Credit: Taran Quarantino via Twitter

Microsoft has been a little too eager about their new web browser for some users’ tastes.

In a recent update to Windows, Microsoft upgraded their personal web browser program, Edge, to a new incarnation, named Chromium Edge. The Chromium Edge update has actually been available since the beginning of the year, but was offered as more of an optional decision than a mandatory upgrade. Now, though, not only has this upgrade been carried out against many users’ wills, but Microsoft has been pushing the app extremely aggressively, much to users’ annoyance.


Since the update went live earlier in the week, Windows 10 users have reported the Edge browser opening automatically when they start up their computers, and refusing to close until granted some token interaction. The program also automatically pins itself to users’ taskbars, and in some cases, when trying to use a different, third-party web browser like Google Chrome or Firefox, a pop-up will open insisting that Edge is used instead before letting them open it. It is also now impossible to delete the Edge program from your computer.

Windows users have taken to social media to express their distaste with Microsoft’s aggressive tactics.

Users are especially annoyed that the Edge installation came as part of an update which forcibly shut down some of their computers while they were working on something. Even tech writers have expressed frustration with Microsoft for utilizing tactics to push their browser usually only seen in the likes of spyware and viruses.

“If I told you that my entire computer screen just got taken over by a new app that I’d never installed or asked for — it just magically appeared on my desktop, my taskbar, and preempted my next website launch — you’d probably tell me to run a virus scanner and stay away from shady websites, no?” wrote Sean Hollister of The Verge.

Microsoft has insisted that despite their aggressive push, Edge is still just another browser option, and they will not stop users from using their browser of choice.