Microsoft keeps shooting itself in the foot with Edge

Key Takeaways

• Microsoft Edge’s pestering tactics hinder its popularity, annoying both its lovers and haters.
• Windows forces users to stick with Microsoft Edge, even after changing the default browser.
• Microsoft Edge’s use of the Chromium framework prevents it from standing out in the crowded browser market and leaves it vulnerable to changes like Manifest V3.

When was the last time you used Microsoft Edge? For some, Windows’ default browser is their new app of choice for browsing the web, while others haven’t seriously used Edge since its release. And while there are plenty of reasons why Microsoft Edge is the best browser, Microsoft still manages to annoy both Edge lovers and haters alike.

It’s a real shame because Microsoft has added some amazing new features to Edge. For example, Microsoft is adding a new super drag-and-drop feature that makes opening new tabs easy. However, it feels like for every step forward Microsoft makes with its browser, it proceeds to take two steps back and undo all the good work it does with its browser. Here’s how Microsoft is hampering its own browser’s popularity.

Microsoft Edge has major attachment issues

Microsoft Edge wants you to do things its way

There’s a long-running joke in the technology world; Microsoft Edge isn’t such a bad browser, because it’s perfect for downloading Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox on a new desktop PC. It seems that Microsoft doesn’t like Edge being a glorified third-party browser download manager, because it loaded Edge with lots of pester boxes that pop up if you try to swap browsers.

If you’ve never experienced this before, boot up Edge and go through the process of downloading Google Chrome. If you search for “Google Chrome” through the address bar, it will bring up Bing’s search results with a Microsoft Edge header banner claiming that “there’s no need to download a new web browser.” Click on the search result for Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge will show a small dialog box in the browser asking you to stick with it. Click on the “Download” button, and Edge shows another banner advertising itself. The browser’s clinginess only makes it less appealing for those it’s trying to convince.

Not even Microsoft Edge users are free from its pestering. Microsoft has been rolling out pester boxes that appear if you try to change the default search engine to anything but Bing. While this feature hasn’t been rolled out to everyone yet, the news of its existence annoyed people who otherwise liked using Edge. As such, Edge’s desire to pester you into doing what it wants is harming its image in the eyes of its haters and lovers alike.

Windows forces you to use Microsoft Edge

Going against what you choose as your default browser

Even if you’ve gotten through all of Edge’s pester boxes and downloaded your browser of choice, Edge still won’t give up without a fight. If you click a link within Windows, it will open within Edge, even after you change the default browser in Windows 11. This includes anything you click within the “News and Interests” widget and search results from the web within Windows Search, which has resulted in me not using either of those features.

Users have rallied to try to break Windows’ dependency on Edge, including developing apps like MSEdgeRedirect. These apps override Windows’ decision making so you can set whichever browser you prefer for links within Windows. And because it has gotten popular, the developers have added extra features to MSEdgeRedirect, such as allowing people to remove Edge from their computers. As such, Microsoft’s desire to have all Windows-based links only open in Edge has strengthened the resistance against it.

Microsoft Edge’s Chromium-based framework holds it back

An unfortunate side-effect from a previously good idea

Microsoft Edge didn’t always use Chromium, the framework that runs Google Chrome. Beforehand, it used Microsoft’s bespoke code. However, Microsoft Edge was lagging far behind Chrome in terms of performance and usability, so Microsoft bit the bullet and released a new version of Edge that used the Chromium base. It was an immediate success, with people praising how good the Chromium-based Edge was over the older, Microsoft-developed one.

However, as time has passed, more and more Chromium-based browsers have sprung up. Opera, OperaGX, Brave, and Vivaldi are some of the bigger Chromium players, and there are countless more alternatives designed to suit everyone’s use case. Sure, Microsoft Edge’s Chromium framework means it runs as well as any other Chromium browser, but it also means it doesn’t do anything particularly special that draws people over to it.

Now, Google is bringing in Manifest V3, a new version of Chromium. There has been a lot of fear online that Manifest V3 will prevent adblocking extensions from working, causing people to look for alternatives. Google will also disable Manifest V2 extensions in June 2024, leaving people stranded for options.

The problem is that Manifest V3 will affect every browser that currently uses Chromium as a framework, including Microsoft Edge. Right now, anyone concerned about Manifest V3 is making the pilgrimage over to Mozilla Firefox, the only mainstream browser that doesn’t use Chromium. And if Manifest V3 does prove unpopular, any users Microsoft Edge has garnered over the years may jump ship to another browser.

Microsoft Edge may always live in the shadow of other browsers

Microsoft has added some excellent features to Edge, and there’s nothing wrong with the browser at its base level. However, the way Microsoft tries to force Edge on its consumers mars the public’s opinion about it, regardless if they want to use it or not. And with Manifest V3 on the horizon, Microsoft Edge may get left behind in the great browser race.