“Choose Chrome, the browser built by Google” is a new message that appears when visiting Google.com in MS Edge. This is not the first anti-Edge pop-up seen on Google, but this one is particularly notable because it includes a “Download Chrome” button that immediately begins downloading Chrome when clicked.
MS is often criticized for promoting Edge, Bing, or Copilot, yet Google’s similar practices are frequently overlooked. Although the “Choose Chrome” pop-up is not necessarily illegal in the United States or Europe, it still raises legitimate concerns about anti-competitive self-preferencing.
I encountered the Chrome download pop-up after casually opening Google.com in MS Edge. When I clicked “Download Chrome,” it opened Chrome’s download page and immediately began downloading the browser installer, ChromeSetup.exe, without requiring another click.
Chrome is not installed automatically, as users must still double-click the installer and may need to pass through Windows 11’s SmartScreen protection. However, the installer begins downloading immediately and is saved in the Downloads folder. I also noticed that the option to send usage statistics and crash reports to Google was already selected.
MS Edge Fights Back With Its Own Banner
As amusing as it may sound, MS is already prepared to counter Google’s pop-up with a banner of its own. When I was redirected to Chrome’s download page, Edge quickly displayed a banner at the top of the tab stating, “MS Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of MS.”
The banner also included a “Browse securely now” call to action, which opened a page highlighting MS Edge’s features.
This is a clear example of a cat-and-mouse game: Google uses its search homepage to persuade Edge users to download Chrome, while MS responds by asking users to reconsider and arguing that the two browsers are essentially the same.
MS is not being inaccurate when it says Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, because both browsers are powered by the same underlying technology: Chromium. Chromium has largely been developed by Google, but MS, Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, and companies including Intel, Nvidia, and Arm have also contributed to it.
However, MS Edge still has advantages in several areas, including the ability to automatically put inactive tabs to sleep and support for a recent Windows 11 feature that allows the browser to launch faster when it is already running in the background.
Edge also had other distinctive features, including Collections and the Sidebar, but these have been removed or scaled back as MS attempts to make Edge more like Chrome. I am not sure that this is an ideal move.
What Is the Point of These Pop-Ups and Banners?
Some readers may argue that these pop-ups have no effect because users will ignore them and continue using their preferred browser. The same reasoning applies to search engines: if someone prefers Google, they will continue using it rather than switching to Bing because of pop-ups or advertisements in Windows 11.
That is a fair argument, and it is not entirely wrong. However, it overlooks the large number of users who may respond to these pop-ups.
There is a reason the Bing team paid the Windows team to run desktop advertisements for Bing in 2024. There is also a reason Google is targeting Edge’s small market share. The explanation is simple: these companies believe the tactics are effective with the users they are targeting.
For many users who are not particularly tech-savvy, Google is synonymous with a search engine and Chrome with a browser. In January 2025, MS deliberately made Bing resemble Google.com when users searched for Google on Bing.
An average user who wants to search the internet may type “Google” because that is what they are accustomed to doing on their phone. Without MS’s large banner mimicking Google’s interface, the user might simply click the Google.com result in Bing. Once on Google, that user might never return to Bing.
MS found a clever, though somewhat deceptive, way to reduce this bounce rate. When users searched for Google on Bing, MS displayed a Google-like homepage featuring a clean layout, a centered search bar, and simple illustrations. Even Bing’s usual search bar remained hidden until the user scrolled.
If you use Google every day, you may recognize that Bing did a convincing job of imitating its homepage. The approach could work on an average user, who might begin typing into Bing’s imitation Google search box and ultimately remain on Bing.
Google is attempting something similar. Despite Edge’s small share of the desktop browser market, Google hopes that repeatedly showing Chrome pop-ups to users visiting its search engine will persuade some of them to switch, supported by a simple message: “Choose Chrome, the browser built by Google.”
Windows Latest depends on readers like you. Make us your preferred source on Google Discover and Google Search, and help our independent reporting reach more people.
