Good news if you’re tired of Microsoft’s heavy-handed Edge promos. The company is backing off a bit, but of course, there’s a catch.
Avid Windows users must be familiar with the dirty tactics Microsoft employs to push its Edge browser. It’s a song as old as time; remember when Internet Explorer was primarily used as a tool to download Chrome or Firefox because it was the only thing available? Shortly after IE died, Edge inherited that legacy, becoming the browser you often had to use just to get the browser you actually wanted. Even Microsoft knows this:
For years, we have endured the relentless pop-ups after updates, third parties being blocked from changing the default browser on Windows 11, banners appearing when you dare visit a competitor’s download page, a fake «how to uninstall Edge» guide, and links within Windows apps that just had to open in Edge, regardless of your set preferences.
Microsoft has announced it is dialing back some of this aggressive behavior, promising a reprieve from the constant Edge bombardment. But (and it’s a pretty big but) this only applies if you’re in the EEA. This shift isn’t Microsoft suddenly having a profound change of heart and deciding to respect user choice out of the goodness of its heart.
