Microsoft Edge Copies Chrome Tabs Despite No Permissions; Wants to Be the Default Browser

The latest update on Edge is notorious in stealing Chrome and user data.

The fight for the top browser in the world is still ongoing, but one company is looking to make an advantage over others and it is Microsoft Edge which reportedly copies opened tabs on Google Chrome to open for you. This happens when users open the Edge browser and have an existing activity on Chrome, saying that the latest update leads the Microsoft app to do it "more aggressively."

Reports claim that despite not using Edge totally, it steals the data from Chrome to have users pick up where they left off and continue using Microsoft's tech.

Microsoft Edge Copies Chrome Tabs Despite No Permissions

Microsoft Edge
Windows via Unsplash

The latest update on Microsoft's Windows and the Edge browser led to significant discoveries by The Verge, noting that after the said update, the browser automatically opened up and brought the tabs that were last used in Chrome. Its report also noted that Edge was not used on the computer and the browser not asking for permission to sync data from Chrome to its platform.

Another report from 9to5 Google said that whenever using Google Chrome and opening the Edge browser, it will import the tabs active on Google's browser to Microsoft's app on machines.

The reports regard Edge to be "very aggressive" after the update and are continuously getting Chrome data to use for Edge whenever opened.

Microsoft Edge Wants to Be Your Default Browser

Previously, Edge had a feature where users could opt to turn off the "import browser data on each launch" option in its Settings, with users able to control what to import and when to do it. However, the latest update does not ask for permissions anymore and has it on by default, offering only a brief setting on how to disable it and a "Not Now" option.

That being said, it is positioning itself to be the default browser over Chrome, capable of accessing data unprompted.

Microsoft Edge and its Rivals

Back in 2020, Microsoft launched its new Edge browser that offers a faster and more intuitive platform for all browsing needs, looking to go against the likes of Apple's Safari, Google's Chrome, and Mozilla's Firefox, among many others. However, one of the main issues that users had with it is that in Windows 10, Edge cannot be uninstalled on the platform and can only hide it.

Still, Microsoft Edge slowly clawed its way to the top, and this is because of the many features it delivered along the way including the secure and private browsing experience which it promised, as part of its Chromium change. While it did not surpass Chrome, Edge has successfully beaten Apple's Safari in desktop browser popularity in 2022.

In the latest improvements on Edge, one of the top features available here is the massive presence of artificial intelligence, particularly with Microsoft's massive additions to the system.

However, Chrome is still on top and Edge wants users to make it the default, with its latest update presenting a tactic that steals the Google browser data and the user's, to continue it on the Microsoft Edge.

Isaiah Richard
Tech Times
Related Article: Xbox Enhances User Experience with Chromium Edge for Apps, Web Game
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