Key Takeaways
- Microsoft Edge has made strides and is a decent browser after adopting Chromium.
- Edge contains unwanted features that can be debloated with a specialized tool.
- Redmond giant’s focus should shift to making Edge attractive rather than pestering users to switch.
If you use Windows, you know what Microsoft Edge is. Not because of the strides it has made in the last few months alone, but because Windows is very, very keen to get you to use Edge instead of your chosen browser. If you click a web link within Windows 10 or 11, it will automatically open Edge, not whatever you’ve set as your default browser. If you boot up Edge on a new install and navigate to a rival’s browser, it will beg you to stay with it. And Microsoft has a habit of sprinkling reminders to use its browser all over the place.
The thing is, Windows users don’t need Microsoft telling them that Microsoft Edge is an option – they already know. All the advertisements in the world won’t make for a successful product if people dislike the product itself. So, here’s why Microsoft should stop pushing Edge into people’s faces, and why it should instead focus on making it a browser people actually want to use – starting with a good debloat.
Microsoft Edge is a decent browser by itself…
It became a serious contender after adopting Chromium
To be fair, Microsoft Edge didn’t really do itself any favors to begin with. When it was first released, it was using Microsoft’s bespoke code, and people felt it didn’t hold a candle to Chrome, Firefox, or any other of the more well-established browsers. Now it uses Chromium and comes with its own extension store. As such, the beating heart of Edge isn’t the problem here; at least, it’s no more of a problem than a browser that uses Chrome’s framework.
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…But Microsoft has stuffed it with a few unwanted features
So if Microsoft Edge is running the same tech as Chrome, why do people give it such a bad rap? Well, for one, Microsoft Edge contains some additional features that others may not care about. Rival browsers don’t really have this issue, which means you can tweak them until they’re to your liking. Edge, however, is very adamant that some of its features are there for your own good, and you will use them, thank you very much.
This mentality has spawned some counter-resistance, such as when someone released a tool that debloats Edge of its features. And you just need to take a look at the features it disables to understand what Microsoft is putting upon Edge users:
Disable the first run experience and splash screen
Disable importing from other web browsers on launch
Disable browser sign in and sync services
Disable collections feature
Disable edge sidebar
Disable shopping assistant
Disable sponsored links in the new tab page
Disable insider banner in about page
The developer has even added a to-do feature that will automatically put the features people disable often at the top of the list. If a developer goes that far with their app, it means something surely has to go.
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And yet, Microsoft’s focus is on aggressive advertising
Who cares about bloat when you can simply devise new ways to pester people?
So, what’s Microsoft’s strategy to get people to use its browser? While it could spend some time removing bloat from Edge, it’s instead opting to annoy people into using it. It’s gotten so bad that Mozilla wrote up an entire report claiming that Microsoft’s pestering to use Edge is “harmful design.” And guess what? Using Edge doesn’t tide over Microsoft, which will pester you if you don’t use Bing as your default search engine.
Microsoft is putting a lot of effort into ensuring that users are informed of Edge’s existence when instead, it should be focusing on making Edge an attractive option for people looking for a browser. If people not only create a tool with the sole purpose of removing features from an app but will order them by features people are most likely going to disable, then something is wrong with how much stuff has been crammed into it.
There is one problem. If you look at the list of stuff that the app disables, some of them seem to be revenue generators for Microsoft. Sponsored links are basically miniature ads, and Microsoft likely takes a slice of the pie when someone uses the shopping assistant to find a deal. However, if Microsoft wants Edge to be taken seriously and not be treated as an app that requires a full-blown debloater tool to use properly, it needs to get rid of these tools or make them optional toggles.
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Microsoft should debloat Edge – but will it?
If Microsoft wants people on Edge, it needs to stop pushing it into people’s faces and start cutting some off of the fat. There are plenty of other Chromium browsers out there, most of which don’t contain the same number of unwanted, unremovable features Edge has. However, given how some of these features likely make Microsoft some money, it’ll be difficult for the Redmond giant to give them the axe.