A recent report commissioned by Mozilla has shed light on Microsoft’s controversial tactics aimed at promoting its Edge browser. The findings, detailed in the “Over The Edge 2.0” report, suggest that Microsoft is employing various strategies to encourage users to adopt Edge, despite a lack of significant success in increasing its market share. The report examines Microsoft’s practices across different regions, including Germany, India, the UK, and the US, concluding that the company continues to hinder users’ ability to download, set as default, or use alternative browsers without interference.
Among the tactics highlighted are misleading banners on Bing that suggest “All you need is right here” when users attempt to download other browsers, as well as the pre-pinning of Edge on the Windows taskbar. Furthermore, the report claims that Microsoft’s AI tool, Copilot, neglects to recognize the default browser when opening links, and that data-sharing settings are preselected to ON in specific regions like the US and India. Interestingly, the report notes that when Microsoft faced regulatory pressure in the European Economic Area (EEA), it made adjustments, such as removing certain promotional banners that are still present in other markets.
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The Browser Choice Alliance has commended the report while criticizing Microsoft’s practices. They argue that the findings illustrate how the tech giant employs manipulative tactics to limit user choice and stifle competition. “The researchers’ findings in ‘Over the Edge 2.0’ reveal how Microsoft continues to use manipulative tactics to push users toward Edge,” the Alliance stated, calling for Microsoft to respect user autonomy and foster a fairer competitive landscape.
Other browser developers have echoed these sentiments. Bruce Lawson, Technical Communications Officer at Vivaldi, expressed satisfaction with the report’s confirmation of long-held concerns regarding Microsoft’s practices. He noted that while the scrutiny from the EU has led to some improvements in Europe, the playing field remains uneven. Lawson urged regulators in the UK, Australia, and Japan to take action to ensure fair competition, offering Vivaldi’s assistance in implementing necessary code changes to prevent Microsoft’s alleged manipulations.
Despite these allegations, Microsoft’s efforts to promote Edge do not seem to be yielding the desired results. According to Statcounter, which tracks web usage across millions of sites, Edge’s market share has declined from 13 percent in June 2025 to just over 10 percent. In contrast, Mozilla’s Firefox has seen a rise in its market share, increasing from 5.84 percent to 6.44 percent over the past year. This suggests that even with Microsoft’s alleged nudges, Edge remains primarily a tool for users to download alternative browsers.
A spokesperson from Mozilla commented on the competitive landscape, stating, “Firefox is competing hard and growing on many platforms. However, looking specifically at Edge’s market share on Windows, which is the relevant market, the researchers note that Edge was the only browser to gain share on Windows over the last two years. This led the authors to hypothesize that previous harmful patterns have played a role in this growth.”
