Windows 10 Users Report of Annoying Pop-Ups Recommending Edge Browser, Bing Search Engine: How to Disable

Windows 10 users are complaining about getting repeated pop-ups with recommendations for switching the default browser and search engine on their machines. These pop-up are basically advertising Microsoft’s own Chromium Edge browser and Bing search engine. The pop-ups are showing up on a Windows 10 system using its built-in notification centre. They serve as ads for the Bing search engine and details all the benefits of switching to it. For all those getting these pop-ups, there’s fortunately a quick workaround to disable them.

Users on Reddit have started complaining about this new prompt showing up on their Windows 10 systems sporadically. These notifications recommend Bing to be the default search engine and Edge to be the default browser. They show up only if these two aren’t already set as default apps on a computer. WindowsLatest reports two kinds of ads that are apparently showing up as pop-ups for the Bing search engine. One ad is promoting the MSN newsfeed of the Bing homepage and its secure results feature. The other ad tells users that if they switch to Bing, they can save money online by using the Microsoft Rewards feature available in select countries.

The unwarranted notifications can either be dismissed by clicking on the ‘Maybe Later’ option or by clicking on the ‘Change Settings’ button to change their default browser to Edge and change their search engine to Bing. Users who wants to continue using their existing browser app and search engine will need to follow a few easy steps to stop the notifications on their Windows 10 systems. As also explained by a Reddit user, you can simply paste this in your URL bar ‘edge://flags/#edge-show-feature-recommendations’ and disable “Show feature and workflow recommendations” to stop the bothersome notifications.

In other Microsoft-related news, the company is gearing up to launch a significant update to Windows 10 in the fall. The update has reportedly been codenamed Sun Valley and it is said to bring major UI improvements and a brand new Windows app store. During Build 2021, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella hinted that the update will unlock greater economic opportunity for developers.