twitter) Leopeva64 discovered, in the earliest test version of Edge (Canary), Microsoft has introduced a feature that allows users to specify how much RAM the web browser can use.

Known as ‘Resource controls’ this means that if you have, say, 8GB of RAM on your laptop, and you don’t ever want Edge using more than half of that, you could set a limit of 4GB.

There’s a toggle to turn this feature on or off, and a slider that allows you to easily select the amount of RAM that is available to Edge (from 1GB through to all your RAM).

Microsoft has implemented a couple of further options here, too, so you can specify whether this limit is active all the time, or if you only want the RAM restriction enforced when you’re playing a game (and need the memory resources more urgently).

RAM risk balancing

This is a nifty idea, but as is usually the case with this kind of performance tweak, there’s a flipside to the equation. Meaning that if you place a strict RAM limit on Edge, you might find the browser slows down a lot, or even starts to run like it’s in molasses if you have lots of Edge windows and tabs open.

Active tabs still need memory (as do sleeping ones, albeit far less) whichever way you dice it, so bear that in mind – if you make it so Edge’s workload exceeds the RAM limit, expect your browsing experience to start becoming very sluggish.

Still, the ability is definitely a welcome one, and particularly the gaming option – you won’t really be bothering with your browser if you’re playing a game anyway, not most of the time. (Save for the odd brief trip out of the game and back to the desktop to look at walkthroughs or other help sources, perhaps).

As ever with changes in testing, the functionality may not make the cut for the final version of Edge. Indeed, in this case it’s just on a limited (phased) rollout in the earliest test channel, so there’s quite a long road ahead, potentially.

We’re hoping this RAM limiter does make it through to Edge’s stable version, though, and more to the point, that Google might see the wisdom here and be inspired (ahem) to bring a similar take on resource management in with Chrome.

Via The Verge

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Microsoft Edge was vulnerable to a unique flaw that allowed threat actors to install malicious extensions on the browser, without the victim’s knowledge, or consent. This could lead to a wide array of security incidents, as extensions can grab screenshots, store sensitive user data, and more.

The good news is that the flaw was discovered last year, and patched earlier this year - so if you’re using Edge, chances are you’re already protected against this vulnerability.

As per a report on The Hacker News, security researchers from Guardio Labs discovered a privilege escalation flaw, which is now tracked as CVE-2024-21388. It carries a severity score of 6.5, and revolves around the fact that Edge was designed to have privileged access to some private APIs. This access makes it possible for the browser to install add-ons in the background, as long as they’re from the vendor’s extensions store.

Abusing legitimate APIs

One of the APIs is called edgeMarketingPagePrivate which can, among other things, install themes from the Edge Add-ons store. In theory, threat actors could trick this API to install a malicious extension instead of a theme.

The process would look like this: a threat actor would first need to create a seemingly benign add-on for Edge, which would inject malicious JavaScript code on a site that allows access to the API (for example, bing[.]com). This JavaScript would, consequently, trigger the installation of the malicious add-on, in complete silence.

The edgeMarketingPagePrivate API was initially intended for marketing purposes, Guardio Labs’ researchers said.

Speaking to the publication, Guardio’s researchers said that they found no evidence of the flaw being abused in the wild, but added that browser makers need to find a delicate balance between user experience and security. Browser customization, they warned, can inadvertently defeat security mechanisms and introduce new attack vectors, they concluded.

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