- Microsoft is testing a new banner message in Edge
- Its goal is to prevent people from downloading Google Chrome
- Message highlights Edge security features
Microsoft appears to be getting even tougher in its attempts to stop Windows 11 users from downloading Google Chrome, with a new pop-up appearing for some people on Edge, Microsoft’s rival internet browser, trying to convince people to stick with its product by highlighting its security features.
As Windows Report reports…uh…, a new banner has appeared for some Windows 11 users using the Edge browser, which is installed by default, to go to Google’s Chrome download page. The new pop-up suggests that you can “Protect your privacy and security with Microsoft Edge” and then highlights private browsing, password monitoring, and advanced threat defense as reasons why you want to stick with Edge.
If you click the “Browse safely now” button, Edge will open a page on the Microsoft website that provides more details about the browser’s online security features.
Old game, new rules
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has used tactics like this to try to convince people to stick with Edge. Many people, myself included, who get a new Windows 11 PC often open Edge for the first and last time simply to download Chrome. Even though Edge has the advantage of coming pre-installed on Windows 11, it remains an under-appreciated web browser and we recently reported on how it actually works. lost users, with only 10.37% of the web browser market compared to 73.81% for Chrome.
This is clearly frustrating for Microsoft, which to be fair has worked hard to improve Edge, hence the new push to keep people using its web browser. What’s notable about their latest issue is that it focuses on online security and how sticking with Edge can increase your security.
Now, while I don’t agree with their methods (more on that in a moment), I think it’s a wise decision on Microsoft’s part. Previous popups focused more on how Edge compares to Chrome and highlight the fact that they both use the same Chromium web engine (which powers the browsers). I don’t think there are many regular Windows 11 users who care about web engines, and trying to win over users by telling them how similar your product is to your main competitor is not a very exciting way to sell something.
Online security is a much bigger concern for many people, so I can see the logic of changing focus in this way, but will it do anything to stem the tide of Windows 11 users abandoning Edge for Chrome? I don’t think so.
The only time I want Microsoft to copy Apple
I’m becoming increasingly frustrated with Microsoft’s attempts to prevent me from using Chrome on my Windows 11 laptop. While Chrome is far from perfect and I have my own reservations about Google as a company, there’s a reason why I (and millions of others) want to use Chrome instead of other web browsers.
So when I load Edge on a new PC or a fresh Windows 11 install and type ‘Chrome’ into the Bing search engine, it’s not an error, and I don’t appreciate Microsoft putting up a big ‘Everything you need is here’ banner that says ‘Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with added trust from Microsoft’ that appears above the page I’m actually searching for.
Leaving aside that “with the added trust of Microsoft” is nonsense (what does that mean and how could that be quantified?), it seems desperate. The fact that another pop-up appears when you finally get to the Chrome download page just deepens that feeling of desperation and, ironically, makes me even more determined to install Chrome and never go back to Edge, no matter how good the browser is today.
The thing is, I do the exact same thing when I check out a new Mac device. I open Safari, Apple’s default web browser, go to the Chrome download page, and install Google’s web browser. The difference is that Apple doesn’t bother me to stay with Safari: there are no annoying pop-ups or notifications begging me to stay, and changing the default web browser to Safari on macOS is also very easy, unlike Windows 11.
The results are the same: I abandon Chrome’s built-in web browser, but I don’t feel exasperated or irritated by Apple, compared to Microsoft’s attempts.
So while I understand Microsoft’s shift to talk about online security, the fact that it is still using heavy-handed methods and exploiting its advantage by having Edge and its Bing search engine as the default continues to bother me.
That’s before we even get to the fact that some of the features Microsoft touts, like InPrivate browsing, password monitoring, and malicious content blocker, are also available in Chrome and other web browsers.
At the moment, this new pop-up appears to be being tested by Microsoft, so you may not see it if you try to download Chrome. However, if you are successful, be prepared to see it appear more frequently.
But what if, as I suspect, it doesn’t get people to stop using Edge just to install Chrome? Instead of treating its users like adults and going Apple’s way, I fear Microsoft will become even more aggressive with its complaints. Let’s hope we’re wrong.
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