If you use Google Chrome and open Microsoft Edge sometimes, but then proceed to close it, you might soon see an alert that recommends you pin the browser to the Windows 11 taskbar. This is an internal experiment that may or may not ship, but it makes it obvious that Microsoft really wants you to stop using Google Chrome and open Edge instead.
It’s a well-known fact that Microsoft likes to promote Edge on Windows 11. For example, see the above screenshot. It’s also facing an antitrust complaint by Opera in Brazil for anti-competitive behaviour. I’m not going to get into those, as Google is more culpable in that than Microsoft. But a recent Microsoft Edge experiment caught my attention.
As first spotted by Windows Latest, Edge’s Canary update that began rolling out about two hours ago today, comes with Edge growth flags for a “pin Edge when you close the browser” prompt. The “Pin Microsoft Edge” campaign isn’t exactly new, but the flags have a specific mention of Google Chrome.
We found the new feature flags in Edge Canary, and it could be an internal experiment and may or may not ship to consumers. These feature flags do not work right now.
One flag is called “msOptimizeChromePBSignalForPinningOnCloseCampaigns,” which has an obvious hint “PinningOnClose”. “PBSignal” is an internal behaviour signal used to decide who should see that pop-up. Do you meet the specified internal Chrome threshold to see the alert? If not, you’ll not see it if you exit the browser.
Microsoft doesn’t want to annoy you if you like to use multiple browsers in your workflow, including Edge.
I’m not making up this “Heavy Chrome sure” segment by the way. It’s literally mentioned in another flag called “msPinningCampaignChromeUsageGreaterThan90Trigger.” The campaign does not appear for everyone, but you’ll only see the pop-up to pin Microsoft Edge to the taskbar when Chrome’s usage is greater than 90%.
Now, we don’t know how Microsoft determines Chrome usage. Could it be the default browse stats? Or import signals? Or does Microsoft collect telemetry? We don’t know, and I’m not going to speculate anything here, as these are feature flags that do not work and could be an internal idea that will never ship.
Regardless, the intent is clear. Microsoft wants to show a “pin to taskbar” pop-up for Edge if you use Chrome most of the time.
There’s another variant pin campaign called “msPinningOnCloseCampaignsChromeEngagedUser.”
It targets those who are designated as “Chrome engaged” (either those who use Chrome more frequently than other browsers). Finally, there’s a flag that would target users who do not use Chrome, so it could be more subtle or worded differently.
Perhaps, Microsoft may ask those who use Edge to pin the browser to the taskbar, even if they don’t use Chrome.
Everything suggests that this is an exit-time nudge that asks you to pin Edge to the taskbar/Start. Whether you see it, and which version you see, depends on an internal “should we show this?” signal and on how heavily you use Chrome, with a hard trigger at a “>90% Chrome usage” threshold.
Do you think an experiment that recommends you to pin Microsoft Edge will help improve the browser’s market share in the long run? Let us know in the comments below.
