Windows 10 users are being subjected to frustrating full-screen ads for Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge
(Image credit: Shutterstock / monticello)

Chances are you may have logged into your updated laptop or PC come face to face with an intrusive, windowless advert for Microsoft Edge whilst using Windows 10 in the last few weeks. You're not alone, and apparently, this unwelcome 'feature' may be around to stay.

This is the latest A/B test (a trial for showing two variants of the same web page to different segments of website visitors to see what performs best) introduced in the recent batch of updates for the operating system.

Windows 10 Microsoft Edge ad

The pop-up, as it appears on your machine. (Image credit: Windows Latest)

No seeing past this

We’re no strangers to ads, especially when we understand that's how websites (like our own) keep running. That isn't to say that we don’t find them to be a nuisance when we’re enjoying content on sites like Facebook or Reddit, but they don’t commandeer the screen and demand 100% of your attention. 

The intrusive ‘nag’ from Microsoft will appear when you set up your new PC or laptop, click on an advertising banner within the settings, or – our personal favorite – after every system update.

The purpose of the screen-hogging prompt is of course to persuade you to try out the new Chromium-based Edge over non-Microsoft owned products, with the ads appearing when people use Google Chrome and Firefox as default browsers. The ads themselves appear via the OOBE (out of box experience, essentially what you use to set up your device), and are easily closed by selecting “don’t update your browser settings”, but there isn’t currently a way to disable them from appearing

It’ll be interesting to see if this attention-demanding approach actually works because if the results from the A/B test are favorable, we will likely be subjected to more of this in the future. All of this isn’t to say that the new Edge isn’t a great browser, and we certainly think it has its merits. That said, in the spirit of petulant children everywhere who are being told what to do: “well now I’m not doing it”.

  • Here's our list of the best proxy services right now

Via Windows Latest

Jess Weatherbed

Jess is a former TechRadar Computing writer, where she covered all aspects of Mac and PC hardware, including PC gaming and peripherals. She has been interviewed as an industry expert for the BBC, and while her educational background was in prosthetics and model-making, her true love is in tech and she has built numerous desktop computers over the last 10 years for gaming and content creation. Jess is now a journalist at The Verge.

Latest in Windows
Man having Windows 11 problems with his laptop
Fed up of adverts creeping into Windows 11? You won’t like Microsoft’s latest update, then, although it does provide some important bug fixes
Acer Aspire 14 AI laptop display showing the Windows 11 login screen
Shock, horror – I’m not going to argue with Microsoft’s latest bit of nagging in Windows 11, as this pop-up is justified
A laptop on a desk with the Windows 11 background on its screen.
Microsoft is adding image editing and compression to its Windows Share feature - and I couldn't be happier
AOC Agon Pro AG276FK gaming monitor tilted slightly to the side, showing the Windows desktop screen
Windows 11 users get ready for more ‘recommendations’ from Microsoft – but I’m relieved to say these suggestions might actually be useful
Microsoft Store logo on a blurred background
There's finally a fix for an annoying Microsoft Store bug that's older than Windows 11
Portrait of African-American teenage boy studying at home or in college dorm and using laptop, copy space
Windows 11’s Notepad gets AI-powered ‘Rewrite’ feature, but not everyone’s going to be happy about it
Latest in News
Google Gemini Robotics
Gemini just got physical and you should prepare for a robot revolution
Lilo & Stitch Official Trailer
Stitch crashes into earth and steals our hearts with the first trailer for the live-action Lilo & Stitch
GTA 5
GTA Online publisher Take-Two is gunning for a black market that’s basically heaven for cheaters
Y2K cast looking shocked
Y2K has a streaming release date on Max, so you can witness the technology uprising at home
The Discovery+ homepage
Discovery+ just got a big update to its streaming app that makes it more like Max – here are 5 great new features to try
Two Android phones on a green and blue background showing Google Messages
Struggling with slow Google Messages photo transfers? Google says new update will make 'noticeable difference'