Published November 13, 2021
Author: Ash Khan

Due to a recent update to Microsoft Edge, advertisements have started to appear in the lower right corner of the browser. 

As per a new report from Windows Latest, these ads or suggestions are for services such as Microsoft Start. Microsoft Start, for those who are unaware, is a rebranded MSN feed that provides its users with “personalized reliable news, plus games, weather, and much more – all in one app.” 

Microsoft appears to have started experimenting with displaying more advertisements and suggestions whenever a user launches the New Tab Page in its browser. Even though these pop-ups could be distracting and annoying, they can also be quickly dismissed by clicking the “Maybe later” button. 

Simultaneously, Microsoft seems to have been using its new Assistance from Microsoft Edge feature to gather customer search results in hopes of improving its Bing search engine. Although the information obtained by the tech giant is not linked to customers or their devices, not everybody wants to give up their search data, even if doing this helps improve their preferred search engine. 

Microsoft has also been testing a new Office integration for Edge, which will enable users to access Microsoft 365 apps directly from the browser. 

Also on Microsoft Edge Canary Channel, the corporation has added an option to the browser’s context menu termed “New Office Tab,” which could be accessed by right-clicking on an open window. People will be able to open Word, PowerPoint, and Excel directly in Microsoft Edge without leaving the browser. 

Also, it seems that Microsoft’s latest Office integration will not be limited to Microsoft 365 subscribers, but will be accessible to anyone with a Microsoft account. Users will not be able to deactivate it, as they can with “Read Aloud,” “Add page to Collections,” and the other context menu options. 

Because Microsoft’s latest Office integration is for now being tested in Edge Canary, it won’t be very long before it makes its way to the stable version of the corporation’s browser. 

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