Microsoft Edge uses the same rendering as Google Chrome. (Express Photo)
Since its launch in 2020, Microsoft has been pushing Edge on Windows devices, often resorting to shady tactics like burying the option to change the default browser on Windows.
Now, a recent report by The Verge suggests that after the latest Windows update, Microsoft Edge automatically launched upon reboot and imported all Chrome tabs even though they set Google Chrome as the default browser on their machine.
While Edge does have a data sync feature that allows it to import things like favourites, open tabs, history, bookmarks and more from other browsers, it is turned off by default.
this post bothered me for days so I reinstalled Windows ++ confirmed that there’s an obscure setting to sync Chrome data into Edge (+ it’s shared to MSFT if you’re signed-in & sync your browsing data) — to turn it off, open Edge then: edge://settings/profiles/importBrowsingData pic.twitter.com/SiBmDsD8oT
— Zach Edwards 🔗infosec.exchange/@thezedwards (@thezedwards) January 26, 2024
A post on X (formerly Twitter) by Zach Edwards suggests the latest Windows update includes a new prompt during setup which enables Microsoft Edge to “regularly bring in data from other browsers available on your Windows device.”
Advertisem*nt
Apart from active tabs in other browsers, the imported data includes your browsing history, autofill data, extensions, settings, cookies and other browser data. To turn off the feature, launch Edge on your Windows machine, type “edge://settings/profiles/importBrowsingData” in the address bar and hit the enter button.’ On the screen that appears, you will be able to turn off the feature.
Microsoft says the imported data is stored and processed locally, but if you sign in to the browser and enable Edge’s sync feature, it will then be sent to Microsoft servers. It is still unclear if this is a bug or just another way Microsoft is encouraging users to switch the Edge.
