Ah, the sweet memories of 2019, when Microsoft Edge Chromium was in its inception. A pure, Google-free browser with solid compatibility, snappy performance, and no bloat. Good times!
Now, wake up; it is the end of 2023, and Microsoft Edge is spiraling down in a head-scratching attempt to become one of the most disliked browsers. Multiple controversial and user-hostile practices force users to voice their complaints on social media, and most of the time, Edge"s official X (Twitter) account ignores such posts, busy focusing on posting TikTok-styled videos with hedgehogs. Today, however, someone behind the Microsoft Edge account decided to make a bold move.
On December 12, 2023, X user @cadenzza_ made a post with a screenshot of one of Edge"s multiple upsells demanding recommending to set Bing as the default search engine. The funniest part was the lack of a clear "No" button, just like the infamous Windows 11 upgrade prompt with two "Yes" buttons. Mario tagged the official Microsoft Edge account on X and, two days later, got an audacious and cringeworthy response (deleted on December 14).
In a reply to the complaint about the missing "Never" button, someone behind the Microsoft Edge account said, "No, it"s not," with a blue heart emoji as a cherry on top. Great touch!
Unsurprisingly, the post spawned a wave of heated replies, with some users wishing Microsoft antitrust lawsuits and others calling out the company"s disrespectful behavior. Others said they had left Microsoft Edge for other alternatives and even went the extra mile to rip the browser off Windows 10 and 11.
If you share the sentiment and think Microsoft Edge has lost its way, good news: the EU forced Microsoft to let customers uninstall the browser. Although the change is only officially available to EU citizens, you can use our guide to uninstall Edge in Windows 10 and 11 on systems outside the European Union.
It is clear as day that Microsoft must rethink its strategies since all they do is annoy and harm customers. And monthly reports from Statcounter show that desperate upsells are not getting Edge anywhere.