Microsoft uses ads on the operating system to persuade users to use many Windows 10 services, including the Store. The company shows ads recommending the new Chromium-based browser Edge on Windows 10’s Start menu for users who prefer other browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer. After Microsoft released its new Edge browser, it started to show in the Windows 10 Start menu. A Reddit user reported that while trying to launch the Firefox browser, he saw an ad suggesting Windows 10 to use Chromium Edge in the start menu. It says “Are you still using Firefox? Microsoft Edge is here”. Edge suggestion in the Windows 10 Start Menu Another user shared the screenshot, stating that Microsoft showed users an ad suggesting to use Chromium Edge instead of their old browser, Internet Explorer. However, the ad appeared this time when searching for “Internet Explorer” in the search bar. In the ad, users are suggested to download the Edge browser with the phrase “A brand new browser with the same name”. The new Microsoft Edge is Chromium-based, offering a faster, more compatible, and wider range of extensions than the old browser. Microsoft is criticized for the internal ads it displays in the operating system to promote its products, but it is not the only company that does so. Google also makes these kinds of advertisements using the products and services offered to billions of people. Microsoft has struggled a lot in the past to feature the Edge browser. The company first introduced Microsoft Edge in 2016, and the search engine frequently suggested its browser with Bing as well as notifications from the Windows 10 taskbar.
