Microsoft spotted showing Edge browser ads in Outlook web version

The advertisement is reportedly seen as a small message on all the pages in Outlook, claiming that the company’s Edge browser is more compatible with the email service.

The advertisement is reportedly seen as a small message on all the pages in Outlook, claiming that the company’s Edge browser is more compatible with the email service. (Reuters)

Back in December, Microsoft was fond displaying advertisements in its Windows 10 Mail and Calendar desktop app with no options to remove them. This saw a lot of backlash from users. Now, something similar has been witnessed in Outlook mail. As spotted by Windows Latest, the Redmond-based tech giant has started showing ads for its fairly new Chromium-based Edge browser inside Outlook web interface. The advertisement is reportedly seen as a small message on all the pages in Outlook, claiming that the company's Edge browser is more compatible with the email service.

As per the report, Outlook web is also showing "Get speed, performance, and compatibility with the new Microsoft Edge" ads with a link to download the browser. The message seems to be replaced after every refresh. Thankfully, there is an option to disable the ad. It is worth adding that this was visible only while using Outlook web in Chrome. It was not seen while using it in Firefox.

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Microsoft Outlook web showing ads on Edge browser. (Windows Latest)

Microsoft Outlook web showing ads on Edge browser. (Windows Latest)

The report says that the ads won't show up if you are a regular Microsoft Edge user or a Microsoft 365 subscriber.

However, Microsoft doesn't seem to be alone in this game. Even Google is known to push its Chrome ads in applications like search homepage, Docs, Gmail and others.

It is worth noting that Microsoft Edge recently became the 2nd most popular browser after Google Chrome according to NetMarketShare's March report. It now has 7.59% share in the desktop browser segment. Firefox has taken the third position with 7.19% followed by Internet Explorer with 5.87% market share. Google Chrome still leads with a mammoth 68.5% market share overall.