Microsoft Edge Should No Longer Import Other Browsers’ Data Without User Consent

Microsoft has quietly updated its Edge browser yesterday to address an issue causing the browser to import data from other web browsers without users’ consent. The update (via The Verge) comes after multiple reports pointed out that Edge could import tabs from Google Chrome even when users opted out from using the built-in option for doing that.

In the release notes for the Edge update released yesterday, Microsoft didn’t really go into details about what was causing the issue. The company implied that Edge’s data importing feature wasn’t working as expected, but what users complained really about is that it was enabled without their consent.

“Edge has a feature that provides an option to import browser data on each launch from other browsers with user consent. This feature’s state might not have been syncing and displaying correctly across multiple devices. This is fixed,” the patch notes read.

It’s not clear how widespread the issue was, but Edge stealing tabs from other browsers should now be a thing of the past. If you’re on Windows 11, Microsoft Edge has others ways to annoy you as links from Windows Search or news articles from the Widget Board open in Edge by default.

If you’re in the EU, the Digital Markets Act, which will come into effect on March 6, will lead to some positive changes for Windows 11 in this area. Users will be able to uninstall Microsoft Edge and more inbox apps such as Camera and Photos.