Ads started showing in the lower right corner of Microsoft Edge after a recent browser update from Microsoft.
These ads or recommendations are for services like Microsoft Start, according to a new report from Windows Latest. For those unfamiliar with it, Microsoft Start is a renowned MSN channel that provides users with "trusted personalized news, along with games, weather, and more, all in one app."
Apparently, Microsoft has started experimenting with displaying more ads and recommendations that appear when a user opens the New Tab page in their browser. Although they can be a bit distracting and annoying, these pop-ups can be easily removed by clicking the "Maybe later" button.
At the same time, Microsoft appears to be using its new Microsoft Edge Support feature to collect search results from users in an effort to improve its Bing search engine. While the data the software giant collects is not associated with users or their devices, not everyone wants to pass on their search data, even if it helps improve their preferred search engine.
Office integration
Microsoft is also testing a new Office integration for its browser that will allow users to access Microsoft 365 applications directly from Edge.
On the Microsoft Edge Canary channel, the company added a new option called "New Office Tab" to the browser's context menu accessed by right-clicking on an open window. This new feature will allow users to open Word, PowerPoint, and Excel directly in Edge without ever leaving the browser.
It also looks like Microsoft's new Office integration won't be exclusive to Microsoft 365 subscribers and anyone with a Microsoft account will be able to take advantage of it. However, as with "Read aloud", "Add page to collections" and other context menu options, users will not be able to turn this off.
As Microsoft's new Office integration is currently being tested in Canary Edge, it probably won't be long before this feature hits the stable version of the company's browser.
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Through Windows Latest