Windows 10 version 1809 prompts users to give the Microsoft Edge browser a try before installing Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. The message that appears claims Edge is “the faster, safer browser designed for Windows” and offers two buttons: a bright blue one that launches Edge, and a gray one that says “Install anyway.” That kind of passive-aggressive styling has become all too common in pop-ups that want you to sign up for newsletters, download specific apps or do whatever else the person who set up the pop-up wants you to do. Now it’s being used to trumpet Edge, too. MORE: How to Use Windows 10 Microsoft isn’t actually stopping anyone from installing alternative browsers, though. It’s just putting its own browser front-and-center before it lets you install Chrome or Firefox. That alone isn’t surprising. Developing a browser requires a lot of effort, and many Windows users probably didn’t give Edge a second glance simply because they had bad experiences with Internet Explorer. The prompt also echoes the Internet Explorer bundling that got Microsoft in trouble nearly two decades ago. The company wasn’t stopping people from installing other browsers then, either — it was just establishing Internet Explorer as the default option for anyone who used Windows. Now it’s trying to intercept people before they install Chrome or Firefox without actually preventing them from installing those browsers. Suddenly the “annoy them” strategy has become more akin to standing 1,001 feet away because it means a restraining order technically isn’t being broken. Even more frustrating is the fact that Windows displays this prompt even when you’re installing yet another browser. That shouldn’t be a problem for most people, but it’s likely to prove maddening to anyone who does have to see this passive aggressive pop-up more than once. Luckily the pop-up will take you right to the necessary section in the Settings app — “Apps & features” — so you can disable the “app recommendations” option that allows it and other prompts hawking Microsoft’s software to appear. This story originally ran on Tom’s Hardware. Image credit: T.Dallas/Shutterstock. Screenshot credit: Shawn Hoffman/Twitter
Windows 10 Annoyances and Problems
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Repair Windows 10Remove the Lock ScreenDisable or Enable Grayscale ModeSet Compatibility Mode for AppsAccess the BIOS on a Windows 10 PCStop Windows Update from Automatically Restarting Your PCTurn Off App NotificationsFix a Slow-Opening Windows Downloads FolderDisable Personalized Ads on Microsoft Sites and AppsStop Skype’s Annoying Auto UpdatesFix a ‘Boot Configuration Data File is Missing’ ErrorClear the Run Command’s HistoryDisable CortanaUninstall and Restore Built-in AppsRestore a Missing Battery IconFix a Boot Configuration File ErrorGet to the Advanced Startup Options MenuDelete a Locked FileRestart without RebootingRoll Back Windows 10 to an Earlier VersionDisable Automatic Driver DownloadsDisable Internet ExplorerPause Windows Updates for Up to 35 DaysUse Battery SaverDowngrade to Windows 10 SSave Netflix Videos for Offline ViewingAll Windows 10 TipsWorst Windows 10 AnnoyancesDisable Password Prompt on Wake
