Microsoft is planning to block potentially unwanted apps from being downloaded through its Edge browser. Known as crapware or adware, these apps aren’t necessarily malware but could be toolbars, stuffed with annoying ads or notifications, or bundle crypto miners. Edge already uses a SmartScreen Filter to protect against phishing and malware, but this feature also optionally blocks downloads that contain this potentially unwanted code.
The new feature is appearing in beta builds of Microsoft Edge, which suggests it will roll out to the stable channel soon. Microsoft isn’t enabling this feature by default, though. You’ll need to enable it from the privacy and services part of Edge settings.
Google and Mozilla also offer similar browsing protections for malware and phishing, but Microsoft claims this new Edge feature goes further than Google’s Safe Browsing service. Microsoft used to only supply this protection to enterprise customers using Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection, and it’s now making its way to all businesses and consumers through Edge.
