Google Now Asks Edge Users to Switch to Chrome on Windows 11 - Should You?

Open Google.com in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 and you may now get a pop-up asking you to "Choose Chrome, the browser built by Google".

One tap on its Download Chrome button starts downloading the Chrome installer straight away, with no second click.

Microsoft answers back with a banner of its own, so your browser has become a small tug-of-war between the two companies.

The good news is that nothing changes on your PC unless you say so.

What the Pop-Up Actually Does

• It downloads, it does not install. The button saves a small file called ChromeSetup.exe to your Downloads folder, and Chrome only installs if you run it.
• One box is already ticked. On Google's download page, the option to send usage statistics and crash reports to Google is switched on for you.
• Edge pushes back. On that same page, Edge shows a banner saying it "runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft".

Earlier reports say Google has shown similar Choose Chrome cards to people using Brave and Vivaldi too. Neither company has commented on the new pop-up.

Should You Switch?

For most people, it makes little difference. Chrome and Edge are built on the same engine, so websites, extensions and video play the same way in both.

Both are free and both update themselves. If you are happy where you are, there is no reason to move.

If You Do Switch, Do It This Way

• Get the full installer. Our Google Chrome page offers the complete offline setup file, which installs without a live connection.
• Make it your default. Open Windows Settings, then Apps, then Default apps, choose Google Chrome and click Set default.
• Turn off the pre-ticked sharing. In Chrome, open Settings, then You and Google, then Google services, and switch off usage statistics if you would rather not send them.

If You Want to Stay Where You Are

Just close the pop-up and carry on. If the installer already downloaded by accident, delete ChromeSetup.exe from your Downloads folder and nothing else happens.

You can keep using Microsoft Edge with Google as your search engine. The pop-up is a nudge, not a requirement.

If you would rather not pick either company, Mozilla Firefox is the best-known independent choice.

Brave Browser blocks ads out of the box, and you can compare all the free web browsers we host in one place.

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