De-Enshittify Windows 11: Microsoft Edge ⭐

Note: This is an early peek at a chapter from my next book, De-Enshittify Windows 11. This book will be available for purchase soon, hopefully by the end of February. But I’m happy to reveal that Thurrott Premium members will get the book for free. And I will publish each chapter to this site, as I do for the main Windows 11 Field Guide, and update as needed. –Paul

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Microsoft Edge is the modern successor to Internet Explorer, but it’s also a key vector for enshittification in Windows 11. For this reason, it’s important to configure this web browser correctly. And that’s true whether you intend to use Microsoft Edge or not.

⚠️ Warning: Do not ignore this chapter if you use a different web browser.

The problems with Microsoft Edge

Microsoft Edge is the most malicious software that Microsoft bundles with Windows 11. The problems with this app are many. But key malicious behaviors include:

Online tracking. Microsoft Edge tracks your online activities so Microsoft can harvest your personal data, target you with advertising, and sell that information to other data brokers and online advertisers that will expand this abuse.

Online tracking with other apps. Because Microsoft Edge is the basis for the web app platform in Windows 11, many in-box and third-party apps are secretly running Microsoft Edge in the background. And that means you are still being tracked online, even if you use a different web browser.

Windows 11 ignores your default web browser choice. If you configure another web browser as the default, as most will, Windows 11 will ignore your choice and launch Microsoft Edge when you perform certain actions in Windows 11, ignoring your choice include clicking a widget or news feed article in Widgets, clicking a web link in Search highlights, clicking a web link in the Get Help in-box app, and using the Copilot app in Windows 11.

Microsoft uses dark patterns that fool users into agreeing to even more online tracking. If you choose to use Microsoft Edge, the browser uses dark patterns—lies—when you initially set it up to convince you to change the default configuration in ways that benefit Microsoft but open you up to even more online tracking.

Microsoft Edge ignores your web browser customizations. If you use Microsoft Edge and customize it in certain ways, it will harass you to change the configuration back to the defaults because they benefit Microsoft. This happens when you change the default search engine away from Bing, disable certain features in the default New Tab page (which displays content from Microsoft Start and other Microsoft services and is full of hidden tracking and advertising), change the New Tab page to a third-party option, and more. In some cases, Edge will even change the configuration back to the Microsoft default without informing you.

Microsoft Edge continues harassing you to enable optional features that will further expose you to more Microsoft tracking and advertising. If you use Microsoft Edge and make no configuration changes, the browser will still harass you. It will use dark patterns when it prompts you to make configuration changes that it claims are for your benefit but are designed only to ensure that you are exposed to more online tracking, data harvesting, and Microsoft advertising. These suggestions use language like “Make Microsoft Edge better for you and others” to misrepresent the true intent of the configuration changes it wishes you to enable. In other words, it lies to you to fool you into making a mistake.

Use a different web browser as your default

Most people will choose Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, or another web browser and not Microsoft Edge. If that’s what you want, you need to do more than just install your preferred web browser.

? Configure your preferred web browser as the default

When you install and configure Google Chrome or another web browser, it will prompt you to configure it as the default. Regardless of whether you did so, you should review this change again to make sure it’s how you want it.

To do so, open the Settings app and navigate to Apps > Default apps. Then, find and select your preferred web browser in the list of apps under “Set defaults for applications.”

At the top of this page, click the “Set default” button next to “Make [this web browser] your default browser.” When you do, Windows 11 changes four file and link types–.htm, .html, HTTP, and HTTPS–to use your preferred web browser. Note, however, that the other file and link types remain configured to use Microsoft Edge.

Most of these are not particularly important. But you should also configure PDF files—the .pdf file type in this list—to open with your preferred web browser. To do so, locate .pdf in the list and click the “Open with” icon to its right. Then, select your preferred web browser in the “Select a default app for .pdf files” dialog that appears.

? Prevent Microsoft Edge from running in the background

Microsoft Edge runs at startup every time you boot your computer and sign-in. You can safely prevent that from happening if you use a different web browser.

To do so, open the Settings app and navigate to Apps > Startup. After optionally sorting the list of apps you see here by Status, locate Microsoft Edge and configure it to “Off”.

? Prevent Windows 11 from ignoring your default web browser choice

It’s not possible to fully thwart the bad behaviors associated with Microsoft Edge using the tools provided by Windows 11. To prevent Windows 11 from ignoring your default web browser choice fully, you need to use a free third-party utility called MSEdgeDirect.

When you install this useful app, it will prompt you to choose between three modes. Choose “Active Mode.” In the next admittedly confusing screen, just click “Install”. Then, click “Finish” to complete the installation.

Now, Windows 11 will respect your default web browser choice, even when you click a link in Widgets, Search highlights, or the Get Help or Copilot apps.

Use Microsoft Edge as your default web browser

So, you’ve decided to use Microsoft Edge. I will (try to) not judge you for this mistake, but I do have some advice about how to configure this web browser correctly to minimize the malicious behaviors.

? Configure Microsoft Edge correctly at first run

If you just bought a new PC or reset an existing PC and run Microsoft Edge for the first time, it steps you through an initial configuration in which Microsoft uses dark patterns to get you to lower your guard and allow it to maximize its control over your web browser. Be careful here. You should reject each of its default recommendations.

➡️ Learn more: If you are already using Microsoft Edge, jump ahead to Configure Microsoft Edge correctly after you’ve started using it to reverse any mistakes you made during its initial configuration.

Here are the configuration steps you have to complete.

Welcome to Microsoft Edge, the best performing browser on Windows

There are two sets of configurations to consider here.

• Your data and privacy preferences are syncing on this device while signed into Microsoft Edge with [your Microsoft account]. If you use Microsoft Edge, you obviously want to sync data like favorites (bookmarks), extensions, (some) settings, and the like. But you can click the “Manage” link next to this text to determine exactly which data and settings you will sync.
• Bring over your data from other browsers regularly. This is the the malicious option: If you leave this checked/enabled, Microsoft will siphon all your browsing data from Google Chrome (and not other browsers, despite the description) so that it can obtain a more complete record of your web browsing activities and use that information to target you with advertising while selling it to third-party advertisers as well. Uncheck this option.

Your Google data and services, now in Edge

Here, Microsoft Edge prompts you to sign in to your Google account so it can import your bookmarks, passwords, and other personal data. If you agree to do so and successfully sign in to your Google account, Microsoft Edge will save your login information in its integrated Microsoft Password Manager by default.

There is no reason to do this. If you need to import any data from Chrome or any other web browser, Microsoft Edge supports doing so using a one-time import that doesn’t require your Google (or other account) login information.

Click “Continue without Google data” here.

Help us make Microsoft experiences more useful to you

This full-screen dark pattern is the most nefarious you will encounter while setting up Microsoft Edge. It suggests that allowing it to have more access to your personal data will somehow benefit you. But this will really benefit Microsoft and its advertising partners by exposing you to more online tracking, data harvesting, and Microsoft advertising.

Do not allow this. Uncheck the option “Make your Microsoft experience more useful to you” before continuing.

Express yourself by customizing Microsoft Edge with themes and Welcome to your AI browser

Next, Microsoft Edge displays two tabs that let you customize the browser further and learn more about its unique features. These are mostly innocuous and can be safely ignored.

• Express yourself by customizing Microsoft Edge with themes. In this screen you can configure a few options related to how the browser looks and works. If you don’t make any changes here, Microsoft Edge will display using the same mode (Light or Dark) as Windows 11, using a horizontal tab layout, and using the default theme.
• Welcome to your AI browser. This screen presents a multi-page look at unique Microsoft Edge features you may want to know about.

? Configure Microsoft Edge correctly after you’ve started using it

If you’re already using Microsoft Edge, you should ensure that you didn’t enable any of the bad behaviors Microsoft tried to trick you into during the initial configuration. Each of these options can be found in Microsoft Edge settings.

Microsoft Edge can sync your history, passwords, and other browser data across all your signed-in devices

Navigate to Profiles > Sync in Microsoft Edge settings to view and potentially modify which data you sync between this PC and the Microsoft Edge installs on other PCs and devices.

(Do not) import browsing data at each browser launch

Navigate to Profiles > Import browser data > Import browsing data at each browser launch in Microsoft Edge settings to ensure that the option “Import browsing data from Google Chrome on each launch” is configured to “Off.”

Import your browser data from other browsers and passwords managers

Navigate to Profiles > Import browser data > Other import locations in Microsoft Edge settings to perform a one-time import of data from other web browsers and password managers. Doing so will not create a connection between Edge and other products or online accounts.

Select your privacy settings for Microsoft Edge

Navigate to Privacy, search, and services > Privacy in Microsoft Edge settings and locate the option “Allow Microsoft to save your browsing activity including history, usage, favorites, web content, and other browsing data to personalize Microsoft Edge and Microsoft services like ads, search, shopping and news” at the bottom. Ensure that this is configured to “Off.”

? Further configure Microsoft Edge to minimize the bad behaviors

Aside from the configurations noted above, you should at least consider making the following configuration changes to better protect yourself from this web browser and its maker.

Change the default New Tab page

The default New Tab page in Microsoft Edge is a cesspool of tracking, data harvesting, advertising, low-quality content, and other noise. You can configure this page using the “Page settings” (gear) icon in its upper-right, but you will be better served by replacing it and never exposing yourself to its malicious behaviors again.

I recommend using a third-party New Tab page like Momentum or Bonjourr, both of which you can install from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons website. Either extension will replace the default New Tab page in Microsoft Edge, preserving your safety, privacy, and sanity.

Determine what Microsoft Edge displays when you start the browser

By default, Microsoft Edge is configured to display its New Tab page when you start the browser. Even if you want to use this page, and you don’t, it’s more likely that you will prefer to preserve your previous browsing session when you start Microsoft Edge.

To change this, navigate to Start, home, and new tab page in Microsoft Edge settings and configure “On startup” to “Open the tabs from the previous session.”

Minimize how Microsoft Edge tracks your online activities

Microsoft Edge includes an integrated Tracking protection feature that purports to block online trackers to protect your privacy. But if you check the tracker blocking efficacy of a clean install of Microsoft Edge with the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Cover Your Tracks website, you will discover that this browser doesn’t protect you at all.

To be clear, Microsoft Edge doesn’t block tracking ads or invisible trackers and it doesn’t protect you against fingerprinting, another method by which Microsoft and its advertising partners track your activities online.

Given this, you can safely ignore the Tracking protection feature in Microsoft Edge and install the Privacy Badger and AdBlock Plus browser extensions from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons site to actually protect yourself against online tracking and fingerprinting. After doing so, you will see that Cover Your Tracks reports that you are protected against tracking and fingerprinting on the web.

✅ Tip: You can use a VPN (virtual private network) to protect your privacy further by routing all the data that travels between your browser and the Internet through a secure, encrypted connection. I recommend using a VPN when using Microsoft Edge to access websites that contain sensitive financial or personal information, especially when you’re using a public and potentially vulnerable Wi-Fi hotspot. Edge includes a built-in VPN called Microsoft Edge Secure Network, but it is borderline useful. So I recommend using a third-party VPN. The best free option is Proton VPN.

Configure Microsoft Edge safety features

Microsoft Edge includes several useful features related to safety and security, and while most of them are configured properly by default, it’s worth examining these options to make sure. You do so by navigating to Privacy, search, and services > Security in Microsoft Edge settings.

The following security features are not enabled by default, and you should consider enabling them.

Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS. When enabled, Microsoft Edge will force websites that support the more secure HTTPS protocol to use it rather than the less secure HTTP.

Enhance your security on the web. Toggling this option to “On” will enable Enhanced security mode, which uses advanced security features in Windows 11 to protect you against potentially malicious websites. When enabled, you can choose between two modes, Balanced and Strict, the latter of which may prevent some websites from working correctly.

? Remove Copilot from Microsoft Edge

Even those who use Microsoft Edge have likely picked OpenAI ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, or some other third-party AI chatbot and ignore or reject Microsoft Copilot. But Copilot is integrated into Microsoft Edge and there’s a big, hard-to-ignore Copilot button taking up valuable real estate in the Microsoft Edge toolbar. The good news? You can remove Copilot from Microsoft Edge and prevent it from appearing in the browser.

To do so, open Microsoft Edge settings, navigate to Appearance > Copilot and sidebar > App specific settings and configure the option “Show Copilot button on the sidebar” to “Off”.

Then, navigate to AI innovations in Microsoft Edge settings and configure “Copilot Mode” to “Off”. This will disable the other options you see on this page.

Then, navigate to Languages in Microsoft Edge settings and scroll down to the “Writing assistance” section. There, configure “Use Copilot for writing on the web” to “Off”.

Eliminate other Microsoft Edge annoyances

If you’re going to use Microsoft Edge, there are a few other annoyances you may wish to curtail.

Microsoft Edge tabs appear in Alt-Tab

⛔ The problem: By default, Alt + Tab displays the three most recent Microsoft Edge tabs and not just running apps.

? The solution: You can configure Windows 11 to display the 3, 5, or 20 most recent Edge tabs in Alt + Tab, or you can configure it to display no tabs. To do so, open the Settings app, navigate to Multitasking, and review the options associated with “Show tabs from apps when snapping or pressing Alt + Tab.”

Change your search engine

⛔ The problem: By default, Microsoft Edge uses Bing for its search engine.

? The solution: You can configure Microsoft Edge to use Google Search or the search engine you prefer. To do so, open Microsoft Edge settings and navigate to Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences > Address bar and search > Search engines. Then, click the “More options” (“…”) button next to the search engine you prefer and select “Make default” from the context menu that appears.

Streamline how Microsoft Edge downloads files from the Internet

⛔ The problem: By default, Microsoft Edge displays a prompt with “Open” and “Save as” buttons every time you try to download a file.

? The solution: You can configure Microsoft Edge to just download files immediately like other web browsers do. Open Microsoft Edge settings, navigate to Downloads, and configure the option “Ask where to save each file before downloading” to “Off”.

Disable Microsoft Shopping assistance

⛔ The problem: By default, Microsoft Edge displays annoying shopping notifications when you visit a shopping site. (This feature is U.S.-only.)

? The solution: Microsoft tracks your activities online if you leave this feature enabled. But you can disable this behavior: Open Microsoft Edge settings, navigate to Privacy, search, and services > Search and connected experiences and configure the option “Save time and money with Shopping in Microsoft Edge” to “Off”.