Microsoft has started showing Windows users new ads to redirect them to the Bing search engine and Edge browser. According to user reports, the software giant is rolling out new notifications in Google Chrome suggesting to change the default search engine to Bing.
Windows users see Bing and Edge ads in Chrome
Users say they’ve been seeing Bing and Edge ads on Windows 10 and 11 in recent days. Mainly targeting Chrome, Microsoft is adding pop-up windows to the app. When you click on the window, it sets Bing as the default browser in Chrome.
But the pop-ups looked like malware to many users. So users can’t be sure whether the notifications are legitimate or not. In addition, hundreds of people are taking action thinking that their computer has been infected.
Microsoft confirmed that the pop-ups are a “real company initiative”. It also said that it showed these windows one time and asked Bing to be set as the default search engine. The company emphasized that it values choice and that alerts can be turned off.
This is not the first time Microsoft has shown its controversial ads. Similar ads ran last year and were stopped due to user backlash. The restarted ad notifications redirect to Edge and Bing.
The pop-ups have annoyed many Chrome users. It should be noted that Microsoft has been criticized for its surprise browser changes and unauthorized pop-up notifications.
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