14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft Edge is Redmond’s new browser, and given it’s based on Chromium, the same engine that powers Google Chrome, it’s now available on Windows, both old and new, and macOS.
At the same time, the new Edge has become the new default Windows 10 browser, replacing the legacy version of the app on this operating system.
But more recently, some users have discovered that the automatic update, which is available on Windows Update and brings Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 devices, sometimes imports data from other browsers without consent.
In other words, once Edge is installed on the device, it’s automatically launched after the first reboot and then starts the first-run experience that can also import data from other browsers.
A number of users, however, found out that if the browser is forced-close from Task Manager, Edge still imports data from other browsers, like Google Chrome and Firefox, even if they didn’t specifically request it. In other words, Edge imports things like history, passwords, and everything else all automatically in the background.
Data that is left behind
Needless to say, the company has been accused of sneakily doing this, but in fact, it’s all residual data that’s not deleted, Microsoft explains in a statement.
“During the first run experience, the customer is presented the opportunity to keep or discard the imported data. This data is discarded if they choose not to proceed with the import. If a customer terminates the new Microsoft Edge browser prematurely during the first run experience (e.g. using Task Manager), residual data may not be fully deleted. We recommend customers not shut down the setup process prematurely to ensure an expected result,” the software giant said recently.
So technically, you should be able to delete the data that’s left behind manually if you don’t agree with Edge importing your browsing files from Chrome or Firefox.