Microsoft’s Win11/10 Edge browser is more ‘bloated’

According to the latest report, the controversy over the “bloatware” of Microsoft’s Edge browser began when the company added unnecessary options to the context menu. Since then, Edge has rapidly expanded with more software capabilities, with Microsoft developing various third-party app or service integrations.

While some people find it convenient to integrate “buy now, pay later” features, there’s a lack of an option or experimental flag to get rid of them entirely, especially when the feature has tight system integration.

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Microsoft Edge’s latest bloat is Skype Meet Now, which is integrated into the toolbar. In the Edge Canary release, Microsoft appears to be experimenting with a new way to launch Skype meetings directly from the toolbar. This button appears next to options such as page screenshots, extensions, and menus.

Moreover, Microsoft Edge’s Meet Now feature just lets you start a Skype meeting. Previously, Microsoft tried to enable the Meet Now button on the new tab page, but the feature was disabled. Now, the company has decided to incorporate the feature into the toolbar.

However, there are ways to get around this bloated software. Users can disable Skype Meet Now integration from their browser’s settings. There’s usually no problem disabling a few bloated features, but things get tedious when Microsoft keeps adding “unnecessary” features to the browser.

Microsoft is also adding new features to catch up with its rivals, and Edge is now popular and will surpass Safari’s overall market share. Additionally, some users saw ads or suggestions to set Edge as the default browser and Bing as the default search engine.

Microsoft Edge improvements coming soon

While bloatware has become a major problem, Microsoft is also working on some new useful features. For example, Edge 100 will introduce support for new PDF controls, including options to preview PDF files in Microsoft Outlook and File Explorer. Users can also open their files in the new lightweight and rich read-only preview.

Microsoft is testing a new sync feature that will make PWA web apps accessible on all desktop devices. Finally, the Edge update will also improve the cloud site list management experience in IE mode. It will make it possible to share session cookies between the main browser and IE mode, which is a useful change for businesses.

(via)