Microsoft Edge has a sneaky new pop-up that tries to copy your Google Chrome data – 9to5Google

Microsoft is attempting to lure users over to its Edge browser from Google Chrome with a new pop-up that encourages people to import their Chrome browsing data. 9to5Google discovered the pop-up, which prompts users to “Import your browsing data to Microsoft Edge” with options for favorites bookmarks passwords and other settings.

When clicked, this pop-up opens a new tab where Edge begins the data import process after it’s finished the user is met with another pop-up letting them know their browsing data is ready. It appears to be primarily targeted at new Edge users as I was not shown this pop-up on an already-installed Edge profile even after re-downloading the latest version.

While it’s not unusual for browser makers to entice users to switch using importing tools for things like saved passwords or bookmarks Microsoft’s new pop-up is fairly intrusive in that it prompts users to copy their data right after installation without asking if the user wants to actually use Edge. While Microsoft does attempt to alleviate the annoyance of the pop-up by offering to close it with “Don’t show again” it also still tries to encourage the import at any given time.

The import pop-up appears to be a part of Edge’s new Chromium update that includes an experimental feature called “Welcome Hub.” This “hub” attempts to onboard users and is full of marketing messages that point out new and old features in Microsoft Edge. Unfortunately “Welcome Hub” is set to default to being always shown.

This pop-up appears to only be visible in Edge’s stable build as of this moment as it is currently unavailable on Beta Dev or Canary builds. It’s worth noting that the import data button actually prompts the user to copy from “Chrome.” While some might consider the phrasing of the pop-up to be overly persuasive with its emphasis on ease it’s actually rather misleading.

If you’re planning to switch over from Chrome it is always better to start with a fresh new install of Edge as a blank slate than to use a “contaminated” version filled with imported Chrome data that could lead to errors.

I haven’t been shown any new onboarding features in Edge even with it being freshly installed so the “Welcome Hub” pop-up isn’t guaranteed. This new prompt seems like a rather invasive move in Microsoft’s push for its Edge browser to grab more market share with the “copy data” button especially appearing without warning to unsuspecting users.