Microsoft Edge is the default browser in Windows 10 and 11, making it the default app to download Chrome or other browsers. It’s clear that Microsoft is frustrated by this and the company is looking for ever more aggressive ways to push users to stay on Edge.

One such step appeared in the Edge Canary test build: when trying to access Chrome’s download page, the browser first shows a small ad image, and after Chrome loads, a giant banner. The latter tries to convince users that Edge can do all the same things as Chrome, but with “the added trust of Microsoft”, reports Neowin.

It’s hard to say how much such ads can influence users’ decisions, especially after they’ve already downloaded Chrome. To be fair, Microsoft isn’t the only company pushing its browser through dubious advertising.

Google also displays banners to promote Chrome, but they only appear on company sites. Fortunately, Google doesn’t try to insert ads on the Firefox website, and it doesn’t warn you if you use Chrome to download it.

So far, the insertion of an Edge banner ad into a Chrome page has not made it into Microsoft’s final build, and it may never make it, but the company is unlikely to abandon its efforts to retain users, annoying as they may be.