If you’re using Windows 11, you may have encountered some rather persistent and intrusive attempts by Microsoft to trick you into using its Edge browser.
Windows 11 regularly promotes the Edge browser, but Microsoft has recently been particularly aggressive about it. The company has started rolling out full-screen “Out-of-Box Experience” (OOBE) pop-ups that aggressively promote Edge and other Microsoft services.
These OOBE prompts, usually reserved for the initial setup of a new PC, now appear automatically on existing installations of Windows 11 after certain updates. As spotted by Windows Latest, The April 2024 Patch Tuesday update appears to have triggered these full-screen banners on some PCs.
Ads for Microsoft Edge take up your entire screen
The promotional onslaught begins with a “Let’s finish setting up your PC” page which looks suspiciously like the installation process for new devices. However, these prompts push Microsoft services onto PCs that are already configured and actively used for a long time.
The first screen pushes you to restore Edge as your default browser, encourages you to make your backups with OneDrive, offers subscriptions to Microsoft 365, activate Windows Hello biometrics, etc. LUsers can either accept by clicking “Continue” or temporarily reject the prompts for three days.
By selecting “Continue,” the user is faced with a relentless barrage of service offerings rarely seen on Windows before. The next screen attempts to “personalize your experience” by tailoring Start Menu app recommendations based on categories of interest like gaming, productivity, or development.
But the real aggressive behavior starts with the “Use recommended browser settings” page. By default, it is configured to make Microsoft Edge the default browser, Bing the search engine, and pin Edge icons to the desktop and taskbar. To refuse, you must choose the “Keep my current settings” option.
Microsoft takes the opportunity to promote its other applications
The onslaught continues with invitations to request a trial version of the Microsoft 365 Home subscription or the free Microsoft 365 Basic version with 100 GB of OneDrive storage. Each service is front and center with prominent calls to action before users can navigate past it. The Phone Link application is often also offered.
Promoting Microsoft’s own services isn’t a new phenomenon on Windows, but the use of inescapable full-screen pop-ups represents a new level of persistence from the company. Previous campaigns used more subtle promotions in the taskbar or Start menu ads that were easier to ignore.
The company really seems to be desperate for Windows users to adopt Edge as their default browser and are anchored in the company’s subscriptions and cloud services. For some, this heavy-handed approach may seem overly pushy and disruptive, especially on PCs already configured and actively in use. Who would really appreciate being bombarded by recurring advertisements on their own computer for services that they may have already decided not to use?
The company has long struggled to make progress against Google Chrome, which dominates the market. If successful, adopting Edge could help Microsoft grow its services revenue and push more users to its other apps over time. Love it or hate it, so prepare to face this new promotional page on a recurring basis when you update your Windows 11 installation in the future.
