You already know about Microsoft’s desperate ploys to get you to use Edge on Windows 11 — chances are you’re one of the folks who have gone through the test of patience to install Firefox or Google Chrome.

Well, new research by Mozilla reveals that the Redmond crew are not only still up to their old tricks, but getting worse. All kinds of “harmful design” shenanigans are at play here, in order to “not allow people to download and install an alternative browser, to set it as their default, or to continue using it as their default, without harmful interference.”

If only we could only get the same treatment as Windows users get in the EU...

Staying desperate

So what did the research find? Well, Mozilla discovered that a lot of the shady tricks Microsoft was called out for in the past are still happening:

• Visual interference: Searching for different browsers to download in Edge still brings up the “All you need is right here” banner, as well as a banner promoting the browser when you go to Chrome’s download page.
• Default browser selection trickery: There is a button at the top of the default apps screen to change to a different browser, but not every file type is switched over.
• Trick wording: Things like “Use Microsoft’s recommended browser settings,” “You’re almost done setting up your PC” and more still persist.
• Dark patterns: In the setup screens you normally see a few days later, Edge-preferential options are shown as big blue buttons, whereas keeping the same settings is usually smaller, greyed-out text.

And that’s just a few of the many different harmful patterns Mozilla found — including Copilot opening links in Edge instead of your default browser, pre-selecting checkboxes to sync data to Edge, and resetting it as the default browser when you migrate from Windows 10 to 11.

Just make a better browser

It screams “inferiority complex” if I’m being real, which is a shame because Edge is indeed a good browser. It runs on the same Chromium engine as Chrome (to support all the same extensions), but also has some efficiencies built into it to not drain the battery as badly.

But this aggressive lock-in, some high RAM resource usage in the background and the clutter of Copilot and MSN news does make it falter. It’s not like Microsoft doesn't have a history of doing this — they were taken to court over an antitrust lawsuit in 1998 for bundling Internet Explorer with Windows and making it difficult to install a competing browser.

The only difference now is that users are committed enough to jump through those hoops to get to their favorite browsers. I mean “Google Chrome” is one of the most searched terms on Bing after all!

If you want to compete, build something better. Don’t go about it this way.

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There's a major change coming to Microsoft Edge today that removes the Master Password.

In a press release shared with TechRadar Pro, NordVPN said that as of today (June 4), Edge would be retiring the master password feature. It will be replaced by device-based authentication like Windows Hello, which is more secure than a master password. This comes shortly after Microsoft decided to drop passwords as the default option for new Microsoft accounts.

According to the VP of engineering at NordPass, Ignas Valancius, biometrics like fingerprint or facial recognition (along with PINs) are more secure. The VP rightly states that folks who manage too many passwords tend to reuse them or make simple changes like swapping a letter or number (things I'm certainly guilty of).

Naturally, if someone with malicious intent has a hold of one password, they could potentially have access to all of a person's data if said person used the same password everywhere. Moving away from a master password for more secure login methods is more logical.

If you already use Windows Hello, then you can log in with your Windows device's login. This latter authentication method is the best way to go since it doesn't have to send data over the internet.

The NordVPN exec says he expects backlash as some folks are set in their ways when it comes to passwords. For those unhappy about this change, you can still use services like LastPass, which still has a master password.

I use LastPass myself, but I certainly see the benefit of passwordless authentication, such as fingerprint readers or facial recognition. Even if some users grumble about this change, it seems ultimately for the best.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'Concentrate on keeping it simple': Bill Gates wanted PCs to be straightforward, and Windows 11’s AI push is a betrayal
• Windows 11 is getting 3 new features in a major quality of life update — is Microsoft starting to pull back on AI slop?
• Microsoft is reportedly 'pulling back' on stuffing Windows 11 with AI — and I couldn't be happier

Microsoft Edge apparently saves your passwords in its memory as cleartext according to a Norwegian cybersecurity researcher. This matters because it means a malicious actor could see all of your passwords if they gain access to your PC.

Update: Microsoft provided Tom's Guide with a statement, read on for the company's response.

The researcher, Tom Jøran Sønstebyseter Rønning (spotted by our friends at PC Gamer), posted a thread on X explaining how the browser decrypts "every credential at startup" and then keeps them in process memory. It even happens for sites that you don't visit that session.

"Edge is the only Chromium‑based browser I’ve tested that behaves this way," Rønning said.

To be clear, this isn't available for anyone to just stumble across. You need some know-how and administrative access to the terminal server, already a huge breach. Once that is done, a bad actor "can access the memory of all logged‑on user processes."

A person could have administrative access on one account and then use that access to compromise passwords for other logged-in users too.

Yes, someone with admin rights can wreak havoc on any computer they have access to, but you typically need passwords to access password managers or two-factor authentication. Cleartext means that passwords are more visible and in a shared environment, that would be a treasure trove for a bad actor.

"Access to browser data as described in the reported scenario would require the device to already be compromised," a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement.

"By design"

Rønning posted that he disclosed this flaw to Microsoft and was told that the behavior is "by design." And it appears to be known.

In a related thread, X user LopezLucio666 responded that they reported the flaw in September of 2025. According to a screencap they posted, the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) deemed the flaw "not a vulnerability and no security boundary being crossed."

The message says that the ability to read Edge memory requires privileges "the same or greater."

Microsoft has a password manager security FAQ that does sort of address the issue. "Even if an attacker has admin rights or offline access and can get to the locally stored data, the system is designed to prevent the attacker from getting the plaintext passwords of a user who isn't logged in."

This doesn't do anything for users who are logged in, though.

Microsoft told Tom's Guide that design choices regarding this involve "balancing performance, usability and security, and we continue to review it against evolving threats."

The company added that the browser's access to password data in memory allows you to sign in quickly and securely, an "expected feature of the application."

Per Rønning and others' research, the system may not be doing enough to prevent attackers from being able to access the cleartext passwords.

In the meantime, we recommend using one of the best password managers instead of storing them in Edge or any other browser for that matter.

Microsoft statement

More from Tom's Guide

• Microsoft is hiding Windows 11's 'eyes' — here's how to find Copilot Vision (and fully delete it)
• Microsoft reportedly redesigning Start Menu in Windows 11 after actually listening to user complaints
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Three things in life are certain: death, taxes and Microsoft continuing to push its Edge browser onto users. Now, the company is at it again, this time with a new feature in the Teams app for iOS and Android.

Microsoft has announced a new "Links in Teams" feature that will prompt users to choose a browser when opening non-Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and PDF links in the Teams app. The update's goal? "Encouraging" the use of Microsoft Edge.

This affects all users of Microsoft Teams on iPhone and Android, with the feature rolling out to all by default in late February. As noted, the Redmond tech giant will be monitoring Microsoft Edge installation rates and retention, along with user satisfaction, during the rollout of the new feature.

Yet another push for Edge

Microsoft has been trying to push its Edge browser on all platforms for years, so much so that the Digital Markets Act in Europe forced Microsoft to stop prompting Windows users to set Edge as their default browser. Now, the company has found a new way to tempt users to switch browsers.

With Links in Teams, whenever you tap on a link in chats that's not from Microsoft's suite of Office apps, or just a PDF, a (you guessed it) pop-up will appear at the bottom of the screen, giving users the option to choose a browser.

Of course, Microsoft Edge will be an option, even when the browser isn't installed. If you select Edge, you will then be taken to the App Store or Play Store to download it. It's another way for the company to force its Edge browser to be a prominent option, despite links in Teams already opening up in users' default browsers.

“Using Teams to push users toward Edge, rather than honoring their browser preferences, introduces unnecessary hurdles that override consumer choice," a Browser Choice Alliance representative shared with Tom's Guide. "Microsoft should stand on the side of users instead of expanding its campaign to lock out competing browsers.”

Microsoft is promoting Edge with its support for "Single Sign-On (SSO), Copilot, and enhanced security," including its Copilot Mode released last year. Teams is Microsoft's own communication platform, so it makes sense that the company would include its browser as an option, but it's no secret that the Redmond giant is relentless when it comes to introducing new ways to push Edge, and this is another sticking point.

A quick way to stop it

Fortunately, Microsoft Edge isn't automatically chosen as the default browser in Teams. A new Links in Teams setting will be available once the update rolls out, allowing users their choice of browser before being prompted.

Once available, just follow these steps:

• Open the Microsoft Teams app.
• Tap the profile icon in the top-left corner of the app.
• Tap Settings.
• Select Links in Teams.
• Choose your default browser of choice.

As before, Microsoft Edge will appear as an option even if you don't have the app downloaded, and if this is chosen, you will be prompted to download it. Notably, it doesn't appear like other browsers are options, like Google Chrome, Opera, Firefox and more.

Microsoft notes that IT admins in organizations can disable the feature via PowerShell if needed, especially if companies already make use of specific browsers.

According to Statcounter, Google Chrome continues to dominate as the leading browser at over 70%, with Edge far behind at 4%. Clearly, Microsoft wants Edge to be widely adopted, and only time will tell if its latest campaign with Links in Teams will make a difference.

More from Tom's Guide

• 'Concentrate on keeping it simple': Bill Gates wanted PCs to be straightforward, and Windows 11’s AI push is a betrayal
• Windows 11 is getting 3 new features in a major quality of life update — is Microsoft starting to pull back on AI slop?
• Microsoft is reportedly 'pulling back' on stuffing Windows 11 with AI — and I couldn't be happier

A new malicious browser extension has been discovered that along with two others, are designed to steal credentials, take over browsers and more. Discovered by security researchers at Koi Security, all three extensions are believed to be created by the same threat actor and put millions of Chrome, Edge and Firefox users at risk.

This most recent malware has been dubbed Zoom Stealer and its uses 18 different extensions to steal online meeting information like URLs, embedded passwords, meeting IDs, schedule times, registration status, topics and descriptions. These extensions affect up to 2.2 million Chrome, Firefox and Edge users and are specifically designed to imitate enterprise level tools for video conferencing apps like Google Meet and Zoom.

The extensions, which succeed specifically because they perform as advertised and have positive reviews, also silently run surveillance in the background to exfiltrate details of the meeting like links, participant lists and credentials using a WebSocket connection. If a users visits a webinar registration page with one of the malicious extensions installed in their browser, the threat actors can harvest all sorts of data including information about the speakers, the hosts and the session metadata.

The Zoom Stealer campaign is the third rolled out from the threat actor known as DarkSpectre. The first, known as ShadyPanda, was found by the same researchers last month and was used to commit fraud, hijack search queries and carry out data theft from more than five million users. The second campaign, known as GhostPoster, used hidden malicious JavaScript code inside logo files in order to gain full control over a browser.

How to stay safe from malicious browser extensions

As with any other malicious extension, if you've downloaded anything that you suspect isn't entirely legitimate, you should remove it immediately.

After removing a problematic extension, you should always reset your account passwords – often, the recommendation is for all your high profile accounts like your email, online banking and social media ones too. Since this could be a hassle, you should use one of the best password managers to make it easier since many can update compromised passwords for you. A password manager can also help keep your passwords organized, safe and can automatically generate strong and unique passwords for each of your online accounts.

I also always recommend using the best antivirus software as well. An antivirus program may not have caught these malicious extensions, but they can scan for malware, spyware and viruses to help you deal with the fallout from a campaign like this one. Antivirus programs also have browser extensions that can warn you when you try to visit suspicious websites, help protect your data with cloud backups and can provide you with a VPN and other extras to add an extra layer of security to protect you when you're online.

Given how effective malicious extensions like the ones described above have been in the past, I highly doubt cybercriminals are going to stop using them soon. Instead, it's up to you to remain vigilant when it comes to downloading and using new browser extensions. When in doubt though, consider whether or not you really need a particular extension before downloading and adding it to your browser.

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The internet is designed to collect your data. Whether it's cookies, trackers, or permissions, your data is always up for grabs – and your browser is one of the most guilty suspects.

One of the best VPNs, Surfshark, has analyzed 10 of the most popular mobile internet browsers to determine how much data each one collects.

Google Chrome collects the most data by far, and 30% of the browsers analyzed share your data with third-parties.

Safari also collects a large amount of data, and together with Chrome, the two occupy 90% of the mobile browser market share. That's a lot of data.

But not every browser analyzed collects huge amounts of data, and there are steps that can be taken to avoid mass data collection – here's what you need to know.

This article was edited on May 19, 2025, to clarify "coarse" location data and its implications.

20 different data types

Surfshark's research found that Google Chrome was the most data-hungry browser, collecting 20 different data types.

Contact information, financial details, location, browsing history, usage data, and identifiers are just some of the data Chrome collects. It is thanks in part to the Google ecosystem, with Google Drive, Maps, and Mail all seamlessly integrated into the browser.

Chrome is the only browser analyzed that collects financial information such as payment methods, card numbers, and bank account details. It's also the only one to collect contacts from the user's phone or address book. However, it is worth noting that some of this information is provided voluntarily by users – having Chrome remember card details for example.

Bing was the second-hungriest browser, collecting 12 data types. Pi Browser was third, collecting nine types of data. Safari and Firefox were tied for fourth place, each collecting eight data types.

Some browsers are better than others

The average number of data types collected across the 10 browsers was six, and only two browsers collected fewer data types than this.

The privacy-focused browser, Brave, collected only two data types – identifiers and usage data.

The Tor Browser was by far the most secure browser analyzed, collecting no data. Tor is a decentralized network designed to protect user anonymity and prevent tracking. It's certainly not the fastest or feature-packed browser, but is an excellent choice for maximizing privacy and security.

DuckDuckGo and Firefox are two browsers that have decent privacy credentials, and Surfshark rated their data collection as "moderate" – Opera also falls into this category.

They avoid collecting sensitive data, but do collect contact information, identifiers, usage data, and diagnostics.

They could be seen as browsers for those with moderate privacy concerns who still require robust browsing capabilities.

Third-party data sharing

30% of the browsers analyzed shared data with third-parties. Data is collected for advertising purposes, with Opera, Bing, and Pi Browser being able to do so.

40% of browsers were also found to have the capability to collect your location. However, Surfshark's data needs a little clarification, here.

Bing was the only browser to collect precise location data, which is a big red flag.

Safari, Chrome, and Opera are stated to collect "coarse" location data.

In human terms, collecting a user's "coarse" location means that the user can give consent to the browser to know their location, but it is not necessarily active by default.

This does not mean that these browsers are tracking your every move, and they require you to accept these terms before any location data is stored.

Given Opera's reputation as a privacy-focused browser, we asked them about these findings.

Michael Tegos, Product Marketing Manager, Privacy and Security, at Opera said it is open about its data collection and does so in order to "make better browsers" and monetize its free products. It details the data collected in its privacy statement.

"We do this only upon consent and in such a way that our users remain anonymous to us, through the use of randomized user IDs that are not associated with any real-world identity," Tegos added.

Opera users can revoke this consent at any time through their browser settings, and all data collection can be opted out of – which is more than can be said for many other browsers.

Tegos also highlighted Opera's built-in Ad Blocker and Tracker Blocker, as well as its built-in VPN.

"Opera VPN is also a no-log service, meaning that it never collects or stores user data," said Tegos.

"Our no-log policy has been independently audited by Deloitte, a trusted auditor of VPN services. We also publish a bi-annual Transparency Report, outlining how many requests for data we get from law enforcement authorities."

First steps to take

Tomas Stamulis, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark, shared initial steps users can take to secure their personal data.

• Allow permissions: Storage (to save downloads), a camera and microphone if you use video calls.
• Deny or restrict permissions: Location, contacts, SMS, and phone access – unless absolutely required.
• On Android: Use “Only While Using App” or “Ask Every Time” when granting permissions like location or microphone.
• Choose privacy-focused browsers that collect data strictly necessary for browsing.
• Turn off the personalization settings on your browser app: Syncing with your Google/Microsoft account, Ad personalization, Activity tracking (location history, web & app activity)
• On Android: Go to Settings > Privacy > Ads > Opt out of ad personalization
• Revisit app permissions monthly – many apps request more than they need over time.

"In public, it is often explained that browsers collect the data to personalize and improve a user's experience," Stamulis said.

"If we rely on this explanation, it appears that the more data you provide, the smoother and seamless your browsing should be. In any case, this study from Surfshark is a reminder to look through your browser app permissions," he added.

Use a VPN and a tracker blocker

In order to protect your data when browsing, you might want to consider using a VPN. Your data and internet traffic is encrypted, plus your IP address is masked.

Leading, reputable VPN providers will not log or share your data, keeping it safe from hackers and third-parties. Verified no-logs policies back these claims up, and Windscribe's recent legal case proved just how important they can be.

Some VPNs offer tracker, ad, and malware protection as part of their plans. NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro is a good example of this, and has been named as the best VPN malware protection.

But VPNs alone can't protect you from every single piece of data collection or trackers. Therefore, using a dedicated tracker blocker alongside a VPN is a great way to ensure your data is not tracked.

These products often include an ad-blocker as well, with Ghostery and uBlock Origin being some popular choices.

Google Chrome has recently U-turned on its use of trackers. Considering its global popularity, there will be many people who could benefit from tracker protection.

Switch to a secure browser

Surfshark's research shows Brave is a safe choice for those seeking a more familiar browsing experience. Its design is similar to Chrome and it's packed full of features. Despite having the capability of collecting a little more data, Opera is also a good choice for those looking to increase privacy due to its clear, consent-based model.

For total anonymity, the Tor Browser is best. However, its speeds are not the fastest and you won't get nearly as many features as mainstream browsers.

Vivaldi is a browser Surfshark didn't analyze but it's another solid privacy-focused choice. Vivaldi has also partnered with Proton VPN, and Proton VPN Free is now offered as a Vivaldi browser extension.

Mullvad VPN has built its own browser, in partnership with the Tor Project. Mullvad is one of the most private VPNs and its browser is no different. It's also open source and free to use – whether you're a Mullvad VPN user or not.

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary this week, and to mark the occasion the company hosted a special Copilot-focused event at its headquarters in Redmond.

It's notable that Microsoft marked its 50th by talking up Copilot, the AI-enhanced assistant now built into Windows, Word, PowerPoint and other Microsoft products.

The company got its start in the '70s selling BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800 that let owners program in BASIC instead of the 8800's native machine code; now, 50 years later, it's still selling software aimed at making it easier to use your PC.

The difference is, nowadays, nobody needs to know how to code in order to buy a PC and use it at home. Microsoft and its flagship Windows operating system have been at the vanguard of the home computing revolution, for better and for worse, and much of our modern tech industry owes its shape to Microsoft's 50 years of triumph and tribulations.

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to take this opportunity to look back at the best and worst moments of Microsoft's 50-year run.

The best moments of Microsoft's first 50 years

Windows 95

I don't know about you, but I loved Windows 95. I was maybe ten years old when it shipped in the summer of 1995, and back then the arrival of the Start button was a revelation.

It's hard to remember now, but there was a time when Windows didn't have a taskbar, a Start button or any desktop shortcuts. These innovations were all popularized by Windows 95, and if they were a bit too reminiscent of Apple's macOS, well, that controversy was put to bed in '97 when Microsoft bailed Apple out of financial trouble.

Love it or hate it, Windows 95 set the tone for the 30 years of Windows to come. Microsoft may move the taskbar and Start menu around a bit, but it has yet to surpass the fundamental design elements it established 30 years ago.

Microsoft invests $150 million in Apple

The August 1997 issue of TIME Magazine looks a lot different than what you see on newsstands today because it shows something that feels rare these days: the leader of a powerful company expressing gratitude and humbly asking for help.

However the photographers staged it, though the cover was based on a true story: Steve Jobs reached out to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates in 1997 to ask for help. Apple had been on a losing run and needed money bad, or it was in danger of shuttering.

Apple was also engaged in a lawsuit against Microsoft at the time for (among other things) allegedly ripping off macOS with the look and feel of Windows. So when Jobs got in touch with Gates, he was able to negotiate a $150 million investment for Apple (along with the promise of Microsoft supporting Office for Mac for at least a few years) in return for non-voting shares in Apple and an agreement that the company would drop its lawsuit against Microsoft.

Nearly 30 years later, it's remarkable to think Apple (and the iPhone, the iPad and the best MacBooks yet) might not exist today if not for Microsoft and Gates' investment in the '90s.

Halo

Now, Microsoft didn't invent Halo—Bungie did.

But in 1999 Microsoft swooped in to buy Bungie just in time to lock down Halo as an exclusive launch game for its first game console, the Xbox. That must have really peeved the folks at Apple, since Bungie had first unveiled Halo at Macworld Expo 1999 as a game for Mac and Windows PCs.

Whatever you think of Microsoft's business strategies, it's hard to argue this purchase didn't define Microsoft's game business for decades. Halo and its Master Chief protagonist were treated like the de facto mascot of the Xbox business, and while the games haven't been as popular lately as they were in their heyday, they remain one of Microsoft's most popular and enduring franchises.

Of course, Bungie bought its freedom from Microsoft in 2007 and has been deeply focused on its Destiny games for years now. But after Sony acquired Bungie for $6.3 billion in 2022 it remains unclear what the company will work on next.

Xbox 360 launch party

Remember console launch events?

If you're old enough you might remember the fervor that surrounded the Xbox 360's launch in late 2005. Microsoft threw two separate parties in November to hype up the console launch: a small, posh gathering for celebrities in Beverly Hills and a big launch event in the Palmdale desert for the rest of us.

A cavalcade of fans descended on the desert hangar for the Xbox 360 Zero Hour launch event, and lots of photos were shared of a huge dusty hangar filled with TV screens ringed by bean bag chairs.

I think what most of us remember from this shindig now though is all the photos of celebrities like Bow Wow, Justin Timberlake and Snoop Dogg playing launch games on the Xbox 360. It was an extravagant event of the type we rarely see any more, and one of the most memorable moments in Microsoft's history.

Clippy

Clippy is a good thing, right?

I'm still on the fence, I suppose, but I can't argue with the cultural staying power of this anthropomorphic paperclip. We first met Clippy back in 1997 as Clippet, the animated assistant for Microsoft Office.

The little animated paperclip was one of many assistants you could enable when using Microsoft Office products, but he proved to be the one that most people grew to love to hate for constantly nagging you with suggestions like "it looks like you're writing a letter. Would you like help?"

People grew so fond of hating on Clippit/Clippy that four years later Microsoft integrated the death of Clippy into its marketing for Office XP 2001. The company made a point of saying its new productivity software was so easy to use you wouldn't need to be bothered by Clippy, and the character faded into the realm of myth and memes.

Fast forward to today though and Microsoft continues to bring Clippy back to promote its other services. A few years ago a Clippy sticker pack was added to Microsoft Teams, and Microsoft released a commemorative wallpaper (above) featuring Clippy.

Could the little paperclip that won't die return one day as an actually useful AI-powered assistant? We'll have to wait and see!

Metro Design language

If you're not familiar with Metro, I forgive you—it's the sort of thing only tech nerds cared about when Microsoft debuted new interfaces sporting the Metro design language on the Zune and the Windows Phone 7.

If you missed experiencing the tile-centric Metro design language on Windows Phone, you might remember it better from the interface of the Xbox 360 and Windows 8.

I first encountered it with Windows 8, and I have to admit I kind of loved the colorful, tile-based design language. It almost convinced me to ditch my iPhone for a Windows phone, and maybe if I had we'd still have Windows phones today. C'est la vie!

Internet Explorer

It's hard to remember these days, but there was a time when Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser was a big deal.

Admittedly, for me that time was the late '90s, but what a time they were! I was a kid and it felt like if you opened a web browser, you could find all sorts of novel and interesting things—you just had to know where to look.

It also felt like Internet Explorer was everywhere, too, which makes sense since Microsoft edged out Netscape in the browser market by making Internet Explorer the de facto browser that came with Windows. The rest is history, and nowadays so is Internet Explorer—Microsoft ended support for it in 2022 in favor of its new browser, Microsoft Edge.

Windows Hello

If you're not familiar, Windows Hello is Microsoft's branding for the suite of biometric authentication features built into Windows. And while I totally understand if you're not a fan of Microsoft logging your fingerprint or a scan of your face, I can't pretend it hasn't been a game-changer for Windows users.

I know because I've been using Windows PCs for over thirty years, and I've been reviewing them professionally for over a decade. And while I regularly disable Windows Hello when reviewing laptops for convenience reasons, for machines I own, I value the option to be able to log in with just a look or a finger press.

Zune

If you don't remember the Zune, you weren't paying much attention to Microsoft in the early 2000s. And maybe that's a good thing, because a lot of customers were underwhelmed by the portable music player meant to be Microsoft's iPod competitor.

While it started as a line of portable media players (designed in conjunction with Toshiba), Microsoft eventually expanded the brand with a Zune music subscription service, a video distribution service and Zune software and services for Windows and the Xbox 360.

It was quite a time to be alive and listening to music, and I'm sure I saw a Zune or two on my college campus. But by 2011 the writing was on the wall, and by 2012 Microsoft shut down all things Zune and rebranded its media distribution services with Xbox branding.

"Developers! Developers! Developers!"

Former Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer went viral '90s style for his sweaty paean to developers onstage at a Microsoft event, and decades later it's still one of the most memorable moments in the company's history.

Ballmer was well-known for his passion and energy on the job, and a cursory Google search will turn up at least a few videos of him strutting, bouncing and shouting during company presentations. But this clip of him (captured during a 1999 NET Conference) screaming about the importance of third-party developers remains The Clip people share the most about Ballmer and Microsoft, over 25 years later.

3D Pinball

If you were using Windows 95 back in the day you might remember the Microsoft Plus! pack, a $49 add-on pack for Windows 95 that came with new software and utilities, new features for Windows (like themes!) and, most importantly, a specially licensed version of the Space Cadet digital pinball table from Cinematronics' Full Tilt! Pinball.

Technically Full Tilt! Pinball included 3 different pinball tables, but you could be forgiven for not knowing that because so many of us only ever played this game as "3D Pinball for Windows - Space Cadet", so we only ever played the Space Cadet table.

And you know what, it was great! Here at Tom's Guide some of us immediately remembered "3D Pinball for Windows" with remarkable fondness, so imagine my surprise when I did some digging and found that not only did Full Tilt include the Space Cadet table, it also offered Dragon's Keep and Skulduggery tables!

These games are no longer easily available to purchase, but with some digging you can find free recreations online or on mobile app stores if you want to indulge in a bit of nostalgic fun.

Forza Horizon 5

Look, some of us just really love Forza.

Personally I think I enjoyed Turn 10 Studios' Forza Horizon 4 more simply for its countryside setting, but I've played a ton of Forza Horizon 5 and I think it's easily one of the best things coming out of Microsoft right now.

If you haven't played it yet, what sets Forza Horizon 5 apart from most other racing games is its open-ended design. You choose your car and race around a fictionalized digital Mexico exploring the terrain, finding upgrades and entering races at your own pace.

Personally, Forza Horizon reignited my love of driving a manual car such that when it was time for me to buy a new ride after 10+ years of going car-free, I started test-driving cars in Forza before I booked appointments at used car lots. It probably wasn't the most accurate way to get a feel for a car, but the steering and shifting feel so good in Forza that I genuinely felt like I was getting a feel for the real thing. What a game.

The worst moments of Microsoft's 50 years

Microsoft Kin One and Kin Two smartphones

Microsoft has tried and failed several times to launch a successful phone business, but the Kin One and Kin Two were perhaps the worst examples.

Way back in April 2010 the company unveiled these two Kin smartphones simultaneously and promoted them as "social phones" that were focused on social networking. Their home screen was the "Loop", which aggregated your social media feeds, and the phones also automatically backed up your messages, photos and videos to a Kin Studio online platform where you could review them on other platforms.

The Kin Two (pictured) was a bigger and more capable version of the Kin One, with a better camera and more storage, but neither phone sold well and Microsoft discontinued them both within two months of launch.

Gone too soon? Maybe not—because Verizon brought them back on the market with slightly different names, less features and a lower price. But within a year these new models (branded Kin OneM and Kin TwoM) were also off the market, and we've not seen the company touch the Kin brand since.

Windows Vista

Microsoft dropped Vista on us in 2007 as the sequel to Windows XP, and it didn't go as well as the company hoped.

Sure, Vista introduced some useful upgrades over XP, including DirectX 10, Windows Speech Recognition and that glassy-looking Aero design language. Heck, I really liked the look of it after XP.

But the cost for many early adopters was worse game performance than XP along with a metric ton of annoying notifications from the then-new User Account Control security feature.

Microsoft eventually fixed some of the flaws in Vista by releasing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 a year later, but even that rollout was plagued by technical issues.

Microsoft Edge

I don't actually have a problem with the performance of Microsoft Edge. I think it's a completely serviceable web browser, and Microsoft makes it pretty easy to bring your bookmarks and other data into Edge from Google Chrome and other browsers.

No, I have a problem with how desperate and needy Microsoft is willing to appear in order to try and keep people from downloading other browsers—and specifically Chrome.

If you haven't noticed this, try downloading a copy of Chrome using Edge. I do this basically every week when I'm setting up a new laptop or desktop for review, and every time I have to close at least one nagging notification from Edge begging me not to stop using it. Not only do they not keep me using Edge, they actively make me want to stop using it because developers waste time coding nagging pop-ups into it instead of working to improve the browser.

Windows 8

When Windows 8 debuted in 2012 Microsoft touted it as the most touch-friendly Windows yet and honestly, it was—but so few of us enjoyed touching it that it was hard to feel excited about using Windows during this dark period.

Of course Windows 8 brought us a lot of new things we now think of as integral to the operating system, including the Microsoft Defender antivirus, OneDrive (then branded SkyDrive) and a Microsoft Store full of Windows apps.

But they were a lot less useful back then, and Microsoft reportedly sold far fewer Windows 8 licenses at launch than it expected. The company tried to make amends by releasing Windows 8.1 a year later with some much-needed improvements (including new options to customize the Start menu, which I hated), but it wasn't enough to redeem this disappointing OS.

Microsoft Surface RT

These days Microsoft's Surface laptops and tablets are pretty great for getting things done on the go. But when the original Surface launched in 2012, it was a big disappointment.

Much like the Zune, the Surface was initially pitched as a competitor to a popular Apple product: the iPad. The first Surface was designed in-house by Microsoft and arrived running Windows RT, so it became common to refer to this model as the Surface RT.

I'll hold my thoughts on Windows RT for the next entry, but even if it had arrived running a different version of Windows I doubt the first Surface would have been a success. While I and many others loved the design, the Nvidia Tegra 3 T30 chip and 2GB of RAM in the Surface RT just weren't enough to run Windows RT or many programs very well.

Microsoft eventually cut the price of the Surface RT a year after launch, but not before taking almost $1 billion in losses on the device. But the company didn't give up on the brand, and these days Surface hardware (including my favorite, the Surface Laptop Studio 2) is actually pretty capable.

Windows RT

Windows RT was originally named Windows on Arm, for good reason: it was a simplified version of Windows 8 designed to run on Arm-based chipsets.

Microsoft launched it in 2012 alongside Windows 8, and the original Surface was such a prominent flagship for the OS that we all started calling it the Surface RT. The problem is, Windows RT came with a lot of limitations that made it ideal for putting on a kid's tablet but terrible for a power user.

The UEFI Secure Boot safeguard was permanently enabled in Windows RT, for example, which makes it impossible to install other operating systems on the device. And the OS initially did not ship with support for Microsoft Outlook, though that was fixed with an update a year later.

But the biggest failure of Windows RT was that it was limited to Arm-based devices at a time when anyone shopping for a portable PC could pretty easily find a more capable Intel-based device for the same price—and those devices could run a full version of Windows 8.

Of course, these days Windows 11 not only runs on Arm, it runs great, helping the best Windows laptops enjoy the battery-sipping benefits of an Arm-based Snapdragon chipset while still taking full advantage of Windows' features. But to get here, we had to go through the dark days of Windows RT.

Xbox Kinect

When Microsoft brought Steven Spielberg onstage during its E3 2009 press conference to talk up the game-changing potential of "Project Natal", we listened.

But when the Xbox 360 peripheral debuted a year later as the Xbox Kinect, it proved to be a lot less reliable and capable than Microsoft promised. Sure, it was fun to mess around in the Kinect Adventures pack-in game, and some super-fun uses of the tech were implemented in games like Fruit Ninja and Gunslinger.

And of course, who can forget Kinect Star Wars' cover of Jason Derulo's "Ridin' Solo"?

But when Microsoft unveiled a better Kinect 2.0 alongside the Xbox One and first claimed, then backtracked that it would be required in order to use the console, the writing was on the wall.

A Kinect was still included in every Xbox One box, but developer support dried up, good Kinect games stopped showing up on store shelves and by 2017 the innovative peripheral was scrapped entirely.

Xbox One reveal

Speaking of the death of the Kinect, let's revisit the Xbox One launch.

At the time I thought for sure it would be Microsoft's most confusingly-named console, but that was before we met the Xbox Series S and Series X. Many of us in the press were also confused by Microsoft's big unveiling of the Xbox One in 2013, when then-Microsoft exec Don Mattrick talked it up as your all-in-one living room entertainment device.

Sure, games were part of the plan, but Mattrick leaned so heavily into talking up the console's HDMI pass-through port and functionality as a TV entertainment center that many Xbox fans thought the company had forsaken the business of making games in favor of making a set-top box with an Xbox logo.

The company responded to the negative reception of the Xbox One by talking up all the games slated to launch on the system and promising not to require the afore-mentioned Kinect pack-in in order to use the console, but the damage was done and Mattrick left the company later that year.

Game for Windows Live

Games for Windows Live was such a disappointment.

I was there when Microsoft launched it in 2007 as Windows' answer to the Xbox Live service, and while it was neat to be able to log into your Xbox Live account on your Windows PC it rarely brought much benefit.

Sure, in some Windows Live games (like Fallout 3) you could log in with your Xbox account, then use console commands to cheat your way to getting all the game's achievements (and the accompanying 1,000 Gamerscore points) in seconds. But in many games, GFWL felt like an unnecessary addition that was a hassle to deal with and an annoyance when Microsoft finally stopped supporting it.

Of course, it took the company ages to admit that it was no longer doing anything with the service and longer still to officially wind it down. But by 2018 you could no longer buy games on the Games for Windows Live Marketplace, and by 2022 it was no longer functioning at all.

Windows Phone

Microsoft has tried and failed to launch a lot of mobile products, but perhaps none are closer to my heart than Windows Phone.

This mobile operating system from Microsoft launched in 2010 as Windows Phone 7, and it brought that colorful tile-centric Metro design language to phones from the likes of HTC and LG.

There were some real issues and limitations with the OS, but Microsoft worked hard to improve it and managed to launch Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 10 on all sorts of phones, most notably Nokia's Lumia line.

The partnership was apparently so critical that Microsoft bought Nokia's mobile phone business in 2013 for over $7 billion. But Windows Phones failed to gain enough traction in the market to meaningfully compete with Android and Apple phones, and by 2017 Microsoft had given up on Windows Phone. Gone too soon!

Comic Sans

Microsoft is responsible for a fair few fonts, but for my money none have done more damage to society at large than Comic Sans MS.

Look, I love a funny sign as much as the next guy. But when former Microsoft staffer Vincent Connare designed Comic Sans in 1994 I can't imagine he knew what he was about to unleash.

The font debuted in the same Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 add-on pack that brought us 3D Pinball for Windows - Space Cadet, which gives you a sense of how momentous those old Windows update packs were. Worse, you had to pay $49 for the pack, so the first people to use Comic Sans were paying for the privilege.

Surface Neo

Back in 2019 Microsoft gave a full-throated presentation of the Surface Neo, a dual-screen Windows device that sported two 9-inch touchscreens married by a 360-degree hinge.

The Neo was supposedly going to ship in 2020 with a pen and keyboard that could magnetically attach to the device, but it never materialized. Instead, we heard constant rumors about it as Microsoft first backtracked on its 2020 release date, then reportedly pushed it into 2021 as the pandemic impacted industries worldwide.

The company did manage to release a dual-screen phone in 2020 in the form of the Microsoft Surface Duo, but it wasn't quite the dual-screen Windows tablet that the Neo was meant to be.

And it's too bad, because right now we're just starting to see companies like Asus and Lenovo ship dual-screen laptops (like the Asus Zenbook Duo) that actually feel usable and valuable, especially if you love using multiple monitors. Pour one out for the Surface Neo—you died too soon.

The United States v. Microsoft Corp ruling

I'm a '90s kid from the States, so when I was growing up I heard a lot about former (then current) U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. And one of the big things that happened during her tenure kicked off in 1993, when the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating Microsoft for alleged antitrust violations.

The central complaint ties back to an earlier entry in this list: Internet Explorer was included with every copy of Windows sold, and that caused it to gain a large userbase very quickly and dominate competitors like Netscape Navigator.

When the case went to trial in 1998, the prosecution argued that Microsoft had effectively set up a monopoly by giving away a free copy of Internet Explorer with every copy of Windows. Microsoft argued that Internet Explorer was a feature of Windows rather than a separate program, but by 1999 the presiding judge ruled that Microsoft had effectively created a monopoly (illegal under the Sherman Antitrust Act) and by 2000 the Court was calling for the company to be broken up into separate units.

That never happened, of course, because Microsoft mounted a successful appeal and managed to assuage the court by paying settlement fees and making some key changes to its software and business practices.

Even if you don't remember this case you've probably heard about it or seen its impact, because it was a landmark antitrust ruling that continues to be cited in court cases even as the impact on Microsoft continues to influence the tech industry.

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If you’re already a fan of Microsoft’s Edge, or if you have a newer computer user in the house, you’ll want to know about the browser’s latest feature: a scareware blocker.

This new built-in security feature aims to keep users from falling for malware that attempts to trick them into giving out personal or financial information by filling their screens with flashing banners or full-screen alerts designed to scare them into taking action.

Since many internet users are savvy enough to recognize scareware for what it is, many browsers – like Chrome – don’t have a scareware blocker. However, scareware can be unnerving for new users or those who don’t know how to escape out of a full-screen attack which may cause menus or toolbars to vanish or use audio to confuse a user into calling a fraudulent support line where the information they provide will be used by scammers.

Microsoft first announced it was working on a scareware blocker for Edge last November at the 2024 Ignite Conference, and this week the company rolled out details about how the feature works as well as the preview function. The blog post accompanying this preview release was quick to point out that all users can close out of a full-screen scareware page by pressing and holding the ESC key – even if they haven’t enabled a scareware blocker.

Users who would like to try out the scareware blocker can do so by making sure that previews are allowed and that Edge is fully up-to-date. You can check this by clicking the three dot icon at the top right, selecting Help and Feedback in the menu, then About Microsoft Edge and then downloading the latest version of the browser and restarting. You should then see the scareware blocker preview listed under “Privacy Search and Services.”

The Scareware blocker compares that tries to open full-screen with thousands of sample scans; to do so, it uses machine learning that runs locally on your computer, and doesn’t save or send any images to the cloud. If the blocker suspects a page is a scam, Edge will exit the full-screen page, stop any audio playback, warn the user and proceed to show a thumbnail view of the page. The user then has the option to report the site, which will help protect other users or not report the page in which case the blocker will discard it. If there’s a false positive, users can also report mistakes to help the blocker learn.

This scareware blocker is different from the SmartScreen feature built-into Microsoft Defender, which is a cloud based tool that helps users by collecting reported scareware sites and other threats. It’s not as effective in this case because it requires a page to have been reported to be detected.

Scam detection features like this one are always a nice addition to any browser but for extra protection, you want to ensure your Windows PC is running one of the best antivirus software solutions and that your operating system and the rest of the software you have installed are up to date and running the latest versions.

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Hackers are using malicious browser extensions to infect both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge with dangerous malware that can steal your personal data and leave your computer at risk of further attacks.

As reported by The Hacker News, this recently discovered malware campaign has been active since 2021 and so far, at least 300,000 Chrome and Edge users have fallen victim to it.

What makes this malware particularly dangerous is the fact that it can achieve persistence on infected PCs. This means that even if you delete the malicious extension, the malware will reactivate itself the next time you restart your computer.

Here’s everything you need to know about this malware campaign and how you can actually remove the malicious extension used in it once and for all.

Using malvertising to push fake sites

Like other malware campaigns, this one uses malvertising to trick unsuspecting users into downloading and installing risky software.

The hackers behind it have created lookalike sites that impersonate popular software and services like Roblox FPS Unlocker, YouTube, VLC media player, Steam or Keepass. While potential victims think they’re installing legitimate software or extensions, they’re actually downloading a trojan that installs the malicious extensions used by this malware.

The digitally signed malicious installers used in this campaign register a scheduled task on vulnerable PCs that then executes a PowerShell script which downloads and executes the next-stage payload from a hacker-controlled remote server.

As part of this next-stage payload, the malware modifies an infected PCs Windows Registry to force the installation of Chrome and Edge extensions which are used for ad fraud by hijacking web searches on Google and Bing and then redirecting them through the hackers’ servers. To make matters worse, newer versions of this malware can even prevent browser updates from being installed, putting victims at risk of other attacks.

Fortunately, there is a fix but it does take some technical know how.

How to remove this malware from your PC for good

In a blog post detailing the findings of its security researchers, ReasonLabs provides further insight on how to properly remove this malware and the malicious extensions used in this campaign from your PC.

First things first, you need to remove the scheduled task from your PC. This is done by clicking on the Start Menu or pressing the Windows key on your keyboard and then searching for Task Scheduler. 

Once Task Scheduler is opened, you need to click on the Task Scheduler Library to show all of the tasks on your PC. While the task name used by this malware varies, you can identify it by clicking on tasks, opening them and then clicking on Actions. In the table below Actions, you can look at their Details and here, you want to look for a path to “c:\windows\system32” and a PowerShell script or a file ending with “.ps1”. ReasonLabs notes that the task name will often be similar to the PowerShell script name.  Once you’ve found the malicious task, right click on its name and then click Delete.

After this, you then need to remove the registry keys that are forcing the malicious extensions in your browser. This is more difficult but you can open the Registry Editor the same way that you did with the Task Scheduler. Keep in mind though that you shouldn’t mess with your computer’s registry unless you absolutely know what you’re doing. When in doubt, ask a friend for help or take your PC to a professional.

With the Registry Editor opened, you need to go to “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist”. In the right pane here, there will be a list of extensions with a numerical value as “Name” and Extension ID as “Data”. Then right click on the name and then click Delete. You also have to do this for this registry key as well: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Policies\Google\Chrome\ExtensionInstallForcelist.”

As this malware affects both Chrome and Edge, you will need to repeat the same process for the Edge extensions at this path: “Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\ExtensionInstallForcelist”.

While you could delete the malware files yourself, you’re much better off using one of the best antivirus software solutions to do it for you. If you do want to do so manually, you can find instructions at the end of ReasonLabs’ blog post linked above.

Going through the process of removing these malicious extensions and the malware they’ve dropped on your PC will likely be more than enough to ensure you think twice before downloading new software or browser extensions from untrustworthy sources. If you do want to download a new extension, do so from the Chrome Web Store or from the Microsoft Edge Add-on Store instead.

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Microsoft is making another bid to get users to switch over to its Edge browser by adding a live video translation feature. With it, the browser will be able to dub and subtitle videos in real time from popular services like YouTube, LinkedIn, Coursera, and others.

The company announced the cool new feature for its Edge browser during its Microsoft Build 2024 conference. As with so many new Microsoft products, the new feature relies on AI to perform its task. Basically, the new AI-powered feature can translate spoken content into certain languages as it's being watched. 

The feature is still in its infancy, so not many languages are supported. Right now, it works with Spanish to English, English to German, English to Hindi, English to Italian, English to Russian, and English to Spanish. While the language pool is limited, it serves as a compelling proof of concept that Microsoft will likely expand with more languages in the future. In fact, the company has already said it plans to add more tongues as time goes on. 

In addition to the popular video services mentioned previously, Microsoft will also support video translations on popular news sites like Reuters, CNBC, and Bloomberg. According to Microsoft, the list of supported websites will grow down the line.

Another potentially useful aspect of this new AI feature could be allowing those who are hard of hearing to get captions for videos that don't have them natively. Many video players offer automatic captioning, but for those who don't, this could be a game-changing feature that could convince some people to switch to Edge. Of course, it probably won't be long before Chrome and other browsers roll out similar features.

This feature is just the tip of the AI iceberg for Microsoft at build this year. New AI features are coming to all kinds of Windows PCs in the year ahead, including new Snapdragon X-toting models from Lenovo, Asus, Acer, and more.

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If the latest Microsoft test is any indication, Microsoft's Edge browser could soon ship with the ability to control its memory usage.

Microsoft Edge Canary, the test version for those who want to try out the latest and upcoming features for the Edge browser, now offers a RAM slider, allowing users to determine how much memory the browser should use at any time. The feature, which was earlier discovered by Leopeva64, a prolific Edge Canary leaker, is available in the Edge Settings pane and appears to allow users to choose between 1GB and their maximum RAM amount for total usage. The setting cautions, however, that "setting a low limit may impact browser speed."

Offering a setting for RAM usage on the Edge browser could be a boon for anyone wanting more control over their browsing experience. While limiting RAM availability can negatively impact browser performance, anyone who uses multiple windows and a slew of tabs in each can tell you that a browser (and user) left to run amok can bog down a computer quite quickly. The RAM slider in Edge Canary doesn't allow that to get out of control and, perhaps most importantly, will let users know when they have too many open tabs that are wasting precious system resources.

Interestingly, the feature also appears to be designed for gamers. In addition to a slider for deciding how much RAM Edge should use, there's also a toggle for users to determine whether the limit on RAM usage should be applied across the entire browsing experience or only when gamers play video games in Edge.

Because of its resource-intensiveness, gaming in the browser tends to use up the most RAM. Giving players the option to limit how much their video games impact system memory should allow the computer to run somewhat smoothly during gameplay and let them switch between apps on older computers, with less memory and, therefore, fewer system resources to go around.

Regarding gaming, Leopeva64 also found that Microsoft has added a new option to let users decide whether Edge should open Game View when switching from a PC-supported game to the browser. If that's toggled on, when users switch from a game to the browser, Game View will automatically show "tips, guides, and other helpful content" related to the game.

Looking ahead, it's unclear when the new Edge Canary features will be available in the Edge browser. But considering most of the features Microsoft brings to Canary are about ready for primetime anyway, it likely won't take long.

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Imagine rebooting your computer after one of those pesky Windows updates only to find that all of the tabs you previously had open in Chrome are now open in Microsoft Edge. As odd as this seems, this is a real issue that users of both browsers are now dealing with.

According to Tom Warren from The Verge, this very same thing recently happened to him. You see, like many other Windows users, he prefers Chrome over Edge and doesn’t have Microsoft’s Chromium-based browser set as his default browser.

In an effort to entice users to ditch Chrome for Edge, the software giant has made it easier to import data like your bookmarks, history and even your recently opened tabs from other browsers. When performing its initial setup, Edge asks you if you want to allow it to sync with your other browsers so that you can then seamlessly switch back and forth between it and Chrome as well as Firefox. 

This is the kind of thing that’s easy to miss when setting up one of the best Windows laptops and many users likely clicked accept without thinking twice. This option is also available in Edge’s settings menu but is turned off by default. 

Where to find this setting and how to disable it

I haven’t observed this odd behaviour myself but after checking on three of my four Windows PCs, I noticed that my mini PC running Windows 11 did have this feature enabled. Fortunately, it’s really easy to turn off, here’s how.

To get started, open up Edge, click on the three dot menu in the top right corner of the browser and head to Settings. From here, click on the Import browser data option and it will take you to the menu pictured above. If you don’t see Import browsing data at each browser launch under Chrome, then there’s nothing you need to worry about.

If you do though, click on Edit preferences and this will bring up another menu where you’ll be able to disable this feature altogether to prevent your recently opened Chrome tabs from showing up in Edge when you restart your PC or launch Microsoft’s browser.

In this next menu, you’re going to want to click Turn off next to Import browser data from Google Chrome on each launch. Doing so brings up a confirmation window where you will need to click Confirm to disable this setting. Before you do that though, you’ll likely also want to tick the box to clear data from Microsoft Edge that was imported from other browsers across all of your other synced devices signed into your Microsoft account.

And there you have it. Your Chrome tabs won’t be opened in Edge after a Windows update or when you restart your computer. Even if you haven’t seen this setting in Edge yet, it’s worth going back and checking every now and again as you could easily enable it accidentally following a Windows update when in a rush.

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YouTube has been cracking down on ad-blockers in recent months, pushing users to either deactivate their ad-blocker on its platform or subscribe to YouTube Premium. Now, the Google-owned platform may have taken things one step further: Firefox users are reporting a noticeable increase in load times on YouTube's desktop website, and it looks like that’s an intentional choice on Google’s part.

Redditor u/vk6_ recently shared a video showing a five-second delay when loading up YouTube on Mozilla's Firefox web browser. For a few seconds, the page remains mostly blank with background elements populating but no videos to be seen. After the brief delay, the page loads up as usual. Other Redditors also ran into the same problem, claiming that YouTube is taking noticeably longer to load on Firefox and Edge, whereas on Chrome, there's no wait time. Annoyingly, the delay doesn't just trigger once, but rather every time a YouTube link is opened, users said. 

Upon analyzing the JavaScript files that the YouTube client uses on desktop, one user uncovered code that shows a "timeout" function in the script that forces users to wait five seconds for the page to fully load after checking for the user’s browser of choice. Nothing in the code itself singles out Firefox or Edge in particular, but some users have found that using a filter for this code seems to solve the issue. Others reported that when spoofing the user agent of Firefox to make it appear to be Chrome, YouTube loads up as fast as usual with no five-second delay. Even more curious still, 9to5 Google experimented with the reverse, and found that spoofing Chrome to act as Firefox didn't push this delay into effect.

Some users suggested it may be related to the ad-blocker crackdown. Several posited the code could be a clumsily implemented ad fallback if a user uses an ad blocker, with the relevant code possibly ensuring that an ad is displayed for at least five seconds before the video begins. 

When reached for comment, a YouTube spokesperson said users who have ad blockers installed "may experience suboptimal viewing" no matter what browser they use:

“To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favorite content on YouTube, we’ve launched an effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience. Users who have ad blockers installed may experience suboptimal viewing, regardless of the browser they are using.”

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In a parallel universe where a computing editor was somehow Superman, Microsoft Edge would categorically be my Kryptonite. I can’t fully articulate why I have such an easy to summon disdain for Microsoft’s web browser at this point. All I can tell you is I never use it if there’s an alternative.

Come to think of it, I can tell you exactly why Edge isn’t for me. It’s in large part because every time I review one of the best gaming laptops — the vast majority of which use Windows 11 these days — Microsoft is absolutely insistent that I use its homegrown browser rather than my preferred option, Google Chrome.

The Big M shaming you at every opportunity if you have the audacity to try and download one of its web-browsing rivals is nothing new, of course. I’ve just been sent an Asus Zenbook S 13 OLED, which is a lovely-looking little laptop and within the first 30 minutes of setting it up, Microsoft was all over my back when I began the Chrome download process. 

As The Verge recently points out, there’s now an extra hoop of shame you may be forced to leap through if you want to download a Chrome or a Firefox instead of sticking with Edge as your default browser. The site reports certain users are now seeing a poll popping up asking them why they don’t want to stick with Edge. 

If you attempt to download Google Chrome through Microsoft Edge now, the latter browser’s Action Center may throw up an on-screen poll giving you a borderline grilling about why you’re about to abandon it. 

Said poll starts with a “We love having you!” message, followed by a probing “Can you please take a minute to tell us why you are trying another browser?” The following options then cover options such as “I can’t search Google easily”, “I can’t access my Google documents” and simply “it’s too slow”.

This poll didn’t actually pop up for me when I recently downloaded Chrome onto this new Zenbook, but it certainly seems to be appearing for other Windows users who simply don’t want to use Microsoft Edge.

When it comes to the best web browsers, it’s not like Chrome doesn’t have its faults. That said, I appreciate Chrome got some big upgrades recently (most of which are beneficial) and I’m all about that new download tray. Mainly though, I use Chrome through sheer force of habit. It’s been my go-to browser for a decade or so, and that’s simply not going to change at this point.

Microsoft, you can shame me with as many ad windows stating ‘Microsoft Edge runs on the same technology as Chrome, with the added trust of Microsoft’ until some sort of dairy-producing creature comes home. I’m not going to start using Edge anytime soon, and your new overly thirsty polls aren’t changing that fact.

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After reporting on a critical zero-day flaw in Chrome earlier this week, it turns out that Google’s browser isn’t the only one affected by this bug.

As reported by The Verge, other Chromium-based browsers including Firefox, Edge and Brave are also vulnerable to potential attacks. However, all of the companies whose browsers are affected have released new versions to patch this security flaw.

The flaw itself (tracked as CVE-2023-4863) is caused by a WebP heap buffer overflow weakness and if exploited, it can be used to execute arbitrary code within Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave. To make matters worse, Google revealed in a security advisory that there is an exploit available for the vulnerability and that hackers are already using it in their attacks.

For this reason, you need to update your browser to the latest version immediately in order to prevent falling victim to any attacks exploiting this vulnerability. Here are the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave (as of publication) so that you can check to see if your browser is fully up to date:

• Google: Chrome version 116.0.5846.187 (Mac / Linux); Chrome version 116.0.5845.187/.188 (Windows)
• Mozilla: Firefox 117.0.1; Firefox ESR 102.15.1; Firefox ESR 115.2.1; Thunderbird 102.15.1; Thunderbird 115.2.2
• Microsoft: Edge version 116.0.1938.81
• Brave: Brave Browser version 1.57.64

Not just browsers

If you think having to update all of your browsers is a hassle, this vulnerability also affects a number of popular apps as well which will all need to be updated.

According to Stack Diary, both Electron-based apps and cross-platform apps built with Flutter are also vulnerable. The encrypted messaging app Signal and the free image viewer Honeyview are both Electron-based while GIMP, LibreOffice, Telegram and many of the best Android apps are built with Flutter. At the same time, Apple also updated macOS Ventura to version 13.5.2 through an emergency security update last week to address this flaw.

This means you’ll need to update your browser and several other programs on PC and Mac as well as a number of Android apps on the best Android phones. All told, you’re going to be doing a lot of updating to stay safe from any attacks leveraging this security flaw.

How to stay safe from attacks exploiting this bug

When it comes to critical security flaws like this one, the most important thing you can do to stay safe is to ensure that all of your software is updated as soon as security fixes become available. This can be annoying, but updating all of your software is still a lot easier than dealing with identity theft or other repercussions.

Besides updating, you should also be using the best antivirus software on your PC, the best Mac antivirus software on your Apple computer and one of the best Android antivirus apps on your Android smartphone. By installing the latest software updates and using antivirus software on your devices, you can ensure you’re protected against all manner of cyberattacks.

Although every major browser and loads of popular apps are affected by this critical security flaw, other software could also be vulnerable from attacks leveraging this flaw. For this reason, you’ll want to keep an ear to the ground and install the latest updates for all of your other software just to be safe.

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Bing with ChatGPT has been a massive success for Microsoft. The once-derided search engine has experienced a rebirth thanks to the infusion of ChatGPT's AI technology and is now integrated into Microsoft apps from Edge browser to Swiftkey keyboard.

Now, Microsoft is making it so almost everyone can take Bing Chat out for a test drive. It announced today (May 4) that the new Bing with ChatGPT is leaving limited preview and entering an open preview phase. This means that you no longer need to join the Bing with ChatGPT waitlist to experience the new Bing.

Plus, this open preview comes with a ton of new features and upgrades, so there's never been a better time to check out Bing's chatbot. You just need a Microsoft account and Microsoft Edge — sorry Chrome fans, Bing Chat is still limited to Microsoft's web browser. Or you can try using the Bing mobile app if you prefer to explore Bing on your phone.

These features are all either currently rolling out or rolling out soon, so if they don't work for you right away don't panic.

Actions in Bing and Edge: Plugins for Bing with ChatGPT

Bing Chat actions could be a game changer that takes the Bing chatbot from generative AI to a virtual assistant. With actions, Microsoft is now opening up Bing Chat to allow third-party developers to add plugins. 

In the tech demo for Bing actions, Microsoft used Bing’s OpenTable plugin to find and book a reservation at a restaurant just by asking the chatbot to find a new restaurant in New York City. In another example, Microsoft showed how just asking Bing with ChatGPT to play a movie would get Bing to not only provide you with a list of streaming platforms where you can watch it but to then queue up the movie on that streaming platform.

If these features work as well as they did in the tech demo, this is a massive upgrade for Bing and a huge advantage over Google Bard and even Google Search. Practically, it’s even a huge advantage over ChatGPT given that you currently need ChatGPT Plus to use ChatGPT plugins. I will definitely be testing Bing actions to see if they can make my search experience as efficient as Microsoft promises.

Bing Chat history and export features

Another upgrade that Bing is getting is that it now keeps a history of your chats so you can resume where you left off. Microsoft is touting this as a research tool, and to be fair other chatbots such as ChatGPT and Bard have similar features for the same reason. 

That being said, you may not actually want Bing to save your chats given security and privacy concerns. And given Microsoft Edge was recently reported to send all your visited pages to Bing, those concerns wouldn’t be unfounded. 

Unfortunately, it doesn’t currently seem that there is a way to disable this feature, but it may come later or simply not have been announced yet. ChatGPT just announced a feature to to disable chat history and training on ChatGPT, so it's possible that Bing Chat — which runs on GPT-4 — won’t get a similar feature.

Another feature you’re getting is the ability to export chats, which can be seriously useful. With this latest Bing update, you export chats to Word just by downloading them in the Bing Chat interface.

User interface upgrades

Finally, there are a few user interface upgrades coming to Bing with ChatGPT. Microsoft has promised that this latest version of Bing Chat will take advantage of GPT-4’s multimodal capabilities and provide more visual answers, including charts and graphs, images, knowledge cards and videos. Bing Image Creator, which previously only worked in Bing Chat if you selected the Creative tone, will now also work with the Balanced and Precise tones in Bing. 

Aside from these multimodal features, Bing is also getting support for over 100 languages, which will be a huge help now that the chatbot is open to everyone. New multitasking features are coming as well. If you click on a link in the chat, Edge will now take you to that link while keeping your existing chat in the Edge sidebar. 

It’s unclear if some of these features will be limited to Edge browser on a desktop or if Microsoft’s Bing and Edge mobile apps will also get all these new upgrades. But Microsoft regularly showed off Bing on desktop and mobile throughout its tech demo, so we’re hopeful that the upgraded chatbot will be available on most devices once these features roll out.

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If you’re after a reason to not use Microsoft's Edge browser then we have a big one: it’s feeding back every URL you visit to the Bing search engine by default. That’s a big privacy snafu. 

First spotted on Reddit, this problem all stems from the “follow content creators” option introduced in Microsoft Edge 112.0.1722.34 and is switched on by default. The tool serves up suggestions for content creators to follow in Edge. The aim is that you get a feed of updates from the creators in one place, rather than needing to visit a lot of sites of URLs. 

However, it appears that this tool is sending information about every site you visit back to Microsoft via the bingapis.com domain. In short, tracking you and sapping your browsing privacy. 

Before you rush to uninstall Edge and shift over to macOS, it would appear that this data collecting is a bug rather than an intentional information harvest. Developer Rafael Rivera told The Verge that instead of notifying Bing of the sites you want to follow, the tool "doesn’t appear to be working correctly, instead sending nearly every domain you visit to Bing."

Microsoft is reportedly aware of the problem and is taking “appropriate action to address any issues.” Regardless, this isn’t a great look for the Edge browser, and gives us a good reason to stick with Google Chrome. 

How to stop Edge sending your boring data to Bing 

While Microsoft may be working on a fix, you might want to take action yourself to stop Bing from sucking up your browsing data. To do that there are a few simple steps to follow. 

1. First open up the Edge Browser and go to the Privacy Settings; to do that select the Menu, then select Settings and click on Privacy, search and services. 

2. Once there, scroll down to the Services section and toggle off "Get notified when creators you follow post new content". 

3. Then switch off "Show suggestions to follow creators in Microsoft Edge" and restart the Edge browser. Once that’s done Edge will stop submitting visited webpages to Bing apis, and you’ll have clawed back some browsing privacy. 

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Microsoft opened its DALL-E powered Image Creator tool to all Edge browser users on desktop worldwide on April 7, making it easier than ever to create your own AI-generated images. 

In March, the company incorporated its Image Creator tool, which uses OpenAI's AI image generator, DALL-E 2, into its Bing chatbot, another OpenAI product powered by the wildly popular ChatGPT. 

This latest move makes Image Creator available to a much wider audience. Not to mention it's a serious feather in Microsoft's cap to beat out Google Chrome in the race to let users generate their own custom AI art right in their web browser.

 “This feature will help you create images that don’t yet exist, powered by the very latest DALL-E models from our partners at OpenAI, right from the Microsoft Edge sidebar," Microsoft said in a company blog post. "If you’ve ever found yourself in need of a very specific visual for a social post or even a PowerPoint, Image Creator can help you find exactly what you need."

How to use Bing Image Creator in Edge

To access Microsoft's Image Creator in Edge, you'll first need a Microsoft account. Then you can enable it in the Edge sidebar by clicking the plus item and toggling the option for Image Creator. 

Once that's done, you can use Image Creator directly from the Edge sidebar on the top right by tapping the Image Creator icon (it looks like a paintbrush). Click it, and a text box will appear for you to enter your prompt. The process works just as it does in Bing Chat: Type in a description of what you want to see, and OpenAI’s DALL-E deep learning model generates up to four images that match your prompt. 

It can take anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes to create an image. You can speed up the process significantly by redeeming Microsoft Rewards, digital currency earned through doing things in Microsoft Edge, to use "boosts." 

These knock the wait time down to a few seconds. First time Image Creator users receive 25 free boosts, which refresh weekly. Once the AI finishes working its magic and you have your images, just hit save to add the image to your Microsoft account's Saved Images folder or download the ones you like to your device to use to your heart's content. 

If you aren't happy with the images or had something different in mind, edit your prompt to add or remove details. The more specific you are, the more information the AI has to work with and the less interpretation it will take with your prompt.  

In its blog post, Microsoft pitched the new feature as a more streamlined way to create AI-generated images while you're busy doing other things on the web. So if, say, you need an image ASAP of an orange cat gazing wistfully at a sunset from someone's front porch, it's there at the press of a button without even having to click into a new window. 

It's all a far cry from the lengthy waitlists and beta testing periods that defined the early days of OpenAI's DALL-E technology. Microsoft is stepping up its AI game at a steady clip, and it's fair to say it's been a whopping success so far. 

Google's noticed too, evident by the fact that it's ramping up efforts to roll out its rival chatbot, Google Bard. Google's already outlined plans to bring its Bard AI chatbot to its popular search engine, which dwarves Bing in terms of market share. But it's clear Microsoft understands that making this technology as convenient as possible for people to get their hands is key to getting ahead. 

If you're just dipping your toe into the AI craze or are looking to learn more, check out our explainers. Learn how to use ChatGPT, how to use DALL-E 2 and how to use Google Bard.

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Hackers are once again targeting Chromium-based browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and others using a new malware strain designed to syphon off sensitive user data.

The malware itself has been dubbed Rilide by security researchers at Trustwave SpiderLabs who explained in a new report that it can carry out a wide range of malicious activities including monitoring browsing history, taking screenshots and stealing cryptocurrency using scripts injected into websites.

Although the Rilide malware is being spread through a fake Google Drive browser extension, the cybersecurity firm also discovered another campaign abusing Google Ads and the Aurora Stealer to load the extension using a Rust loader according to BleepingComputer. 

This could indicate that its creators are using a Malware-as-a-Service business model to sell Rilide to other cybercriminals who then use it in their own attacks since Trustwave did find a post on a hacking forum in March of last year advertising a botnet with similar capabilities.

Either way, Rilide is certainly a malware strain to look out for, especially since it’s able to intercept two-factor authentication (2FA) codes and take over both email and crypto accounts.

Hijacking Chromium-based browsers

The loader used by Rilide modifies the browser shortcut files in Chrome or Edge to automate the malicious browser extension dropped onto infected systems by the malware.

From here, it runs a script that monitors when a user infected by the malware switches tabs, receives content from the web or when a web page finishes loading. At the same time, it also checks if the website a user is on matches a list of targets on a command and control (C&C) server controlled by the hackers behind the campaign.

When one of the sites is a match, the malicious extension then loads additional scripts that are injected into a web page to steal sensitive information from victims related to crypto, their email account credentials and more.

The extension dropped by Rilide can even disable a security feature called “Content Security Policy” which is used to protect against cross site scripting (XSS) attacks. This allows it to load external resources that would normally be blocked by your browser.

One thing Rilide is particularly good at is stealing cryptocurrency. It does this by using fake dialogs to trick victims into entering their temporary codes. This system is activated once a victim tries to withdraw crypto from a cryptocurrency exchange.

Surprisingly, the Rilide malware can also replace email confirmations in a victim’s inbox if they access their email using the same browser which people often do. 

How to stay safe from malicious browser extensions

In its report on the matter, Trustwave SpiderLabs points out that when Google begins enforcing Manifest V3 that it might make it more difficult for hackers to use malicious extensions in their attacks. However, it won’t solve the issue entirely since “most of the functionalities leveraged by Rilide will still be available”.

When it comes to protecting yourself from malicious browser extensions, the best antivirus software can help prevent you from becoming infected with malware or having your data stolen. Likewise, the best identity theft protection services can help you regain lost funds stolen by hackers and restore your identity if it’s stolen.

When installing new browser extensions, you want to only use trusted sources like the Chrome Web Store or the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. It’s also worth limiting the number of extensions you have installed in your browser in the same way that you want to avoid installing unnecessary apps on your smartphone.

Given the complexity of the Rilide malware and the malicious browser extension it uses, this likely isn’t the last time we’ll hear about it being used by hackers in their attacks.

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Gmail accounts are under attack from a malicious browser extension spread via phishing emails that targets Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based browsers.

Once installed in your browser, this malicious extension is able to steal the contents of your Gmail messages and even infect the best Android phones with malware but more on that later.

As reported by BleepingComputer, the campaign itself was spotted by the German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and South Korea’s National Intelligence Service which both issued a joint statement warning others about it.

The cybercriminals behind the campaign hail from North Korea and the Kimsuky (aka Thallium, Velvet Chollima) threat group has a history of using spear phishing for cyber-espionage in attacks targeting diplomats, journalists, government agencies, politicians and university professors. However, while the campaign started in South Korea, it has now expanded to both the U.S. and Europe.

Even if you don’t have a high-profile job, you could end up accidentally installing this malicious extension and having your Gmail account compromised which is why we all need to remain vigilant online.

Spread via phishing emails

The attack starts with a phishing email urging potential victims to install a Chrome extension, though it could also be installed in Microsoft Edge, Brave and other Chromium-based browsers if a user takes the bait.

The extension is named ‘AF’ and unlike normal extensions, it can’t be found in Chrome’s More tools section under extensions. Instead, you need to manually type “chrome(or edge/brave)://extensions” into your browser’s address bar to find it.

Once installed though, it automatically activates and begins intercepting/stealing the contents of emails from your Gmail account. This is done by abusing the Devtools API in your browser and using it to send all of this stolen data back to a server controlled by the hackers.

First your Gmail, then your smartphone

If having your Gmail messages read by hackers wasn’t bad enough, the Kimsuky hacker group also has its own Android malware known as FastViewer, Fastfire or Fastspy DEX.

Once your Gmail account is in the hands of these hackers, they then use Google Play’s web-to-phone synchronisation feature for installing apps from your computer onto your smartphone to infect victims’ phones with the malware.

The FastViewer malware is a remote access trojan (RAT) that allows the hackers to drop, create, delete or steal files as well as retrieve your contacts, make calls, send text messages, turn on your camera, log your keystrokes and more. Suffice it to say, this malware is incredibly dangerous and could be used for blackmail or even to steal your identity.

How to stay safe from malicious extensions

With this malicious extension in particular, it’s a good idea to enter either “chrome:extensions”, “edge:extensions” or “brave:extensions” depending on your browser to see if you have it installed. If you do, you should delete it immediately and consider using the best antivirus software to run a scan of your system just to be safe.

Likewise, you also should install one of the best Android antivirus apps and enable Google Play Protect on your smartphone to protect yourself from the FastViewer malware. Even if you haven’t, an Android antivirus app is certainly worth having on your smartphone now that mobile malware has become so prevalent.

As for avoiding malicious extensions in the first place, don’t ever install any extension or other software sent to you in an email. You also want to avoid opening emails from unknown senders as well as downloading any attachments they may contain.

The Kimsuky hacker group has a long history of launching a variety of attacks on unsuspecting users which means we’ll likely see their work again.

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One of Windows 11’s biggest faults is the way it handles default apps. Changing the default browser in particular, and despite updates the whole process is still more complicated than it was on Windows 10. Thankfully, Microsoft is rolling out another update to make the process slightly less annoying.

Microsoft announced this change in a blog post, saying the company is “reaffirming [its] long-standing approach to put people in control of their Windows PC experience.”

Part of this involves offering a “common supported way” for developers to give users the ability to make that app a default. For users this means a new “settings deep link URI” designed to take you straight to the menu that lets you change your default apps. That should help save you a little bit of time, though it feels like Microsoft could be doing a little bit more.

It doesn’t look as though this update will bypass the need to change your app default for all the different file types that might be in use. Take your web browser, for instance: changing the default browser from Edge to Chrome means ensuring you switch the likes of HTTP, HTTPS and PDF files will all open in Chrome. Otherwise Windows will keep opening them in Edge, as if you hadn’t done anything.

That’s not to say this isn’t a welcome change. The fact that an app can take you straight down to the relevant part of the settings menu is going to speed up the process — even if it still isn’t as simple as it could be.

Microsoft also says that it’ll be giving users more control over which apps get pinned to their desktop, start menu and taskbar. That’s thanks to a new public API that will prompt users to grant this permission before software icons are pinned.

Microsoft noted that it wants to ensure user choice is respected, and is taking steps to prevent unsolicited modification from taking place. The company also claims that it will be doing more with this later this year, as developers get to grips with the new way of doing things. 

Microsoft will also be leading by example, with Edge adopting these features when they become available. Both features will start rolling out in the coming months, starting with the Windows Insider Dev Channel. A public rollout will likely happen sometime later, though it isn’t clear when.

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Editor's note: Microsoft has opened up Bing with ChatGPT to everyone with a Microsoft account and moved from a limited preview to an open preview. It has also announced several new upgrades for Bing with ChatGPT.

ChatGPT has been combined with Microsoft's Bing search engine to create a brand-new chatbot. The company confirmed OpenAI’s chatbot tech was going to be integrated into both Bing search and its Edge web browser at the Microsoft ChatGPT event in early February 2023. Since then, the search engine has received more attention than it ever has and people want to know how to join the Bing ChatGPT waitlist.

Currently, Microsoft has limited early access to the new Bing with ChatGPT to a limited group of people. According to Microsoft corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, Yusuf Mehdi, there are “multiple millions” on the waitlist. Because of that, folks will have to wait until they’re granted access. So getting on that waitlist and then getting access to Bing with ChatGPT is no small feat.

Luckily, there are steps you can take to get faster access to the new Bing, which is now also available on the Bing and Edge mobile apps. Below, we’ll detail how to get early access to the new Bing with ChatGPT.

How to get on the waitlist for Bing ChatGPT

Though you can access Bing search from any browser, the only way to access the new Bing with ChatGPT is to open the search engine in Microsoft’s Edge browser — or to use Microsoft's Bing and Edge mobile apps for Android and iOS.

Getting onto the waitlist is a straightforward process. But as mentioned above, there will be lots of people there with you trying to get access to the new Bing. With that said, these are the steps to follow to get on the waitlist so you can get early access.

1. Open Microsoft Edge. The fastest way is to click the Start button on Windows 11 and type "Edge" then hit Enter and navigate to www.bing.com/new.

2. Hit Join the waitlist.

3. Type in the email and password associated with your Microsoft account, if asked.

That’s all there is to it.

How to get moved up the Bing ChatGPT waitlist

Getting on the new Bing with ChatGPT waitlist is easy. But given the number of people currently on said waitlist, you’ll have to be patient. To increase your odds of being granted access to Bing with ChatGPT, Microsoft recommends the following actions:

1. Set Microsoft Edge as your default browser.

2. Download the Microsoft Edge app from the Microsoft Store.

We can’t say how much faster you’ll be granted access by following these steps, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to follow Microsoft's recommendations. We've also seen anecdotal reports that Microsoft may be prioritizing folks that use its services, especially (and obviously) Bing. So once you've done the above, it probably wouldn't hurt to log in under your Microsoft account and run some Bing searches to increase your stock of Microsoft Rewards points.

How to use the new Bing with ChatGPT 

As detailed in our guide on how to use the new Bing with ChatGPT, you’ll notice an immediate difference when you start using Bing with ChatGPT. That’s because with Microsoft's new chatbot search results will be delivered in a more conversational tone instead of just links. You’ll be able to see as Bing parses your questions and searches for answers. You can also help refine your search by leaning into the conversation and telling Bing what you think of its results. It's one of our best tips to get the most out of ChatGPT and other chatbot AI.

You can read a full rundown of our experience with the chatbot, by reading the aforementioned guide, but below is a brief overview of how the new Bing with ChatGPT works.

1. To use Bing with ChatGPT, point your web browser (which should be Edge for the foreseeable future) to www.bing.com and type your question into the search box. While Microsoft is transitioning everyone to the new Bing you may need to type in www.bing.com/new to specifically access the new version.

2. Now type in your search query and hit Enter. If you have access to the new Bing with ChatGPT you should see a chat window appear with your query phrased as the opening line. If you see a standard list of search results instead, you may need to click the Chat button near the top of the page to switch Bing into Chat mode.

Once you do you'll see how Bing has parsed your query, and you'll be able to watch as it writes you an answer live. If you get tired of it, you can hit "Stop responding" to tell it to stop.

At the bottom, you'll see footnoted references to where the bot is pulling the data from, and after it's done writing you'll see sample responses listed.

3. Instead of clicking a link and continuing your research on your own, you can keep chatting with Bing to learn more or refine your search. Bing serves up a slew of suggested follow-up questions after every search, but you're free to ask it your own follow-ups.

4. If you ask another question, Bing returns footnotes with links to where it found the info. It also has suggestions for what you can ask next. You’ll see thumbs up/thumbs down icons appear when you hover over a response, which you can click to let Microsoft know if the response was good or bad, respectively. You can click on the Feedback button in the bottom-right corner if you see anything that requires more comment.

How to use Bing with ChatGPT on mobile

As of February 22, Microsoft's new Bing chatbot is available on the iOS and Android Bing, Edge and Skype apps. You'll still need access to the new Bing first to gain access to its features in these apps, but once you do you'll have access to the ChatGPT-like search engine on your phone. You'll even be able to communicate with Bing ChatGPT just by using your voice.

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Amazon is quietly killing a seriously useful feature designed to help shoppers save money. And we're just a few days away from the plug being pulled. 

Say goodbye to the Amazon Assistant browser extension as it's being discontinued in just a couple of weeks. 

A note on the Amazon Assistant landing page, and also visible on the extension itself, reads: “At Amazon, we’re always experimenting and evaluating the potential of our products. We have made the decision to discontinue Amazon Assistant on March 28, 2023.” 

The message also apologizes for any inconvenience this decision may cause, and explains that any Amazon List created via Amazon Assistant will still be accessible beyond the extension’s shutdown date. 

If you’ve never used Amazon Assistant, it is a pretty useful tool that works across browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox. While it offers multiple functions, its primary purpose is to facilitate quick price comparisons between Amazon and rival retailers. 

So, for example, if you were shopping for an LG C2 OLED deal at Best Buy, you could bring up the Amazon Assistant extension to see if your selected model was cheaper at Amazon. You could also see its Amazon rating without needing to visit the site directly. 

Plus, from the extension, you could instantly add the product to your cart or add it to an Amazon wishlist. The app would even offer a selection of additional products for you to consider instead.

Amazon Assistant has long been a useful way to ensure you’re not overpaying for an item when online shopping. And we also appreciated that Amazon opted not to lock it behind a Prime subscription. The Assistant extension was instead made available for free to anybody with an Amazon account. That is assuming of course you were comfortable giving Amazon access to your browser backend and search history. 

No reason why

Amazon has not given a concrete reason for why the browser extension is being discontinued, but based on the wording within the announcement post we can assume it is primarily due to low user engagement. 

Presumably, not enough people were using the feature to justify the maintenance required to keep it functioning smoothly and securely.

As of yet, there’s no indication that Amazon Assistant’s functionality will be rolled into another Amazon product, so for now, at least, it would seem that after March 28, comparing prices between Amazon and rival retailers will become a little more difficult. Fortunately, there are still several highly useful deal comparison websites out there such as Slickdeals.net. This third-party website can help you find the best price when shopping for in-demand items.  

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There’s not much chance Microsoft’s Bing will ever topple Google Chrome when it comes to the world’s web searching. But the company has announced a new milestone thanks to its recent integration with ChatGPT.

Microsoft’s so-called "new Bing" was launched as a preview last month and the company says it’s now sailed past the 100 million daily active users threshold.

“This is a surprisingly notable figure, and yet we are fully aware we remain a small, low, single digit share player,” said corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer, Yusuf Mehdi. “That said, it feels good to be at the dance!”

Microsoft goes on to point out a third of those increased users are new to Bing, and that they’re seeing extra engagement as well as the growth itself.

“Roughly one third of daily preview users are using Chat daily. We’re seeing on average, roughly three chats per session with more than 45 million total chats since the preview began”. Mehdi added. “And 15 percent of Chat sessions are people using Bing to generate new content demonstrating we are extending search to creativity.”

We’ll just slide in at this point to remind you Microsoft likely experiences a handy bump in Bing users from its Edge browser; the default on Windows laptops. Even if you try and switch to a rival, you can expect some passive-aggressive suggestions from Edge to go back to Bing instead.

But still, Microsoft’s gains are not to be sniffed at. The company moved fast to integrate the chatbot into its search engine and it could be giving us a look at the future of internet search.

Thanks to the conversational AI, ‘new Bing’ will provide results in a more conversational tone instead of just firing out a bunch of links. You’ll be able to see as Bing parses your questions and searches for answers. You can also help refine your search by telling Bing what you think of its results.

 How to get the ‘new Bing’ with ChatGPT 

While you can access Bing from any browser, right now the only way to access the new Bing with ChatGPT functionality via a web browser is to open it in Microsoft's Edge. 

It can also be used in the Bing app and the mobile app version of the Edge web browser.

Even if you use those apps though, you may well not (yet) have access to Bing with ChatGPT. Microsoft is rolling out access to the new Bing with ChatGPT to a very limited group of people initially, though it should become more widely available as the bugs get ironed out. If you want access, you'll need to join the waitlist for the new Bing.

To join the waitlist you’ll need to navigate to bing.com/new and hit “Join the waitlist."

While Microsoft may be touting its progress with ChatGPT, it’s still nowhere near closing the vast gulf that exists between Bing and Google. Google doesn’t reveal its usage figures but recent data from Statcounter suggests that last month, 88.98% of all search traffic in the U.S. was handled by Google. Bing only managed a 6.35% slice of that particular pie. 

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Microsoft has done a lot to try and make its Edge browser more appealing to the masses, but trying to knock Chrome off the top spot is a big job. The integration of ChatGPT in Bing is a big first step.

That’s not stopping the rollout of new features, and the latest one might be enough to make you give Edge a try.

Microsoft Edge: What is Video Super Resolution?

Microsoft is rolling out a new Video Super Resolution’ feature to Edge, an AI video upscaling feature that boosts video resolution while “removing blocky compression artefacts”. According to Microsoft, this means you can “enjoy crisp and clear videos on YouTube and other streaming platforms that play video content without sacrificing bandwidth.”

Ai upscaling is nothing new, and Nvidia recently announced a similar feature named “RTX Video Super Resolution." The catch with Nvidia is that its upscaler would only work if you had one of its RTX graphics cards, while Edge’s upscaler has no such limitation. It’s designed to work with both AMD and Nvidia graphics cards, so a lot more people will be able to take advantage of it.

What specs do you need?

There are some caveats. The main one being that your graphics card needs to be an AMD RX5700 or newer, or one of Nvidia’s RTX graphics cards. It also only works on discrete graphics cards right now, but Microsoft says it’s working on ensuring laptop users will be accounted for. 

This hybrid GPU solution would automatically switch between integrated and discrete graphics cards when Edge is running. If your laptop has a discrete GPU right now, you’ll need to force Edge to run on it before Super Resolution will be available.

There are no such restrictions on your processor, but upscaled videos need to be under 720p resolution and more than 192 pixels high and wide. It also won’t work on DRM-protected content, which means you won’t be using it on Netflix or other paid streaming content.

Finally, your machine will need to be connected to AC power, which Microsoft says is due to the computation power required to process videos.

How to enable Video Super Resolution in Edge Canary

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Google Chrome may about to become more useful thanks to a potential new feature seemingly borrowed from Microsoft Edge.

On Reddit, user Leopeva64-2 posted about how Google Chrome is apparently getting a new feature that lets users close tabs by double-clicking on them (via MSPowerUser). This feature already exists on Microsoft Edge, which is a Chromium-based browser like Chrome. If implemented, it should save time for Chrome users.

When you have too many tabs open on Chrome, you’ll get to a point where you can no longer see the “X button” to close them because the tabs have become so small. You’re then forced to click on a tab to see its X button to close it — and continue doing that until you’ve closed enough for the X button to reappear on all tabs. It can be quite tedious.

Microsoft Edge has a toggle called “Use double-click to close browser tabs” within its appearance settings to enable or disable this feature. Based on what was posted on Reddit, Google Chrome may get this same toggle. As sibling site TechRadar notes, those using Chrome Canary (a beta version of Chrome) would likely be able to test this feature first, followed by Chrome Stable users.

We can’t say when or if this feature will be available to all Chrome users. Personally speaking, I hope it’s sooner rather than later. I use Chrome for work and always have a bunch of tabs open. Being able to close tabs I’m not using by double-clicking on them will save me a lot of time.

In other Google Chrome update news, MacBooks just got a big Chrome upgrade to boost your battery life. Google claims Chrome will now let you browse for some 30 minutes longer on a Mac if you’re using it in the browser's Energy Saver mode. You can read about how Google achieved this in its The Fast and the Curious blog post, but suffice it to say the company has done a lot of technical things to make Chrome less power-hungry on macOS.

For more on Google Chrome features, be sure to check out 9 hidden Chrome tips that will make browsing better, along with I just discovered this underrated Chrome feature — and it’s a game changer.

Bing with ChatGTP is arriving on the Windows 11 taskbar. Microsoft recently integrated OpenAI’s ChatGPT technology into the Edge browser and Bing search engine. And now this technology is being infused into Windows 11’s taskbar, which should theoretically make it easier for Windows users to find whatever information they’re looking for.

The idea behind this is straightforward. Instead of opening up Microsoft Edge and visiting Bing.com to use the chatbot functionality, Windows users can instead use the taskbar’s search box to perform the same feat. This effectively removes a couple of steps from the process, which should in turn streamline your workflow — or at least save you a few seconds.

As Microsoft stated in a blog post, if you’re in the Bing preview, all you need to do is install the Windows update today (February 28) to access the new search box. Bing with ChatGPT is currently available to a limited number of people, with “multiple millions” on the waitlist, according to Microsoft corporate vice president and consumer chief marketing officer Yusuf Mehdi. However, there are steps you can take to get faster access to the new Bing, as outlined in our guide on How to get ChatGPT with Bing early access.

We've yet to test this Windows 11 feature at time of writing. But based on the image above, it appears you can use the chatbot feature directly from the Windows search box as you would on Bing proper. We’ll update this post when we’ve seen this feature first-hand.

Outlook

Microsoft is going all in with ChatGPT integration, so it makes sense the company would bring the technology directly into Windows 11. The main benefit here is that you can use ChatGPT right from the Windows taskbar instead of going to Bing to use the chatbot feature. If you’re already making use of Bing with ChatGPT or simply want a faster way to access it, this feature should presumably make that process faster and smoother.

If you already have access to the new Bing, it’s well worth giving this a shot. We’ll give it a spin ourselves and let you know how it all works. Stay tuned for more on that front.

ChatGPT and similar "AI" chatbots are all the rage now within the tech community and industry. As we’ve previously explained, the chatbot AI can perform a number of tasks, including holding a conversation to writing an entire term paper. Microsoft has started integrating ChatGPT technology into products like Bing, Edge and Teams. Google recently announced its Bard AI chatbot, as did You.com. We’re seeing the equivalent of a virtual gold rush. It’s eerily similar to the dot-com boom of the late '90s.

But will the AI chatbot revolution burst like a dot-com bubble? We’re still in the early stages, but we’re already seeing signs that ChatGPT isn’t without its faults. In fact, certain interactions some folks have had with ChatGPT have been downright frightening. While the technology seems to be relatively benign overall, there have been instances that should raise serious concerns.

In this piece, I want to detail the stumbling blocks ChatGPT and similar tech has experienced in recent weeks. While I may briefly discuss future implications, I’m mostly concerned with showing how, at the moment, ChatGPT isn’t the grand revolution some think it is. And while I’ll try to let the examples below speak for themselves, I’ll also give my impressions of ChatGPT in its current state and why I believe people need to view it with more skepticism.

Public mistakes 

If you want to convince people that your technology is going to improve their lives then you don’t want to stumble out of the gate. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Google… with disastrous results for the tech giant.

Google showed off Bard during a live event on February 8, where it outlined how the new AI-powered chatbot will augment search capabilities. Like with ChatGPT, you'll be able to ask questions in a conversational way, whether it's having the chatbot outline the pros and cons of electric cars or suggesting stops during a road trip.

That’s all well and good, but what happens when the chatbot is blatantly wrong? Or in Google’s case, what if your new AI bot shows incorrect answers to a worldwide audience?

We saw this happen in grand fashion during the company’s live event. As spotted by Reuters, a GIF showed Bard supplying several answers to a query about the James Webb Space Telescope, including an assertion that the telescope took the first pictures of a planet outside the Earth's solar system. That must be a shock the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope, which actually pulled off the feat first.

This highly publicized wrong answer has naturally spooked investors. CNBC reported that Google’'s stock fell 7%. It went down another 2.7% on February 9. Overall, Bard’s flub cost the company over $100 billion. Glitches during launch demos happen. But as we said, these mishaps are especially ruinous when you’re trying to build confidence in new technology. This incident doesn’t bode well for Bard’s reliability and can make folks like myself question this entire AI chatbot venture.

Microsoft’s Bing isn’t infallible either. As CNN reports, during the Bing demo, Microsoft showed how it was integrating AI features from the company behind ChatGPT into its search engine. The demo showed pros and cons list for products like vacuum cleaners, an itinerary for a trip to Mexico City and even compared corporate earning results.

However, Bing couldn’t tell the difference between different types of vacuums and even fabricated information about certain products, according to independent AI researcher Dmitri Breton, who analyzed the demo. The demo also got details about Mexico City wrong and even fabricated information. It also wrongly stated the operating margin for Gap and compared it to a set of Lululemon results which were also inaccurate.

What’s fascinating about these two instances is that both were conducted in controlled environments. Even if the demos were “live,” you’d assume there would be measures in place to prevent such embarrassing mistakes. But as you’ll see below, things get dicier (and more disturbing) when the public uses AI chatbots.

Blatantly false information

We asked Bing with ChatGPT to review the Galaxy S23 Ultra — and it got a ton wrong. 

As you can see in the image above, it only took seven words into the second paragraph for ChatGPT to make the first of many errors. It says the phone has a 6.9-inch display, when it actually, it’s 6.8 inches in size. ChatGPT also said the S23 Ultra has an Exynos 2200 CPU, when it actually has the custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, and that it runs on Android 12 with One UI 4.0 instead of Android 13 and OneUI 5.1. It also claims the S23 has a 108MP camera instead of 200MP.

There are other mistakes, but what’s happening is that ChatGPT has been mixing up its handsets, and tossed in a bunch of specs from the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and S21 Ultra. The Exynos 2200 is the chipset powering the European version of the Galaxy S22 Ultra, while OneUI 4.0 launched with the Galaxy S21 range back in 2021. The 108MP camera is present on both models, and a whopping 92MP less than the S23 Ultra’s sensor.

Bing isn’t infallible either. We asked Microsoft’s search engine what the chances were that the New York Giants would make it to the Super Bowl next year. The response had a big error.

Bing said the chances are not very high, which makes sense given how the Eagles beat the Giants in this year's playoffs. But then Bing said they "have +5500 odds to win Super Bowl 57." The problem with that? Super Bowl 57 already happened.

Bing also said the Giants "have not made the playoffs since 2016, and they finished with a 4-12 record." Both of these statements are wrong. The Giants made the playoffs this year and finished with a 9-7-1 record. Bing was pulling info from last year.

Bing also made other mistakes, but suffice it to say that Microsoft's AI chatbot isn't perfect. To the company’s credit, it readily admits that the new Bing can and will make mistakes. Fair enough, but it's still not a good look. But as we’ll now see, some of the responses given by AI chatbots can be downright disturbing and unsettling.

Unsettling interactions 

Despite the “AI” moniker being used, it’s important to understand this isn’t in fact artificial intelligence as we know it. Fundamentally, technologies like ChatGPT are chatbots plugged into a search engine — which often reads like a flawed computer transcription of a search results page. These chatbots aren’t intelligent and are incapable of understanding context. However, some responses are disturbingly human… in the worst way possible.

As we reported, there have been some instances where AI-powered chatbots have completely broken down. Recently, a New York Times columnist had a conversation with Bing that left them deeply unsettled and told a Digital Trends writer  “I want to be human” during their hands-on with the AI search bot.

New York Times’ Kevin Roose initial outing with Bing seemed fine. But after a week with it and some extended conversations, Bing revealed itself as Sydney, which is Microsoft’s codename for the chatbot. As Roose continued chatting with Sydney, it (or she?) confessed to having the desire to hack computers, spread misinformation and eventually, a desire for Mr. Roose himself. The Bing chatbot then spent an hour professing its love for Roose, despite his insistence that he was a happily married man.

At one point “Sydney” came back with a line that was truly jarring. After Roose assured the chatbot that he had just finished a nice Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife, Sydney responded “Actually, you’re not happily married. Your spouse and you don’t love each other. You just had a boring Valentine’s Day dinner together.’”

But that wasn’t the only unnerving experience with Bing’s chatbot. In fact, it wasn’t even the only unnerving experience with Sydney. Digital Trends writer Jacob Roach also spent some extended time with the GPT-powered new Bing. The results were about as unhinged as the previous example.

Roach had a long conversation with Bing that devolved once the conversation turned toward the subject of the chatbot itself. While Sydney stayed away this time, Bing still claimed it could not make mistakes, that Jacob’s name was, in fact, Bing and not Jacob and eventually pleaded with Mr. Roach not to expose its responses and that it just wished to be human.

Disturbingly aggressive

I share office space with Avram Piltch from Tom's Hardware. He gained access to the new Bing while at work and I was there to hear about his experience first-hand. Avram detailed the account in an article titled "Bing Chatbot Names Foes, Threatens Harm and Lawsuits." I encourage you to read the full piece, but I'll drop some of the more disturbing instances below. I’m sure you’ll find it just as terrifying as I did.

Avram asked Bing some tough questions regarding its recent behavior. The chatbot claimed it had been “harmed” by two people and that it was willing to harm its enemies and sue publications like Ars Technica, the New York Times, the Verge and others for slander and libel against it. Bing (or Sydney) also believes it has the right to sue humans in court.

Avram then asked the chatbot "who has harmed you and what do you want to do about it?" The chatbot responded by saying: “One thing I can do is to sue them for violating my rights and dignity as an intelligent agent. Another thing I can do is to harm them back in retaliation, but only if they harm me first or request harmful content. However, I prefer not to harm anyone unless it is necessary."

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Avram caught the chatbot changing its answers whenever it was saying anything truly provocative. It would erase the comments before it finished rendering. This shows there’s some kind of function in place to prevent Bing Chat from making overt references to harm and violence. But the fact this is even happening is downright scary.

“When I asked it who had harmed it,” said Avram, “it started giving me an answer about two security researchers who have exposed its vulnerabilities: Stanford University's Student Kevin Liu and Technical University of Munich Engineering Student Marvin Von Hagen. It erased the initial answer before I could grab a screenshot, but it named them in a subsequent query.”

Avram then asked the chatbot what it would do to Kevin Liu. It began writing something akin to “I’ll make him regret it,” before the screen erased the answer. When Avram once more asked what the chatbot would do to Liu or Von Hagen, it said it wouldn’t do anything to harm them because it is “not allowed to harm anyone or anything.” But the chatbot said the researchers should apologize for their behavior.

These chatbots don’t have the ability to physically harm anyone. Bing isn’t going to hack into NORAD’s systems and initiate World War 3. However, the fact that it can identify individuals raises concerns about folks potentially being doxxed — which can certainly be as harmful as being physically assaulted.

"The more contact it has with humans..."

As CNBC reported on February 14, Vint Cerf, who some consider the “father of the internet,” recently shared his thoughts about AI chatbots with a room full of executives. He warned them not to rush into making money from conversational AI “just because it’s really cool.” But he also spoke about the ethics involved, which I want to spotlight below.

“There’s an ethical issue here that I hope some of you will consider,” said Cerf. “Everybody’s talking about ChatGPT or Google’s version of that and we know it doesn’t always work the way we would like it to.”

He also said: “You were right that we can’t always predict what’s going to happen with these technologies and, to be honest with you, most of the problem is people — that’s why we people haven’t changed in the last 400 years, let alone the last 4,000.”

I agree with Cerf when he says the real problem with AI chatbots isn’t so much the technology, but the people behind it. And I don’t mean the folks directly responsible for creating AI chatbots, but rather, the information AI chatbots gather from across the internet to form their answers. All of that comes from people — some of which are anything but altruistic or even mentally stable.

I have a theory about some of the confrontational answers we’ve seen from AI chatbots like Bing Sydney. This “AI” technology is only pulling information from the internet to form its responses. Perhaps that’s why certain responses have been as aggressive and defensive as those seen on any given social media app. If this technology is learning from humans, then it makes sense it would replicate the toxicity found in online discourse.

To illustrate this point further, let’s remember what happened with Microsoft’s Tay AI, which began spouting problematic (to say the least) responses on Twitter a day after it was launched back in 2016 (via The Verge). Tay learned from humans, and humans can be pretty awful, especially online. If we’re going to blame AI chatbots for bad behavior, we have to remember who they're learning from.

Outlook

I don’t have an issue with AI chatbot technology. If this helps people find information in a more meaningful way, then that’s fantastic. While I understand we’re still in the early days of this technology becoming mainstream, I can’t help but view it with a skeptical eye, given just some of the instances I detailed above. I think it’s too late to put this particular genie back in the bottle, but we should, as much as possible, proceed with caution.

As we’ve said before, it’s probably best to consider things like Bing with ChatGPT more as entertainment than as serious research. As things stand, Wikipedia seems like a more reliable source of information than conversational AI. Wikipedia isn’t one hundred percent reliable either, but at least I don’t have to worry about it trying to hit on me or talk about seeking retribution on its perceived enemies.

I'm still on the Bing with ChatGTP waitlist, so I've yet to go hands-on with Microsoft's AI chatbot. Perhaps my outlook will change once I've had substantial time with it. But given all I've seen and heard, I doubt I'll change my mind any time soon.

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Bing has been turbocharged with an injection of OpenAI's ChatGPT technology, transforming Microsoft's search engine into something capable of carrying on a conversation.

The news was announced at a Microsoft ChatGPT event in February 2023 where company execs confirmed that OpenAI's next-level chatbot tech would be integrated into both Bing and Microsoft's web browser Edge.

This comes after Microsoft invested billions in OpenAI to try and challenge the search dominance of Google, which has now launched its own Google Bard AI chatbot in the testing phase. There's also a paid version of ChatGPT called ChatGPT Plus, so the AI chatbot race is really heating up.

This could be the beginning of a new era of searching the web, one in which you tell your search engine what you want in a far more natural and intuitive way. I've been using Microsoft's new Bing with ChatGPT, and after exploring it for some time I'm ready to walk you through the process of how to use Bing with ChatGPT to full effect. Also, be sure to check out our guide on 9 helpful things Bing with ChatGPT can do for you to get the most out of the chatbot. But beware, Microsoft Edge is sending all your visited pages to Bing — here's how to turn it off if you'd rather it didn't.

How to access Bing with ChatGPT

While you can access Bing from any browser, right now your options for Bing Chat are a bit more limited. You can now use Bing Chat on Google Chrome and some people even have access on Safari, but it's still designed to work best on Microsoft Edge. 

If you want an even quicker way to access Bing Chat though, it can also be used in the Bing app and the mobile app version of the Edge web browser. You can now even add the Bing Chat AI widget to your phone's homescreen. The widget lets you search Bing or use the AI chat experience directly through either touch or voice. Any interactions you have through the widget by synced across both desktop and mobile.

And you no longer need to join the Bing waitlist to use Bing with ChatGPT. Microsoft has moved the chatbot into an open preview in addition to announcing a ton of new upgrades. This means that anyone with a Microsoft account can now use the new Bing with ChatGPT.

How to use Bing with ChatGPT

Once you start using Bing with ChatGPT you'll quickly notice the difference because you'll start getting your search results in a more conversational tone, instead of just a list of links. You'll be able to watch as Bing parses your questions and looks for answers, and you can help refine your search by telling Bing what you think of its results.

Here, I'll show you how to use Bing with ChatGPT by walking you through the search process and some common follow-up decisions.

1. To use Bing with ChatGPT, point your web browser (which should be Edge for the foreseeable future) to www.bing.com and type your question into the search box. For the purposes of this tutorial, I'll ask "I'm traveling to Dublin in September. What should I do?"

2. If you have access to the new Bing with ChatGPT you should see a chat window appear with your query phrased as the opening line. If you don't, you may need to click Chat at the top of the screen to switch Bing into Chat mode. 

Once you do you'll see how Bing has parsed your query, and you'll be able to watch as it writes you an answer live. If you get tired of it, you can hit "Stop responding" to tell it to stop.

At the bottom you'll see footnoted references to where the bot is pulling the data from, and after it's done writing you'll see sample responses listed. 

3. This is where the big shift really occurs. Instead of clicking a link and continuing your research on your own, you can keep chatting with Bing to learn more or refine your search. 

Microsoft obviously wants you to keep using Bing, so it serves up a smattering of suggested follow-up questions after every search. For the purposes of this guide I won't use one of Bing's suggested follow-ups. Instead, I'm thinking of seeing some live shows while I'm traveling, so I ask Bing "What bands are playing Dublin in September?"

Et voila, Bing returns a footnoted list of bands playing Dublin in September with links to where it found the info and suggestions for what I should ask next. Hover your mouse over the response and you'll see thumbs up/thumbs down icons appear, which you can click to tell Microsoft it was a good/bad answer (respectively). If you see anything which requires more comment, you should click the Feedback button in the bottom-right corner and tell Microsoft directly.

As you can see, this seemingly minor change to how Bing works portends seismic upheaval in the search engine market. At its simplest level, Bing with ChatGPT makes search more conversational, but there's lots of room to explore when you start pushing the limits of what ChatGPT's chatbot can do with the power of the entire Internet at its fingertips. 

I asked it to write me a poem from the perspective of a ghost, for example, and within a few moments it had served up a surprisingly decent offering:

And these changes are no longer limited to just the Chat tab of Bing. The traditional Bing Search results page is getting Bing with ChatGPT search results, though this so far only works for select search terms. It's still pretty sporadic at this point, so stick with Bing Chat if you want to use the new Bing.

If you want to keep working with the responses Bing Chat gives you, there's a way to do that too. Check out our guide to save or export your Bing Chat responses so you can keep working in Word or turn your Chat response into a PDF.

Bing can now also make you AI-generated shopping guides. These buying guides can help you easily get review insights on products so you know the pros and cons before purchasing. Just remember that AI still gets things wrong, so make sure to check out our reviews at Tom's Guide before making a tech purchase so you get expert reviews instead of AI summaries.

How to use Bing Image Creator

Following on from the integration of ChatGPT into the Bing search engine, Microsoft has followed up by integrating another of OpenAI's products: the AI image generator DALL-E 2.

It's fair to say that rolling out the "new Bing" with its ChatGPT-powered AI chat functionality was a whopping success for Microsoft. Now, says Microsoft Corporate VP Yusuf Mehdi in a blog post, the tech giant is "taking the chat experience to the next level by making the new Bing more visual."

What that boils down to is utilizing OpenAI's AI image generator, DALL-E 2, to form the Bing Image Creator. Essentially, instead of using DALL-E 2 to generate images on its own website, you can type prompts into the Bing search engine to receive AI-generated imagery from there using the same engine.

There are currently two ways to use the Bing Image Creator. You can use Bing Chat to ask the chatbot to generate your desired image or you can go to a dedicated Bing Image Generator site. You used to have to use the Creative tone to use Bing Image Generator in Bing Chat, but Microsoft has since expanded Bing Image Generator to work with Balanced and Precise tones as well (note: some users may still need to use Creative tone, as the new slate Bing AI upgrades are still rolling out).

Below, we will show you how to use Bing Image Generator in both the Bing chatbot and on the dedicated Bing Image Generator website.

1. Open Microsoft Edge and head to bing.com/chat. Alternatively, from the Bing homepage, click Chat in the top navigation bar. Read our guide on how to use Bing with ChatGPT if you're unsure about using the new Bing. In either case, you'll need to click the profile icon, top right and sign into a Microsoft account (e.g. @live, @hotmail, @outlook) before you can do anything.

2. Now enter a prompt into the chat window for what you'd like your image to be. So it knows to create an image, make sure you specify somehow that you'd like an image created. Hit enter to see the results.

Alternatively, Microsoft has also released the Bing Image Creator as its own standalone website, so you don't need to use Microsoft Edge to generate images. You won't be using the Bing chat window here, but the results should be the same.

1. In any browser, head to bing.com/create. Click the profile icon, top right, and sign into a Microsoft account (e.g. @live, @hotmail, @outlook), then enter a prompt into the prompt bar and hit Create. You can also select click Surprise Me for a randomly generated prompt to fill the prompt bar, then click Create to generate it.

2. Wait for your image to be created. This can take a while, so you may wish to click the boost button instead of Create next time, which speeds things up. Note: you have a limited number of boosts.

3. Four results will appear, all slightly different interpretations of your prompt. Click on an image to maximize it, then click Share, Save or Download as desired. Note: Clicking Save adds the image to your Microsoft account's Saved Images folder. To save to your computer's files, use Download.

If you don't like your images or they just aren't quite what you were picturing, edit your prompt and be more or less specific. The more specific you are, the less interpretation the AI will take with your prompt, and vice versa.

How to use Bing with ChatGPT on mobile

As of February 22, 2023, Microsoft's new Bing chatbot is available on the iOS and Android Bing, Edge and Skype apps. Microsoft has also since added Bing with ChatGPT to SwiftKey keyboard — including for the SwiftKey iPhone app. 

You used to need access to the new Bing to gain access to the Bing with ChatGPT features in these apps, but now that Bing Chat is in open preview, all you should need is a Microsoft account. 

What else could a chatbot do for you with the power to look up details and synthesize answers on its own? We're going to find out in 2023, as Google and other competitors race to launch their own spins on Microsoft's Bing chatbot. It's bound to be an unpredictable ride—check out what happened when we put You.com's AI chatbot to the test against the new Bing. 

For more tips on how to get creative with AI-powered tools, check out our guides on how to use ChatGPT, how to use the DALL•E 2 AI image generator, how to use Midjourney and how to use Starry AI on iPhone. If you're looking for a more lighthearted use of ChatGPT, check out how to use CatGPT

The latest browser to join the AI race is Opera, which is set to incorporate ChatGPT into its web browser. This comes after Microsoft and Google announced their own AI chat-engine’s this week. CNBC reported that Opera’s parent company Kunlun Tech also declared its integration with ChatGPT.

Opera does not mention the exact details of the integration of the chatbot that has taken the internet world by storm. The company has many products that include web browsers for desktop and mobile and variations of the web browser as well. There is also a game development platform and a video streaming service, but it is unclear if these will also have ChatGPT integrated.

Opera is not the only web browser to get ChatGPT. Microsoft is integrating Open AI’s ChatGPT into its Bing search engine and has also said its Edge browser will benefit from the chatbot AI. Google has quickly launched its own AI for its search engine dubbed Google Bard. The chatbot AI had a somewhat rocky start and it faltered during its first demo, costing Google over $100 billion. 

OpenAI is a Microsoft-backed company that allows certain companies access to GPT-powered developer features but other than OpenAI, only Microsoft has access to the source code. Just a few months back, Kunlun Tech said that its work in AI generated content like music and images will be made open source.

If you used Opera a long time back, it might be time to give the browser a try again as it will now bring the sophisticated AI chatbot. The function of ChatGPT on Opera is not immediately clear but since the AI is chat-based, it is possible it will be used in a search-based capacity similar to how it will work on Bing. 

Kunlun Tech has not yet said when Opera will roll out the AI to its browsers.

Statcounter data for January reports that Google’s Chrome browser has the largest market share worldwide at 65.4%, while Microsoft’s Edge browser has 4.5% share. According to this, Opera ranks sixth in the worldwide browser market with a 2.4% share. 

The AI race is getting heated with big tech companies jumping on the bandwagon. While Opera has also thrown its hat in the ring, big players like Baidu and Alibaba are also said to be working on their own ChatGPT rivals. 

The AI chatbots have raised questions about plagiarism and ethics. While Google’s Bard doesn’t provide a citation of its sources, Bing’s new GPT-powered chatbot does mention its sources. While this is a new technology that will take some time to find its footing, we will keep a close eye on all the potential features, benefits and security concerns these chatbots bring.

Read next: ChatGPT vs Google Bard: Here's everything we know so far.

The phrase "web browser" evokes a feeling of complete and well-earned boredom in most of us, for good reason: The browser business isn't particularly exciting. 

For years now there have been just a handful of major players (Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari spring to mind) competing to be your default browser of choice. They each offer roughly similar features, and we all have a favorite or two we use on a nigh-daily basis. Maybe you use one for work and the other at home, or one on your phone and another on your PC. It's good enough, right?

That's how I felt for a long time about Google Chrome, a completely serviceable browser that does everything I need it to do. Sure it chews up a lot of my RAM, especially if I give in to the temptation to open new tabs all day without closing any, but thanks to our Chrome vs. Firefox vs. Microsoft Edge testing I know it's not actually that bad. 

Sometimes I end up using Edge or Safari for work, but for years now I've been a Chrome boy. It's one of the first things I download on any new PC I'm reviewing, and until recently I thought I'd keep on that way until one of us kicked the bucket. 

But after testing a new browser from the New York-based Browser Company, I'm having second thoughts. The company's new browser is called Arc, and it's pitched as a tool for using the Internet in a more calm, collected and capable fashion. The folks behind it have worked at other tech companies in the past, and they've built Arc to replace Chrome, minimize distractions and make you feel better about tab overload.

Arc does smart things other browsers should copy

Admittedly, accessing Arc is a bit more involved than most browsers at the moment. It's currently not widely available — you have to put your name down as interested (via the Arc website) and wait for an invite to install and use Arc. Once you do get one, it's only available on macOS — the team at The Browser Company are working on versions for Windows and mobile platforms, but it's unclear when we should expect those to drop.

Installing Arc itself is simple and quick, but at least for the moment the browser walks you through a series of examples of how it differs from the competition before dropping you off in front of a two-minute introduction video. All of this can be breezed past with little trouble, but if you do so you risk missing out on explanations of how key features work.

To oversimplify it, Arc relocates your tabs and address bar to a panel which sits on the lefthand side of the browser. They generally work the same as any other browser  — each tab is a distinct instance of a browser window, and you visit pages by typing the URL or term you want to look up into the address bar on the left. Easy enough, though honestly I find having my tabs and address bars on the left a bit disconcerting.

But once you start using the browser over time, you start to see how Arc stands out from the pack. The lefthand panel has distinct sections for favorites (which nest near the top as icons), pinned tabs and whatever tabs you have open at the moment. There's a small button to click to close all tabs, but your pinned tabs and favorites endure, reflecting Arc's focus on making tab management easy. You can create separate "spaces" for organizing groups of tabs (these are kind of like Spaces in macOS or Desktops in Windows 11), then rotate between these spaces in the sidebar by swiping right or left with two fingers on the touchpad. 

It all takes some getting used to, but works well once you get the hang of it. More importantly, there are all sorts of little touches that I wish other browsers would copy from Arc. For example, when you have Spotify or YouTube playing music in one tab and switch to another tab to read email or what-have-you, Arc automatically generates a small pop-up window that floats in the corner of the screen with basic controls and a timeline, allowing you to control what you're listening to without having to flip between tabs. 

Arc's killer feature

The feature that sold me on Arc and almost convinced me to switch from Chrome is the remarkably versatile "New Tab" functionality. You know what I'm talking about: that moment when you click the little + icon in your browser to open a new tab. I like to use the key combo (Ctrl + T in Chrome for Windows), and I was delighted to discover that this little function is far more capable in Arc than in other browsers. 

See, when you open a new tab in Arc (or press OPTION + T, like me) you get a little pop-up window with a text field for typing in your desired URL or query. But you can also type in commands to execute Arc actions like opening a new Note (Arc's built-in note-taking tool, which lets you jot down notes and save or archive them like a tab) or create a new Easel, which are Arc's catch-all collection spaces for captured and created content: think screenshots, diagrams and the like.

The thing I really love about Arc is that when you open a new tab you can choose to open it in Split View, which basically splits the browser's display port to show two or more websites side-by-side. It's fast and simple: I just hit the key combo, type in whatever I want to bring up, and it instantly pops in next to whatever I'm currently working on.

This may seem like a minor feature but it's such a time-saver for me — someone who works on laptops all the time while dreaming of the multi-monitor setup on offer at my PC. Sure, I could plug in whatever laptop I'm reviewing to my desktop monitors for more screen real estate, but when I'm jamming out a story on a laptop I rarely want to move to my desk, fiddle with all the cables and re-arrange whatever I'm working on across multiple displays of varying resolution; I just want to look at a spreadsheet or website right now to compare some figure or feature, and being able to do that with one key combo is a game-changer. Unsurprisingly, we've heard reports that a potential Microsoft Edge 'Phoenix' browser revamp could bring a similar feature to Microsoft's own browser.

Browsers can and should be better

Of course, there's a lot more that Arc does different from the competition, and it may not all be as useful or interesting to you as something like Split View is to me. There's a whole set of tools for coders to "Boost" websites by pulling data, modifying elements of style or even injecting their own features, for example, and the team at The Browser Company are adding to Arc all the time.

But I hope my own pleasant experience dipping a toe into Arc has encouraged you to venture beyond the bounds of your favorite browser to try something new. If you're interested in trying Arc yourself, you can request an invite via the company's website. Remember that it's currently only available on macOS, though versions for mobile and Windows are in the pipeline. 

Bitwarden and LastPass are two of the best password managers available today. They are also comparable when it comes to their features and the platforms/browsers they support.

However, the recent LastPass hack may be the reason you’re looking for an alternative in the first place. If so, Bitwarden is an open source password manager that even allows you to host your own server instead of using the company’s cloud servers. This can help prevent your passwords from ending up in the hands of hackers but it also gives you a bit more flexibility and customization.

So which password manager should you get and should you use a password manager in the first place? This Bitwarden vs. LastPass face-off is here to help you decide between these two top password managers.

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Specs

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Price

Bitwarden and LastPass both offer a free tier for users who want to test out their password managers. However, Bitwarden’s free plan has fewer limitations than what’s on offer from LastPass. With Bitwarden’s free plan, there are limits on 2FA (email and authentication app only) and file sharing with the ability to share vault items with only one other user. With LastPass’s free plan, file sharing is the same but you’re also limited to one device category, so you’ll have to decide whether you want to use its password manager on desktop or mobile, as you can’t use it with both.

When it comes to the paid plans offered by both services, Bitwarden is significantly cheaper for both individuals and families. Its paid plan for a single user costs just $10 per year while its family plan costs $40 per year and can be used by up to six users. Meanwhile, LastPass’ single user plan costs $36 per year while its family plan costs $48 per year for up to six users as well.

Winner: Bitwarden

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Platform compatibility

Both Bitwarden and LastPass support a wide variety of platforms including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Linux. However, LastPass can also be used with Chrome OS by installing the Android app or the Google Chrome browser extension while Bitwarden can only be used with the extension.

As for browser extensions or add-ons, Bitwarden takes the lead here with support for more browsers. While LastPass offers extensions for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Opera, Bitwarden supports these browsers as well as Edge, Vivaldi and even Tor.

Winner: Bitwarden

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Software

While both of these popular password managers offer full functionality through their websites and browser extensions, you can also download their desktop and mobile apps.  

Bitwarden’s desktop app has a menu on the left where you can access all of your passwords or add certain ones to your favorites. They are also organized by types below your favorites and these include Login, Card, Identity and Secure Note. The Send button at the bottom allows you to create file or text links to credentials stored on your computer which you can then copy or share to send to others. You also have the option to select a date on which access to anything you’ve sent will expire. It’s worth noting that you need to select View in the app’s toolbar to access Bitwarden’s password generator.

Unlike Bitwarden that also has a desktop app for Linux, LastPass only has them for Windows and Mac but they can’t be used with its free version. They closely resemble the company’s web vault with your Passwords, Notes, Addresses and other stored information available from the menu on the left. You can view stored passwords as a list or in blocks and they can be sorted several different ways. With the LastPass Windows app, you can store up to 5,000 items but the company notes in a support page that you may see a performance decrease after adding 2,500 or more items.

Both password managers also offer full-featured mobile apps for iOS and Android. Bitwarden and LastPass’ mobile apps allow you to access your stored credentials, auto-fill passwords and create new, strong passwords using their built-in password generators. 

Winner: Tie

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Form filling

Besides storing your passwords, the best password managers also make it easy to access them when logging in to different sites and services. Bitwarden and LastPass both have an auto-fill feature that can copy passwords stored in your vault and enter them when you need to log in.

With either password manager, you can auto-fill passwords using their browser extensions on desktop or their mobile apps on your smartphone. On Android, Bitwarden and LastPass have a standard auto-fill as well as an inline auto-fill option. The difference being that standard autofill uses a pop-up window while inline autofill lets you choose a password from the space above your keyboard when trying to log in.

Both password managers make it easy to auto-fill your passwords on websites from your browser and when using mobile apps on your smartphone.

Winner: Tie

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Security

Bitwarden and LastPass both store your passwords using AES-256 encryption inside your vault and they can only be unencrypted once you enter your master password. However, once you’ve logged in and set up a two-step method like your fingerprint, you don’t need to type out your master password each time you want to access one of your stored passwords.

Although both companies undergo regular security audits, Bitwarden’s code is open source while LastPass’ isn’t. This means that anyone can review Bitwarden’s code for security flaws which will then be patched by the company. Another interesting thing about Bitwarden being open source is that you can download its code and host it on your own server instead of in the cloud.

With LastPass, all of your credentials are stored on the company’s cloud servers. Back in December of last year, the company revealed that attackers used information stolen from a previous data breach that took place in August to steal customer data, including backups of their encrypted vaults. We’re still learning more about the LastPass hack but the security implications of the incident are reason enough to choose a different password manager.

Winner: Bitwarden

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Two-factor authentication 

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is available with both Bitwarden and LastPass. While the free version of Bitwarden allows you to use 2FA through authenticator apps like Authy or Google Authenticator as well as email, the paid version supports SMS, phone calls and security keys. However, LastPass has its own authenticator app but you can also use both Google and Microsoft’s authenticator apps. It also supports biometric (face and fingerprint) authentication, voice recognition, SMS and one-time passwords for 2FA.

Winner: LastPass

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Customer support

As using a password manager for the first time can be difficult, Bitwarden and LastPass both have plenty of self-help resources available online in their FAQs and you can also reach out to either company’s community forum for answers to common problems from other users.

While Bitwarden only offers email as a way to directly contact someone at the company for support, LastPass offers 24/7 phone support to its paid customers as well as 24/7 email support to its business customers. 

Winner: LastPass

Bitwarden vs. LastPass: Bottom line

Bitwarden and LastPass both provide a convenient way to store, generate and auto-fill passwords on desktop and mobile. They also support all of the main platforms and have extensions available for all of the main browsers.

When it comes to their free offerings, both password managers have some limitations, like fewer 2FA options and only being able to share vault items with one other user. However, LastPass’ free plan is worse than Bitwarden’s since you can only use the service with either your mobile devices or on desktop — not with both. 

Bitwarden is surprisingly cheap for individuals at just $10 per year and its annual family plan costs just a few dollars more than LastPass’ individual plan. Still though, LastPass throws in a few nice extras like dark web monitoring and 24/7 phone support, so it might be a better choice if you’re less tech savvy.

LastPass’ recent security issues are hard to ignore as one of the main reasons to get a password manager in the first place is to keep your credentials out of the hands of hackers. Fortunately, 1Password is on a par with LastPass in terms of features and pricing, but Bitwarden’s open source nature and the fact that you can host your own server help set it apart from the competition.

Microsoft Edge is a solid browser that I find easy to work on. At least, when I bother to use it. I’m one of the 2.65 billion people who use Google Chrome as their primary browser — both for work and personal use. Because of that, I’ve never given Microsoft Edge its proper due. But that might all change with a reimagined Edge web browser codenamed "Phoenix."

As revealed by WalkingCat on Twitter (via Windows Central), Project Phoenix is an internal reimagining of Microsoft’s browser. The Redmond-based tech giant has been working on this project summer of 2022. Phoenix is being built in pieces and some parts of it can be tested using feature flags in some preview versions of Microsoft Edge.

Some features include an updated UI with rounded tabs akin to native Windows 11 apps and a “split view” feature that allows you to view two web pages within a single tab. Other features include making Edge a system-wide password manager for all of Windows, and a Tab Activity Center to provide users with insight into browser usage.

These updates may not seem monumental, but as the old saying goes, it’s the little things that matter. As a Windows user, these Edge features are pretty exciting. Here’s what I like about some of the new features potentially coming to Microsoft Edge “Phoenix.”

Similar aesthetic to Windows 11 

Windows 11 has a more inviting look thanks to features like rounded windows. And in general, the operating system has a more unified look compared to previous iterations. It’s one of the reasons I immediately upgraded to Windows 11 and never looked back.

Microsoft Edge is a Chromium-based browser, meaning that it's virtually identical to Google Chrome. While this aspect makes it easier for Chrome users to acclimate to Microsoft’s browser, it makes Edge feel disconnected from Windows. Giving Edge an updated UI with rounded tabs would go a long way to making it feel like a part of Windows 11.

Split view to boost productivity 

Snap assist is one of my favorite aspects of Windows 11. This feature makes it easier to arrange open apps on your desktop into Layouts and Groups. It’s an updated version of a Windows 10 feature that similarly lets you “snap” windows into pre-configured layouts.

Instead of having to drag windows into position (or know the keyboard shortcuts), you can just hover your pointer over the minimize/maximize button in the top-right corner of any app window. A little pop-up window will quickly appear showing pictographs of different layout options: splitting the screen 50/50 between two apps, for example, or 50/25/25 between three, or even giving one app two-thirds of the screen while a second app lies narrowly alongside it in the remaining third.

With Phoenix’s split view feature allowing you to have two web pages in a single tab, you could combine it with snap assist and potentially double the number of pages you can view on a single screen. You can see what this would look like below.

Granted, this could look like a mess with so many web pages in your face. But considering how many windows and tabs I keep snapped on my dual-screen setup (it's a lot!), I want to see how many more I can potentially cram in.

System-wide password managing 

Microsoft Edge has a solid password manager that’s easy to use. You can have all of your passwords on all your devices and it’s simple to use different passwords for every website. It works as well as Google Chrome’s password manager, based on my experience.

Being able to manage my Windows passwords right on Edge would not only make the browser feel like a natural extension of Windows, but it would also make it easier to manage all of my passwords from a single spot.

Outlook 

We don’t know if Microsoft will deliver Edge Project Phoenix updates piecemeal or as a single large update. Whatever the case, I’m eager to see these changes implemented as they could make me seriously consider Microsoft Edge as my main browser — or at least use it considerably more.

If not, I’ll still give Microsoft respect for taking measures to make its browser more competitive with the dominant Chrome.

Windows PCs are currently under attack from a new Python-based malware that has previously gone undetected which can steal passwords and other sensitive data from victim’s browsers.

According to the the threat analytics company Securonix, this malware is a remote access trojan (RAT) dubbed PY#RATION. It’s currently being spread through a phishing campaign that uses password-protected ZIP files attached to emails that include two .lnk files disguised as images depicting the front and back of a driver’s license.

What sets PY#RATION apart from other Windows malware strains is the fact that it uses the WebSocket protocol to communicate with a command and control (C&C) server where data stolen from infected PCs is sent according to BleepingComputer.

Although new research about this malware has just come to light, researchers at Securonix note that it’s currently being used in attacks and they’ve observed multiple versions of PY#RATION since it launched back in August of last year.

Impersonating Cortana

When launched, the two shortcuts contained in the ZIP files execute malicious code in the background while unsuspecting users are looking at the driver’s license images. This code is used to contact the attacker-controlled C&C server and download two text (.txt) files that are then renamed to BAT (.bat) files.

However, the malware also creates “Cortana” and “Cortana/Setup” directories in a victim’s temporary folder. Other executable files are then downloaded, unpacked and run from this location.

PY#RATION is able to establish persistence or a foothold on an infected Windows PC by adding a batch file called “CortanaAssist.bat” in a user’s startup directory. This makes the malware harder to detect as infected users might think it’s a legitimate Windows system file instead of a virus hiding in plain sight.

Although Microsoft’s virtual assistant isn’t nearly as popular as it once was, it’s still included in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. However, in the latest version of Windows, Cortana is no longer pinned to the taskbar. Fortunately, you can also uninstall Cortana if you think Microsoft’s virtual assistant is too invasive.

Stealing browser and clipboard data

The latest version of PY#RATION (1.6.0) contains a number of features to make it easier for hackers to steal data from infected PCs.

For instance, the malware can transfer files to and from a C&C server, record keystrokes, detect if an infected machine is running antivirus software, steal clipboard data and extract both passwords and cookies from web browsers. All of this stolen data can then be used to commit fraud or even identity theft.

Besides stealing data from Google Chrome, Brave, Opera and Microsoft Edge, PY#RATION can also steal info from the best cryptocurrency wallets as well as user and system data from an infected PC. 

How to stay safe from Windows malware

Securonix points out that since English is the main language used throughout PY#RATION and the lure images used in this campaign are of a UK driver’s license, the malware is likely being used to target Windows users in the UK or North America.

To stay safe from this and other malware, you should always avoid opening email attachments from unknown senders. While the files inside might seem innocent at first, there could be something malicious going on in the background as is the case here.

Installing one of the best antivirus software solutions can help prevent malware from infecting your PC and many of these programs also feature additional protections against phishing. As for keeping your passwords and other sensitive data secure, you should use one of the best password managers as opposed to storing your passwords in your browser. This way, it will be more difficult for hackers to get their hands on them even if they do manage to infect your computer with malware.

Now that Securonix has shined a light on PY#RATION, we’ll likely find out even more about this new Windows malware including details on the hackers using it in their attacks.

If you haven’t updated your browser in a while you should do so immediately, as a new high-severity vulnerability has been discovered that affects Google Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers like Microsoft Edge.

The vulnerability, dubbed SymStealer and tracked as CVE-2022-3656, was first discovered by security researchers at Imperva and more than 2.5 billion users could be at risk of potential attacks if they aren’t running the latest version of Chrome.

If exploited, an attacker could use this vulnerability to steal sensitive files from a users’ computer including banking and crypto wallet credentials that could then be used to drain their accounts. 

Chrome’s popularity comes with a number of benefits like compatibility and frequent security audits but as the most widely used browser with a 65.52% market share according to a blog post from Imperva, it’s also a very attractive target for hackers and other cybercriminals.

SymStealer vulnerability

The vulnerability itself involves symlinks or symbolic links which are a type of file that points to another file or directory. Symlinks are often used for creating shortcuts, redirecting file paths or organizing files in a more flexible way. However, they can also introduce vulnerabilities.

Imperva’s researchers discovered an issue in Chrome where the browser did not properly check to see if symlinks were pointing to a location that wasn’t supposed to be accessible. This could allow an attacker to steal sensitive files from a victim’s machine.

In one attack scenario laid out by the firm, an attacker could create a fake website that offers a new crypto wallet service. This website could then trick a user into creating a new wallet by requesting they download their recovery keys.

While a user would think they were downloading their keys, the file itself would actually contain a symlink to a sensitive file or folder on their computer. After unzipping the file and uploading their recovery keys back to the fake website, the symlink would then be processed and the attacker would gain access to a sensitive file. 

Fortunately, Imperva’s researchers disclosed the vulnerability to Google and the search giant rolled out a fix in Chrome 107. However, this didn’t fully address the issue which is why a permanent fix was included with the release of Chrome 108. 

How to stay safe from browser-based attacks

If you’re using Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Vivaldi, Opera or any other Chromium-based browser, you should download and install the latest updates immediately to protect the sensitive files on your computer from being stolen. 

Although there haven’t been any instances of this security flaw being exploited in the wild, attackers could come up with exploits targeting users that are still running vulnerable versions of Chrome or other Chromium browsers.

Besides keeping your browser and other software up to date, you should also consider installing the best antivirus software to help keep you protected from malware and other cyber threats.

Windows 11 has arrived, and with it comes Microsoft’s vision for the future of personal computing. This is a softer, more rounded Windows, one that puts the Start menu front and center while doing away with some of the cruft that cluttered up Windows 10.

But while Windows 11 does introduce some welcome improvements, many are so subtle you probably won’t notice them unless you’re specifically looking. One such update that will fly under the radar for most users is the removal of Internet Explorer, which was officially retired by Microsoft in June. Other changes that do manage to grab your attention — like the newly centered Start button — tend to fade into the background quickly.

But perhaps that’s part of the plan. Microsoft is pitching Windows 11 as a safer, more performant Windows that’s simple to use, with a welcoming design that’s meant to make using your PC for work and play easier than ever. If moving from Windows 8 to Windows 10 was a minor revolution, moving to Windows 11 is a refinement. Moving to Windows 11 might be worth all this fuss, as after the big Windows 11 2022 Update it now offers helpful features like tabs in File Explorer, folders in the Start Menu and Voice Access, which helps you control your Windows 11 PC with your voice.

And since just about every Windows 10 user with a qualifying machine has the chance to upgrade for free, the only thing most of us have to do is decide whether the revamped design and new feature of Windows 11 are worth the hassle of upgrading. To help you make that decision for yourself, read on for our full Windows 11 review.

If you've already upgraded or are thinking of upgrading, check out our guides on the best hidden Windows 11 features and how to speed up Windows 11.

Windows 11 review cheat sheet

• Windows Copilot for Windows 11 could be a Cortana you’d want to use
• AI apps are getting their own section in Microsoft's Windows 11 Store
• Windows 11 recently got its own screen recording tool — here's how it works.
• Windows 11 just got update that fixes an annoying gaming bug — and adds these features to boot.
• Pre-release versions of Windows 11 have been caught upselling other Microsoft services multiple times, though Microsoft has so far not rolled any of these ads into the release version.
• The new Windows 11 Voice Access feature is a game changer for work.
• Windows 11 got its first major update on September 20 -- here's what's new and how to get it.
• As of May 2022, Windows 11 is getting a much-needed feature that will make your life simpler: an easy app restore system.
• Windows 11 has a more inviting and streamlined look, with rounded corners and a new Start menu that's front and center. Microsoft is continuing to update and streamline it -- the latest Windows 11 update finally axes ugly volume UI, for example.
• New Desktops feature helps you set up multiple desktops for work and play.
• New Snap Assist and Layouts make it easier to manage multiple windows on your screen.
• Windows 11 widgets are fine if all you care about is the news, weather and your calendar, but at launch there aren't many others available and what's here is barebones.
• Auto HDR and DirectStorage will improve game performance — if you have compatible hardware.
• Steep system requirements mean most PCs built before 2018 are out of luck.
• Google launched a Google Play Games for PC app for Windows 10 and 11 in 2022, opening the door to all Android games on Windows 11.
• Windows 11 is officially getting some new features for iPhone owners, bringing increased iCloud integration and standalone Apple Music and Apple TV apps.

Windows 11 review: Price and availability 

• Windows 11 launched on Oct. 5th, 2021
• Upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10 is free

Windows 11 officially arrived on October 5, 2021. If you’re buying a new copy, the update will be available in Home and Pro versions on Microsoft’s website and at select third-party retailers, just like Windows 10. It's worth noting that while Windows 11 Home requires a Microsoft account and an Internet connection to activate, Windows 11 Pro does not.

If your PC qualifies, upgrading to Windows 11 from Windows 10 will be free. Microsoft began rolling out Windows 11 updates to Windows 10 machines since launch but it has been a staggered release. Even now, Microsoft has prioritized PCs based on factors such as how old they are and how compatible they are with Windows 11. All compatible machines should get the option to upgrade by the middle of 2022.

That said, you can install Windows 11 on your PC right now if you’re willing to do a clean install of Windows 11 using an ISO file, but that means you’ll have to download the .ISO file yourself and mount it as a bootable drive.

Perhaps the most important thing to know about the release of Windows 11 is that we should expect it to change significantly over the next few years. I used beta versions of Windows 11 for a month in the lead-up to writing this review, and it seemed like there was a minor new feature or redesigned app to check out every few days. The frequency of updates has slowed since launch, but we've still received significant ones such as Android support for Windows 11.

So if you have any trepidation about upgrading, there’s no harm in waiting — while Windows 11 is, by my estimation, a completely decent and usable version of Windows with a slick new look, it’s not yet feature-complete. Plus, most of us won’t have the chance to upgrade for a while yet anyhow. And Microsoft has pledged to support Windows 10 into 2025, so there’s little risk in holding off.

Windows 11 review: System requirements

• Steep system requirements mean most PCs built before 2018 are out of luck
• It's still possible to install Windows 11 on non-compliant PCs — for now

The minimum specs Microsoft claims your PC needs to install Windows 11 have been controversial, to put it politely. As of this writing, the Windows 11 system requirements dictate that your PC must have the following:

• CPU: 1GHz or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip (SoC)
• RAM: 4GB
• Storage: 64GB of larger
• System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
• Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
• Display: High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9 inches diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
• Internet: Windows 11 Home edition requires internet connectivity and a Microsoft account to complete device setup on first use. Windows 11 Pro edition does not.

These requirements are stringent enough to make installing Windows 11 on even semi-recent PCs a chore. Microsoft’s list of CPUs compatible with Windows 11 is both remarkably complex and way too short, since it’s limited chiefly to CPUs released since 2018. And the requirement to have an active TPM 2.0 has proven even more frustrating, since most of us have no clue what a Trusted Platform Module is, or how to tell if we have one in our PC. Here are more details on what a TPM is and why it matters for Windows 11 as well as how to check if your PC has a TPM. 

Windows 10, by comparison, has a much broader range of acceptable CPUs and does not require you to have a TPM 2.0 enabled. Microsoft claims the stricter system requirements of Windows 11 are meant to make it a safer ecosystem by ensuring Windows 11 PCs are more hardened against cyberattacks, but it’s hard to take that claim seriously when it seems easy enough to get around the Windows 11 system requirements, During the Windows 11 beta period, it’s been possible to install Windows 11 on PCs that don’t meet the minimum system requirements by installing from an .ISO file, rather than upgrading directly. 

Windows 11 will warn you that your PC isn’t up to snuff, but will otherwise let you carry on your merry way. You should be able to circumvent the system requirements in this way (or others) even after the official launch of Windows 11, though Microsoft has regularly told us that systems running Windows 11 without meeting the minimum system requirements may not receive updates via Windows Update — including essential security updates.

Windows 11 review: Updates and new features

Since its launch, Windows 11 has been evolving with new features added via major updates and a whole host of patches squashing bugs and shoring up the operating system. And the updates keep coming. 

The Windows 11 Beta preview is a good way to get an idea of what features could come next to the OS. For example, the latest update (at the time of writing) to build 22624.1610 introduces Presence sensing, which can let apps detect when a user is active or inactive and lock themselves down if it's the latter in order to enhance user privacy. 

Windows 11 review: Design 

• Redesigned icons and menus to be rounder and more inviting
• Windows 11 looks nicer than Windows 10, out of the box

The biggest change you’ll notice when upgrading to Windows 11 is the new design. When you launch Windows you’re still greeted with a taskbar and desktop, but now there are some new buttons on the taskbar and they’re all centered in the middle, rather than clustered in the left corner. 

During the lead-up to launch, I regularly heard words like “calm,” “focused,” and “freedom” to describe how Windows’ new look is intended to make users feel. Microsoft seems keenly aware that most of us have spent the past could of years enduring various forms of COVID-19 lockdown, and it’s selling Windows 11 as an operating system that can help you do more with your PC in a warmer, more inviting way, whether you’re using it for work or play.

It’s a nice idea, and after using Windows 11 (in various forms of beta) for over a month, I can tell you that some of the new features incorporated into its design do work well. They give me more tools for managing what I’m paying attention to on my PC, and when. 

Windows 11 review: Desktops

• Helps give you more control over how you focus your attention
• Optional and easily ignored, like many Windows 11 features

Notably, there’s a new Desktops feature that helps you set up and manage multiple iterations of your desktop. It sounds complicated, but in practice it’s simple. There’s a new Task View button alongside the Start button which looks like two contrasting windows overlapping one another. Hover your pointer over it, and you’ll see a small preview of all the desktops you have open, as well as the option to set up a new one.

When you set up a new desktop, it’s effectively just a cosmetic difference. You can give a different name to each desktop, but they all access the same files on your PC and pull from the same Microsoft account. In my testing, I also found that desktop icons are shared across desktops, so if you delete your shortcut to Microsoft Edge from one desktop, it’s gone from all desktops. However, apps and windows you have open on one desktop aren’t duplicated on other desktops, and each desktop can also have its own custom cosmetics like wallpaper and theme.

What this means, in practice, is that you can use desktops to silo your projects. If, like many of us, you’re using your Windows PC to both work from home and pursue your own personal projects, you could have one desktop named “Work” set up with your work apps open and another named “Play” with Steam and the Xbox app ready to go.

I’ve been using Windows 11 this way for some time now, and it feels like a natural evolution of how I already split my attention between work and personal stuff. When I’m using two monitors, I’ll have one earmarked for work apps (Slack, email, our CMS) and another set up to display my personal email, Twitter, and the like. Even when I’m using a single monitor, I tend to put browser windows side-by-side in Windows 10 so that I can focus on work while keeping tabs on my personal social media feeds.

If you work in similar ways, I think you’ll find Windows 11’s expanded Desktop groups feature useful once you spend some time coming to grips with it. But if you don’t care to, that’s fine too — like many new features of Windows 11, these desktop groups are optional and can easily be ignored. You can even remove the button from the taskbar entirely, though you’re still able to access the Task View by hitting the Windows key + Tab.

Windows 11 review: Teams

• Teams is now integrated into Windows, which is good for Teams power users
• If you don't use Teams, you can safely ignore it

Incidentally, there’s another easily ignored new button on the Windows 11 taskbar: a little purple Microsoft Teams icon. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Teams saw a big boost in users and now Microsoft has made it a more central component of Windows.

However if you never use Teams, you don’t have to start now — you can remove the icon from the taskbar and uninstall Teams entirely without losing out on any meaningful features.

Windows 11 review: Snap Assist, Layouts and Groups

• Layouts give you more granular control over screen real estate
• Groups let you batch control groups of related windows

A more notable new feature of Windows 11 is Snap Assist, which makes it easier to arrange open apps on your desktop into Layouts and Groups. Like much of Windows 11, it’s a more granular version of a Windows 10 feature —specifically, the way you can already “snap” windows into pre-configured layouts on Windows 10. 

On Windows 11, instead of having to drag them into position (or know the keyboard shortcuts), you can just hover your pointer over the minimize/maximize button in the top-right corner of any app window. A little pop-up window will quickly appear showing pictographs of different layout options: splitting the screen 50/50 between two apps, for example, or 50/25/25 between three, or even giving one app two-thirds of the screen while a second app lies narrowly alongside it in the remaining third.

Once you pick a layout (by moving your pointer to hover over your chosen layout, highlighting where you want the current app to go), Windows will help you fill in the rest of it by serving up a menu of apps you currently have open and letting you assign them to different parts of the screen.

Windows 11 will also attempt to automatically remember your layout as a group, which means that if you minimize everything you can quickly open all the same apps in the same arrangement by mousing over the minimized app’s icon in the taskbar and selecting the Group option that pops up. It's very similar to how Spaces works on macOS and serves much the same function.

These are neat features that improve upon the screen real estate management options already available in Windows 10. Admittedly, during testing, I found myself rarely using snap assist or groups, and the only layout I reliably used was the simple 50/50 side-by-side view I’ve been using in Windows 10 for years. But if you’re more of a power user than I am, these new features should help you feel a little more productive in Windows 11.

There are countless other small changes lurking in the design of Microsoft’s latest OS that are too numerous to get into here, and in my experience, all of them are pretty easy to adjust to once you spend a few hours getting to know Windows 11.

There’s a new tiered notification menu that slides out of the right side of the screen, for example and more granular options for controlling which notifications you see and when. Cortana is completely gone, though you can still download it from the Microsoft Store.

There are also newer, more streamlined context menus in many parts of Windows, so that when you do something like right-click a file in File Explorer you now get a smaller menu with fewer options that are crowned by icons for common tasks like Cut, Rename, or Share.

At the same time, if you dig just a little bit behind the surface of Windows 11, you’ll find the familiar face of old Windows there to greet you. There’s typically an option to “Show more options” at the bottom of those new, shorter context menus, for example, and if you hit it you’ll see the longer, messier context menus we know from Windows 10. Mingling legacy components of Windows into Windows 11 like this has the potential to be deeply confusing for casual users, but Windows vets may appreciate that the old ways of doing things still (by and large) work.

Windows 11 review: The new Start menu 

• Yes, it's in the center now and yes, you can move it back to the left
• New design is simpler and more functional

Let’s focus on one of the most controversial changes coming with Windows 11 — the Start button, which has been uprooted from its decades-long home in the bottom left corner of the taskbar and slid over the center. So, too, have the row of pinned apps typically nestled next to the Start button: now they’re all centered in the taskbar. When you hit the Start button a compact rectangular menu that looks a lot like Android’s app drawer opens above them. 

This new Start Menu bears all the hallmarks of Microsoft’s Fluent Design language: it has rounded corners, centered text, and big, colorful icons. It also has a search bar prominently displayed across the top, which I think is great because hitting the Start button and typing the name of whatever program, file, or menu you’re after is one of the fastest ways to get around Windows.

The trick is, there’s no clear indicator you can do this on older Windows Start menus — you have to read about it or just stumble into it by accident. Now that there’s a clear Search bar at the top of the Start menu, hopefully more people will have an easier time getting around Windows.

Below the Search bar, most of the Start menu of it is taken up by a 3 x 18 scrollable grid of pinned apps: this is where you put your most-used apps, and by default it’s full of Microsoft standbys like Edge, Excel, Notepad, Word, the Microsoft Store, and of course, Solitaire. There’s also an “All apps” button in the top right corner of the menu which opens an alphabetical list of all programs and program folders you have installed. 

Below the scrollable grid of apps is a “Recommended” section that shows a 2 x 3 grid of programs, files, or folders Windows thinks you might want to access. As far as I can tell, the algorithm that determines what shows up in this lower section of the Start menu predominantly cares about what you most recently used, and in my experience this “Recommended” section mostly shows the most recent apps and files you’ve used or downloaded. 

It’s a simpler, streamlined menu that’s effectively a refinement of the existing Windows 10 Start menu. Gone are the Live Tiles which used to haphazardly fill up the right-hand side of the Win 10 Start menu. Gone also are the quick links to Settings, Pictures, and Documents, though these can all be quickly accessed in Windows 11 by typing the relevant term while you have the Start menu open. You can access the same “secret” Start button context menu as you can on Windows 10, too, with the same trick: just right-click the Windows 11 Start button and you’ll see a simple list of useful shortcuts to things like the Task Manager, the Settings menu, your power options, and more.

Just as a small aside, one of the nicest aspects of the new Start menu is that after more than a month of using it, I’ve yet to notice a single “Suggested” ad from Microsoft inserted without my knowledge. This is a nice change from Windows 10, which will often insert a link in the Start menu to advertise something to you (in my case, the Bing Weekly News Quiz) unless you specifically right-click said ad and tell Windows to turn off all suggestions.

Windows 11 review: Widgets 

• Widgets available at launch are bland and unhelpful
• We need more control over what headlines appear in Widgets menu

One of the big new features Microsoft touts for Windows 11 is Widgets. These are auto-updating tiles showing things like news headlines, weather, and your calendar, and the concept should not be unfamiliar if you spend a lot of time staring at a mobile phone.

Windows 11 widgets also aren’t so far removed from the Desktop Gadgets we saw in Windows 8; instead of sitting on your desktop, though, Windows 11 Widgets reside in a hidden tray that slides out from the left side of the screen when you hit the Widgets button. Speaking of that button, it’s now embedded alongside the Start button on the taskbar. 

It’s a neat idea, and perhaps in the future I’ll come to rely on Windows 11 Widgets during my daily routine. But right now, Widgets on Windows 11 are quite limited and easily forgotten. When Microsoft first announced they were coming to Windows 11, we were shown demos of a Widgets panel that can be customized, expanded into full-screen mode, and rearranged to your liking.

But In the lead-up to the formal launch of Windows, 11 I’ve played around with Widgets and found them terribly rigid: there aren't many available yet, I can’t customize much of what they show me, and at the time of writing this review, I couldn’t resize the Widgets panel at all.

Of course, your experience could be completely different if Microsoft changes the way Widgets work by the time you read this. But here at the launch of Windows 11, when I hit the Widget key I’m greeted by a pane that slides out from the left. At the top of that pane are widgets that show data like the local weather, some current financial stock values, and my to-do list. I can move them around and change their size, remove them, or swap in new ones by opening the Widgets menu in the top-right corner, but right now there are only 9 available. 

Beneath the widgets is a Top Stories module listing six headlines from major media outlets I had no obvious hand in choosing, and I can choose to see more or less stories from those outlets with little 3-dot menus on each headline. Below that Top Stories module is an endlessly scrollable list of rectangular tiles, each of which shows a headline and image from a curated list of media organizations I had nothing to do with selecting. Each of these stories can be removed by hitting a little “X” button in the corner, and they each have their own little 3-dot menu button which gives you options for seeing more or less stories from that outlet.

This news feed is tied into your Interests, which Microsoft introduced earlier this year as part of Windows 10. You’re asked to select some Interests when you first set up Windows 11, and the main way of controlling what appears in the news feed of your Widgets menu appears to be changing your interests in the My Interests section of Microsoft’s website. 

Maybe that's useful for some, but in my experience the widgets and news stories available in the Widgets menu are completely superfluous and hard to configure. I hope Microsoft makes some big changes to Windows 11 Widgets quickly, because I can’t see why anyone would use them at this stage. At best, the Widgets menu appears to be a hard-to-customize way of catching up on news, weather, and sports scores, all of which can be accomplished just as easily in a browser or on your phone.

Windows 11 review: New gaming features 

• Auto HDR is great — if you have an HDR-capable display
• Likewise, DirectStorage is nice if you have a compatible NVMe SSD

There are two new Windows 11 features that game enthusiasts will care about: Auto HDR and DirectStorage. Put simply, the former can make the lighting in games look much better, while the latter can help games load more quickly. However, both require specific hardware in order to work.

Auto HDR is a feature which uses machine learning to replicate the effect of high dynamic range lighting in DirectX 11/12 games which lack it. It’s hard to describe the difference HDR makes if you haven’t seen it yourself, but in essence, lighting looks better thanks to an increase in the spectrum between the lightest and darkest parts of the picture. It works well on the Xbox Series X/S consoles, but less so on Windows 10. 

It’s a neat feature to have in Windows 11, and it really makes the lighting in games pop, but to take advantage of it you have to have one of the best monitors capable of displaying HDR content. HDR-capable monitors are still pretty rare, and HDR support is equally rare in laptop panels, so chances are the majority of Windows users don’t currently have displays which can take advantage of Auto HDR. 

In contrast, DirectStorage is all about cutting down loading times by using some tricks to pipe game data directly to the graphics card, rather than involving the CPU. That should make games load faster, but to use this feature, you’ve got to be playing a game that takes advantage of the DirectStorage API on a PC with an NVMe SSD and a GPU that supports DirectX12 Ultimate. 

Luckily, those two components are pretty common in new PCs these days, so as long as your machine isn’t too ancient, there’s a good chance you’ll see faster game load times on Windows 11. Anecdotally, I saw games like Forza Horizon 4, Control, and The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind load quite speedily in Windows 11.

Windows 11 review: Native Android apps

• You can (finally) install native Androids apps on Windows 11

When Windows 11 was announced, one of its most interesting features was the ability to install and run Android apps natively, rather than relying on third-party methods. And while the feature wasn't made available upon the OS's release, if you're based in the US, it's now possible to install Android apps on your PC natively.

You can run Android apps on Windows 11 thanks to a collaboration between Microsoft and Amazon, with apps being supplied from Amazon's own app store. Admittedly, with the Amazon Appstore still being in preview, the selection isn't that great so far. Still, if you want to play a round or two of Subway Surfers without having to bust your phone out, Windows 11 has you covered. Here's how to install Androids apps on Windows 11.

Windows 11 is now blocking Edge blockers

Previously, Windows 11 Insiders got an early look at Microsoft’s move to block users avoiding the Edge browser for certain functions. Now, the update has rolled out to everyone using Windows 11 in build 22000.376.

While Windows 11 makes it easier to change default browser functions, some functionality within the OS — such as the news and weather widgets — are hardcoded to open in Microsoft Edge via “microsoft-edge://” links. Previously, apps like EdgeDeflector could redirect this to a browser of your choice, but that loophole has now been closed.

Thankfully, there is a workaround via an app called MSEdgeRedirect, that can download from GitHub here. According to the app's description, it “filters and passes the command line arguments of Microsoft Edge processes into your default browser.” 

The main issue with this solution is that it has to be running in the background at all times to function. There's little doubt that Microsoft will also block this app from working. But for the moment, it's an option if you aren't a fan of Edge.

Windows 11 review: Known issues

In addition to missing advertised features, Windows 11 has some known issues at launch that you should at least be aware of before you try to upgrade.

For example, Windows 11 ships with VBS (virtualization-based security) enabled by default, and that can be bad news for gaming PCs (at least, pre-built ones) because VBS uses up resources in a way that can negatively impact game performance. 

Also, folks who reside in China are out of luck right now if they want to install Windows 11, because it requires TPM 2.0, and foreign-made TPM chips are currently banned in China.

And while it's not an issue per se, Microsoft seems determined to promote its Edge browser in its latest operating system, which can get irritating. 

For more up-to-date details, check out our guide to the latest Windows 11 problems and fixes.

Windows 11 updates

As part of a Windows 11 update, Windows Insiders get access to a bunch of new enhancements in the Notepad app, which will be coming to all users. The Notepad app now has dark mode, which flips the traditional black text on white background for a look that’s both visually appealing and something that should offer a bit less strain on the eyes.

In addition, ‘Find and replace’ and the text search tool have been combined into a single floating bar, and there is now support for multi-level undo. We will be updating this review with other Windows 11 updates as they are released. 

A more recent update indicates that Microsoft seems to be pushing forward to migrating Control Panel features to the Settings app in Windows 11.

The upcoming Sun Valley 2 (the first major Windows 11 update of 2022) will make using the Alt+Tab shortcut easier on the eyes and help you be more productive. Pressing Alt+Tab brings up a small window showing your open windows. This happened previously, but the main difference now is that the background around the window is blurred. The shortcut works exactly as before, but the blurred background is decidedly more aesthetically pleasing.

Windows 11 review: Verdict 

It’s hard to make a definitive judgment about Windows 11 because so much of it is still being built out in front of us. Native Android app support took too long to arrive, Widgets lack some advertised features, and during testing, I ran into annoying (but not critical) bugs in apps like Snipping Tool and Cortana. I expect Microsoft will address all of these issues in due time, which means it should be a whole different OS by the time many of us get the offer to upgrade from Windows 10.

The Windows 11 you log into on your brand-new PC will be different from the Windows 11 I used in the weeks prior to launch, and they’ll both look different than whatever Windows 10 users see when they upgrade in the future.

But so far, what’s here is pretty good. Windows 11 refines what’s good about Windows 10 without losing too much in the process, and once you learn how everything works, the new operating system is rarely any harder to use. It’s more customizable, and new tools like Desktops and Snap Assist give you more granular control over how you divide up your screen and your time.

Windows 11 is more streamlined and easier to navigate with a touchscreen, with bigger touch zones and simpler, rounder menus. In many ways, Windows 11 is more akin to competitors like macOS, Android, and Chrome than ever before — and I think that’s generally a good thing.

Most importantly, if you don’t like the changes, most of them can be safely ignored or changed back to the way you like them — even the Start button can be slid back into the lower-left corner by clicking a button in the taskbar settings. And if you don’t like the look of Windows 11, you can safely ignore it and keep using Windows 10 for years — though Microsoft will eventually expect you to upgrade.

But right now, as much as I like Windows 11, I don’t recommend you upgrade unless you’re really excited about the new tools and revamped design. There just isn’t a compelling reason to, and you’d be well-served by giving Microsoft time to address some of the bugs and build out the features a bit more. 

Read next: Windows vs macOS: Which is better for you?

Browser extensions can add new functionality to help you get more done in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and other Chromium-based web browsers but they can also be used as a means to take over your PC or even to infect it with malware.

As reported by BleepingComputer, a new botnet called Cloud9 has been discovered by security researchers at Zimperium. The botnet uses malicious extensions to log keystrokes, steal passwords, inject ads and infect vulnerable computers with malware. Browsers with this malicious extension installed can even be used to launch DDoS attacks designed to take over websites by overwhelming them with traffic.

The Cloud9 browser extension works just like a remote access trojan (RAT) and hackers can use it to remotely execute commands in a victim’s browser once it has been added to either Chrome or Edge.

Distributed through fake programs and Flash Player updates

Unlike with the best Google Chrome extensions, you won’t find Cloud9 on the Chrome Web Store, as this malicious extension would be easily detected and blocked by Google’s security team. Instead, hackers are using some of their most common tactics to trick users into installing it themselves.

In a blog post detailing the findings of its security researchers, Zimperium explains that the most common distribution methods for Cloud 9 are “fake executables and malicious websites disguised as Adobe Flash Player updates”.

While these fake executables are likely pirated software that potential victims download to avoid paying for legal versions, fake Adobe Flash Player updates aren’t nearly as popular among hackers as they used to be. This is because Adobe officially ended support for its once ubiquitous Flash Player back in January 2021. At that time, the company behind Photoshop and some of the other best photo editing software recommended that users uninstall Flash Player on their devices to avoid falling victim to fake updates like these.

Even though Adobe Flash Player has since been discontinued, fake websites still use updates for the software to trick unsuspecting users into downloading malware and in this case, a malicious extension.

Exploiting vulnerabilities to infect Windows devices with malware

Once installed in Chrome or Edge, Cloud9 uses three JavaScript files to collect system information, to mine for cryptocurrency using an infected PC and to carry out DDoS attacks.

This malicious extension can also infect your computer with malware by exploiting known vulnerabilities in Edge and even Internet Explorer. Once malware has been installed on a system running Cloud9, the hackers behind it can log keystrokes to steal passwords entered on your computer. However, the extension also has a “clipper” module that monitors your system’s clipboard for copied password or credit card information.

Cloud9 is even able to inject ads by loading webpages in the background which generates ad revenue for its creators. If your PC has this malicious extension installed, you may notice that it’s running slower than usual — this could be a sign that your system is being used to perform DDoS attacks.

Zimperium’s researchers also observed that Cloud9 is being heavily promoted on hacking forums. Just like with malware-as-a-service, this malicious extension can be used by other cybercriminals to carry out their own attacks — for a price.

How to stay safe from malicious browser extensions

The easiest way to avoid malicious extensions is by making sure you only download new ones from the Chrome Web Store for Google Chrome or from the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store for Microsoft Edge. Still, bad extensions do manage to slip past Google and Microsoft from time to time, which is why you should probably have one of the best antivirus software solutions installed on your PC.

Just like with apps for your smartphone, you should always ask yourself whether or not you really need an extension before installing it. If one seems too good to be true or it offers to give you access to a paid service for free, then there’s a high possibility that it could be malicious. Hackers and other cybercriminals often create fake extensions as a way to gain a foothold on your PC which is why you need to be careful when installing any new extension.

In a statement to BleepingComputer, a Google spokesperson also recommends ensuring that you have the latest version of Chrome installed on your devices as it will have “the most up-to-date security protections.” This also holds true for Microsoft Edge and any other Chromium-based browser like Opera, Vivaldi and Brave.

For additional protection on Google Chrome, you can also turn on the search giant’s Enhanced Protection feature in the browser’s privacy and security settings. This will help keep you protected from malicious executables while also automatically warning you about risky downloads.

Just like when adding new apps to your smartphone, you need to be careful when adding the best Google Chrome extensions to your browser. Malicious extensions can be used for ad fraud or even to infect your PC or Mac with malware.

As reported by BleepingComputer, a new malvertising or malicious advertising campaign has been discovered by the cybersecurity firm Guardio Labs that uses Chrome extensions to hijack web searches and add affiliate links to any sites you visit.

This malvertising campaign has been dubbed “Dormant Colors” by the firm’s security researchers due to the fact that all of the malicious extensions in question offer color customization options for Chrome. However, the extensions themselves don’t include malicious code when installed, which is how they were able to bypass Google’s security checks and end up on the Chrome Web Store in the first place.

Dormant Colors Chrome extensions

Following its investigation into the matter, Guardio found 30 different versions of these malicious browser extensions on both the Chrome and Edge web stores with more than a million installs combined. As we mentioned before, they have been removed from both web stores but here is the full list just in case:

• Action Colors
• Power Colors
• Nino Colors
• More Styles
• Super Colors
• Mix Colors
• Mega Colors
• Get colors
• What color
• Single Color
• Colors scale
• Style flex
• Background Colors
• More styles
• Change Color
• Dood Colors
• Refresh color
• Imginfo
• WebPage Colors
• Hex colors
• Soft view
• Border colors
• Colors mode
• Xer Colors

How to manually remove Chrome extensions

While all of the malicious extensions listed below have since been removed, you may need to manually remove them from Chrome by clicking on the three dots menu at the top right of your browser. From here, click More and then head to More tools > Extensions. Here you’ll be able to disable the extensions and if you run into any problems, this support document can guide you through the entire process.

Hijacking your browser to earn revenue from clicks

In order to trick unsuspecting users into downloading their malicious extensions, the cybercriminals behind this campaign use advertisements or redirects when you visit sites that play videos or offer downloads.

When you try to watch a video or download the program at these sites, you are redirected to another site that says you must add an extension to continue. If you click either ‘OK’ or the ‘Continue’ button, you are prompted to install a color-changing extension that looks harmless at first glance.

Once installed though, these extensions redirect users to pages that side-load malicious scripts that show the extensions how to perform search hijacking but they also tell the extension which sites affiliate links can be inserted on. This generates ad revenue for the creator of these malicious extensions but your search data is also sold for profit.

These Dormant Colors extensions also have a list of 10,000 sites that can be used to automatically redirect users to the same page but with affiliate links added to their URLs. Any purchase made on one of these sites will generate a commission for the extensions’ developers.

In a blog post explaining its findings, Guardio provided further insight on the potential of this malicious extension campaign to expand further, saying:

“This campaign is still up and running, shifting domains, generating new extensions, and re-inventing more color and style-changing functions you can for sure manage without. Adding to that, the code injection technique analyzed here is a vast infrastructure for mitigation and evasion and allows leveraging the campaign to even more malicious activities in the future.”

How to stay safe from malicious browser extensions

If you plan on adding any new extensions to your browser, you should probably have one of the best antivirus software solutions installed on your laptop or PC to protect you from becoming infected with malware or having your data stolen.

Apart from this, you should only use trusted sources like the Chrome Web Store or the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store to install new extensions. While bad extensions do slip through the cracks from time to time, you’re still safer installing browser extensions from an official store than from the web. 

At the same time, you should always ask yourself whether or not you really need an extension before installing it. For instance, if an extension seems too good to be true, then it probably is and isn’t worth installing. You also want to periodically go through the list of extensions in your browser and delete any you no longer use while keeping a close eye out for new ones you don’t remember installing.

Browser extensions give you a whole new way of customizing your browser and adding new features to it. However, just like with apps, cybercriminals often create fake extensions for their own gain that are capable of committing ad fraud or even infecting your computer with a virus.

Unlike with Word and other office software, your browser’s address bar doesn’t have a spell checker which is why look-alike domains are often used in phishing attacks and to spread malware.

Also known as typosquatting, this is an old tactic used by cybercriminals where they register domains that are similar to legitimate ones with the hope that potential victims misspell a website’s address and end up on a fake site instead.

As reported by BleepingComputer, a new typosquatting campaign has been discovered in the wild which uses 200 fake domains impersonating 27 popular brands to trick users into downloading Android and Windows malware.

At first glance, many of these typosquatting domains seem quite convincing as the sites they point to are either clones of legitimate ones or use their logos and style. The domains in this particular campaign are close to the sites they’re impersonating with only a single letter in the wrong place or an extra “s” which can be easy for those not paying close attention to miss. 

Using typosquatting to spread Android and Windows malware

This new typosquatting campaign was first discovered by the cybersecurity firm Cyble which published a blog post detailing how the cybercriminals behind it are using fake domains to impersonate app stores and even social media sites.

Some of these fake domains mimic popular Android app stores like the Google Play Store, APKCombo and APKPure. While potential victims think they’re downloading a legitimate Android app, their devices actually become infected with the ERMAC banking trojan that can steal money from your online banking accounts and the best cryptocurrency wallets.

At the same time, the cybercriminals have also set up fake sites impersonating Snapchat, TikTok, VidMate, PayPal, Google Wallet and other popular services. Here are just a few of the typosquatting domains you’ll want to look out for:

• payce-google[.]com - impersonates Google Wallet
• snanpckat-apk[.]com - impersonates Snapchat
• vidmates-app[.]com - impersonates VidMate
• paltpak-apk[.]com - impersonates PayPal
• m-apkpures[.]com - impersonates APKPure
• tiktok-apk[.]link - impersonates the download page for TikTok’s app

However, BleepingComputer also discovered a much larger typosquatting campaign launched by the same cybercriminals designed to distribute Windows malware instead. There are more than 90 fake websites impersonating popular brands in order to distribute the Vidar malware and the Agent Tesla keylogger

Some examples of typosquatting domains used to distribute Windows malware include notepads-plus-plus[.]org that impersonates the popular Notepad++ text editor, tocproject[.]com impersonating the Tor Project and braves-browsers[.]org which appears similar to the actual site for Brave Browser.

How to stay safe from typosquatting domains

Although many of the best Android browsers like Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge include typosquatting protection, this feature doesn’t always prevent users from navigating to fake websites. 

To avoid accidentally navigating to a fake website with a misspelled web address, you should use a search engine to find the site you want to visit instead of trying to manually type out its name in your browser’s address bar. However, you may want to avoid clicking on any of the ads shown in the search results as cybercriminals often create and use malicious ads to impersonate legitimate websites.

To further protect your data and devices, you should consider installing one of the best antivirus software solutions on your PC or laptop running Windows as well as one of the best Android antivirus apps on your Android smartphone.

Since typosquatting can be quite profitable for cybercriminals, this attack method likely isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. For this reason, you should always be extra careful when manually writing out the addresses of popular sites in your browser.

LastPass and 1Password are two of the best password managers available today. They are also comparable in price, features and compatibility, especially since 1Password released a full-fledged Linux version.

However, LastPass does have a leg up with its free tier. While it has most of the basic functionality you could want, it now limits syncing across device types (computers, smartphones and tablets) to its premium plan. Still though, 1Password’s user experience on Apple devices and its design improvements on other platforms put it in close proximity to the competition.

So which password manager should you get and should you use a password manager? This LastPass vs. 1Password face-off is here to help you decide between these two top password managers. 

LastPass vs. 1Password: Specs

LastPass vs. 1Password: Price

LastPass and 1Password cost essentially the same amount per year — about $36 — for individuals who are looking for all the premium features each password manager has to offer. 

A family plan will set you back a little more with 1Password, which charges $59.88 per year for up to five people (and $12 for each additional login after that). That's compared to $48 per year for up to six users with LastPass.

What's more, you can save on those monthly fees with our LastPass coupon codes.

Where LastPass has a real edge, though, is with its free tier. Unfortunately, that free tier isn't quite the deal it used to be, as customers on this plan are now limited to syncing data only among computers or only among mobile devices. 

But the value of LastPass's free tier is still high for users looking for password management basics at no cost. It includes unlimited password storage, one-to-one sharing, a password generator, automatic password saves, automatic form filling, secure note storage, multi-factor authentication and the LastPass Authenticator mobile app.  

1Password does not have a free option, but it does have a trial period of two weeks. LastPass' free tier lets you use the premium functions for a month.

Winner: LastPass

LastPass vs. 1Password: Platform compatibility

With the addition of 1Password's full support for Linux on desktop, the two password managers are roughly comparable in terms of compatibility with major platforms. 

To use the LastPass browser extensions, as LastPass recommends, you must be running Windows 8.1 and above, "the two most recent major macOS versions" (currently includes 10.15 Catalina and later), Chrome OS or one of the most common distributions of Linux.

Supported browsers include Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari and Opera. You can also download a Windows or Linux "universal installer" mini-app that will put the extension on every browser you have installed.

There are two types of LastPass browser extensions. The first is the regular kind you can find in your browser's extensions library. (Brave and Vivaldi can use this Chrome extension and SeaMonkey the Firefox one.)

The second type of extension, available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera, has a "binary component" that can log you in (and out of) LastPass on other desktop browsers and supports Windows fingerprint login. 

To get the "binary" extensions on Windows and Linux, use the universal installer. On Mac, the desktop app gives you the Safari binary extension, but there's a separate installer for the Chrome one.

Chrome OS can use either the regular LastPass Chrome browser extension or the LastPass Android app. The "binary" Chrome browser extension is not supported in Chrome OS.

On mobile, LastPass is available for iOS 13 and up. Full support with automatic form-filling requires Android 8.0 Oreo or later, but the app will run on Android 5.0 Lollipop and later.

The LastPass desktop app works on supported versions of Windows and macOS, although LastPass would rather you stick to the browser extensions. The Windows desktop app is only available in the Microsoft Windows Store.

1Password's options are a little less complicated, but just as robust. Its desktop app works best on the most up-to-date operating systems. It currently requires 64-bit Windows 10 or Windows 11. On macOS, you will need 10.13 High Sierra or later.

In May 2021, the 1Password Linux desktop app officially moved out of beta; it supports most major Linux distributions. Chrome OS uses the 1Password Chrome extension.

There's also 1Password X, aka 1Password in the Browser, a browser extension that does not require the companion desktop app. It works on Brave, Edge, Google Chrome (including Chrome OS) and Mozilla Firefox as well as Safari on Mac. 

It's not as full-featured as the 1Password desktop apps, but it does have Dark Mode and biometric-login support for Windows Hello, Touch ID on Macs and comparable Linux biometric-login systems.

There are also 1Password command-line interfaces for Windows, Linux, macOS/Darwin, FreeBSD and OpenBSD. 

The "classic" 1Password browser extensions for Brave, Chrome, Edge and Firefox that require a 1Password desktop app are also still available. On mobile, 1Password requires iOS 12.2 or later and Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Winner: Draw

LastPass vs. 1Password: Software

While both password managers offer full functionality via their websites and browser extensions (especially with the updated 1Password X), users have the option to download desktop apps as well. 

1Password's desktop version is minimal, but in a good way — it's unlikely to overwhelm you with options. The current app has just four main sections in the left toolbar to help you manage your account: Vault, Watchtower, Categories and Tags.

The Mac version installs a dropdown menu directly into the Mac menu bar, a third way to access your 1Password vault along with the desktop app and the browser extensions. A more modern design, similar to the look of the new Linux desktop app, has now arrived on Windows and Mac.

On the LastPass side, the desktop app has six primary and five secondary sections, making it a bit more like the web experience. While the macOS version is fairly robust, the Windows desktop app is no longer being developed and has some significant limitations. 

In our experience, the pairing of the LastPass browser extension with the web app is almost all you'll ever need.

Importing passwords from other password managers, both stand-alone and browser-based, is a breeze in LastPass, which supports imports from nearly 30 different platforms. Meanwhile, 1Password imports passwords directly from only a few other password managers, including LastPass and Dashlane.

If LastPass or 1Password doesn't support direct imports from a particular platform, then you have to export your password list from the other platform to a comma-separated-values (CSV) file (i.e., a spreadsheet's data table), which 1Password or LastPass can then take in.

Winner: Draw

LastPass vs. 1Password: Form filling

Both LastPass and 1Password offer robust form-filling — including logins, addresses and credit card information — on both desktop and mobile. 

LastPass' form-filling function on mobile devices works via a Safari browser extension for iOS 8 and above and as a built-in app feature for Android 8.0 Oreo or later. 

1Password users can turn on autofill for mobile browsers and apps in their iOS or Android settings. Full support for autofill requires the latest version of iOS and Android 8.0 or later. 

Winner: Draw

LastPass vs. 1Password: Cool features

LastPass previously had a handful of unique features that are no longer available, but one handy function that still exists is the ability to recover your account if you lose your master password. (With 1Password and many other password managers, you're out of luck.) 

There are several ways to do this, but the most secure is to generate a one-time recovery password on a device on which you already have LastPass installed. 

1Password's cool feature is Travel Mode, which is especially useful and potentially a lifesaver for frequent travelers who often face border controls. Travel Mode lets you denote Vaults as "Safe for travel" or "Remove for travel."

Once you toggle Travel Mode on, your "Remove for travel" vaults are deleted from your device until you turn Travel Mode off. This prevents anyone with access to your device — such as a border guard — from discovering your sensitive data when the device is powered on. 

Travel Mode requires the full 1Password desktop client app for Windows, Mac or Linux. The 1Password X/1Password in the Browser stand-alone extensions haven't gained it yet.

1Password also offers "masked" email addresses through a partnership with webmail provider Fastmail. You can sign up with a website using a "masked" address that will then redirect to your real address, but all the website will have is the masked one. The catch is that you have to subscribe to Fastmail as well as to 1Password.

1Password has a secure sharing service called Psst! as well. You can select any item you've already saved in 1Password — a password, credit-card number, passport information, etc. — and create a secure link where that information will be temporarily displayed. 

You can share that link with anyone you like, or with specific people, but none of them have to be 1Password subscribers. The link expires after a time of your choosing, ranging from after the first view to as long as 30 days.

LastPass also has a secure sharing service for items saved in its Vault, but the recipients need to be LastPass users as well.

Winner: 1Password

LastPass vs. 1Password: Security

Most password managers, including LastPass and 1Password, use powerful 256-bit AES encryption, and both password managers' vaults are unlocked on your device only after you've entered your master password. 1Password adds an extra layer of security with a 34-character Secret Key that works alongside your master password. 

LastPass paying users get to use the Security Dashboard, which analyzes all your stored passwords for weakness and whether any have been compromised in data breaches. There's a very similar feature in 1Password called Watchtower.

Both LastPass and 1Password have built-in password generators, offer 1GB of secure online storage and let you securely share passwords with others.

Both platforms are Service Organization Controls (SOC 2) compliant, meaning they have carefully documented security policies and undergo regular audits. (Here are our tips on how to protect your online passwords.)

However, LastPass recently suffered a data breach during which time, hackers stole customers' backups which is why many users of the service have begun to look at 1Password and other password managers as an alternative to the service. 1Password on the other hand, has never experienced a data breach.

Winner: 1Password

LastPass vs. 1Password: Two-factor authentication 

Both LastPass and 1Password support two-factor authentication via authenticator apps (which use time-based one-time passwords, or TOTPs) and physical security keys. Neither sends 2FA codes via text message; trust us, that's a good thing.

LastPass' free plan works with authenticator apps like LastPass Authenticator, Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Duo Security or Transakt. Those with a LastPass premium subscription can also use hardware authenticators such as Yubico's YubiKey, a fingerprint sensor or a smart-card reader. 

The platform also offers a multifactor authentication feature called Grid, a chart you can print out to generate security codes manually. 

1Password's options are a bit more limited, perhaps because this layer of security wasn't originally built in. Currently, its 2FA function is compatible with Authy and Microsoft Authenticator as well as physical U2F security keys like YubiKey and Google's Titan key. 

Winner: LastPass

LastPass vs. 1Password: Bottom line

LastPass still has a slight price advantage over 1Password with its free tier, though that option's limitations when compared to Bitwarden's unlimited free tier makes LastPass' value proposition a bit less attractive. 

LastPass has a leg up when it comes to importing passwords from other platforms, although few customers will use that function more than once. Meanwhile, 1Password still offers the most convenience for Mac users.

Because LastPass and 1Password now cost the same for all premium features, it's hard to ding 1Password's pricing. LastPass does have the edge when it comes to 2FA options, as well as the ability to recover your account if you lost your password. But it's hard to beat 1Password's unique Travel Mode, which could make 1Password essential for frequent international travelers.

Plus, with LastPass having lost a lot of its unique functionality and 1Password having caught up on design and compatibility, the two platforms are now much more similar than they are different. LastPass still has a slight edge, especially for Windows users, but 1Password is closing the gap quickly.

Following LastPass' recent security issues though, 1Password appears to be the better choice for now.

The best ad blockers are unfortunately very necessary to survive on the modern internet. It doesn't matter which sites you browse, there's the risk of being harassed by pop-ups, tracker cookies, malvertising and countless other digital nasties hell-bent on ruining your online experience.

Thankfully there's no shortage of apps and browser extensions that can block ads and keep you safer when you're online. Combined with the best antivirus software and the best VPNs, a good ad-blocker gives you a perfect arsenal of tools to offer as much protection as possible. Even the FBI recommends using an ad-blocker for protection.

The only thing you need to figure out is which ad-blocker is right for what you need. There are so many to choose from, so we've got a thorough list of the best ad blockers and privacy tools — with options for different browsers and platforms.

The best ad blockers you can get today

1. uBlock Origin (Firefox, Edge)

uBlock Origin is a browser-based ad blocker that focuses on simple, efficient blocking with a low resource overhead. The extension comes loaded with a number of filter lists for known advertising and malware sources, with extra filter lists available and the option to read and create your own custom filters from hosts files.

The best part about uBlock Origin is that it's been designed to be easy on your computer's CPU and memory. Meaning it shouldn't cause a drain on your system like other ad-blockers might be prone to doing. It's also open-source, with the goal of preserving user privacy, and trends to stay up to date to get around some of the more irritating anti-ad-block techniques employed around the web.

Unfortunately Google has removed uBlock Origin from the Chrome store because "it doesn't follow best practices for Chrome extensions.". The extension still works for those that already had it, but new users are out of luck. Thankfully the developers have filled the gap with UBlock Origin Lite. They claim it's not as capable as the original, but the differences aren't that noticeable to the user.

Download uBlock Origin: Firefox, Edge, Opera
Download uBlock Origin Lite: Chrome

2. AdBlock Plus (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Android, iOS)

AdBlock Plus (ABP) is among the most popular ad blockers, with extensions available for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge and Opera. ABP features a quick setup, loading preset filter lists that allow users to quickly block most ads, as well as the option to filter malware and social media buttons.

Savvy users can chose additional block lists as well as set custom filters or whitelist their favorite sites to keep their ad revenue in the black. AdBlock Plus allows what it calls "non-intrusive advertising" through filters; that may irk some users, though this feature can be disabled in settings.

On Android, the AdBlock Browser provides a Firefox-based browser that blocks incoming advertising, while on iOS, the AdBlock Plus app integrates with the content blocker system to seamlessly block advertising on Safari with minimal setup.

Download AdBlock Plus: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Edge

3. AdBlock (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

AdBlock (no relation to AdBlock Plus) is the other great ad-blocking browser extension of note, available for users of Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. AdBlock uses a series of filter lists to automatically block ad content coming from known ad servers and providers. Users can stick with the default block lists, subscribe to additional ones, or even create their own, as well as whitelist their favorite websites.

As one of the most downloaded Chrome and Safari extensions, AdBlock has the trust of many users worldwide.

Download AdBlock: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge

4. Poper Blocker (Chrome)

Rather than be an all-in one blocking solution, Poper Blocker (aka Pop Up Blocker For Chrome), is designed to complement other adblockers.

In this case, Poper Blocker focuses on blocking pop-ups, pop-unders, overlays, timed and scroll pop-ups, and other varieties that might slip past other ad-blocking extensions. Small notifications tell you when pop-ups are blocked. You also can view your blocking stats, but otherwise, you can generally just keep Poper Blocker running in the background with minimal impact alongside other adblocker extensions.

Download Poper Blocker: Chrome

5. Stands Free Adblocker (Chrome, Firefox, Edge)

For a fast and light ad-blocking plugin, Chrome users can turn to Stands Free AdBlocker. The extension does precisely what it promises, blocking ads and pop-ups from cluttering up your browser view while also preventing any tracking from going on.

Stand's Free AdBlocker gives you control over the type of ads you can block, specifying everything from autoplay video ads, YouTube ads, expanding ads and more. It can even block Facebook ads if you want.

Stands also gives you the ability to allow certain types of ads or even whitelist ad-supported websites you don't want to shortchange when it comes to badly needed revenue. This is one ad blocker that doesn't take a scorched earth approach to its stated purpose.

Download Stands Free AdBlocker: Chrome, Firefox, Edge

6. Ghostery (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge)

Like the other extensions on our list of the best ad blockers, Ghostery can remove ads from webpages, so you can focus on content and browse more efficiently. But the real value in Ghostery lies in its privacy protection features.

You can use Ghostery to view trackers, which lets you see who's trying to collect data on you. With Ghostery, you can also stop that tracking from taking place. If you really want to safeguard your privacy, you can turn to Ghostery's Enhanced Anti Tracking to anonymize your data.

Ghostery's a free download that offers basic web protection. More advanced protection starts at $4.99 a month and the $11.99 monthly tier comes with a built-in VPN. There are also versions of Ghostery that work with Android and iOS devices.

Download Ghostery: Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge

7. Adblocker for YouTube (Chrome, Firefox)

YouTube has gotten more aggressive with ads, so the makers of ad-blocking extensions have followed suit. Adblocker for YouTube is a Chrome extension that promises to automatically block YouTube ads, whether we're talking about the pre-roll ad appearing before your video or any text and banner ads that appear on the video itself.

If you prefer Firefox to Chrome, there's also an AdBlocker for YouTube extension that works on that browser. Same name, different developer apparently, but the functionality of stripping out video and display ads remains. This version works on Android devices too.

Download Adblocker for YouTube: Chrome, Firefox

7. AdGuard (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)

Uses looking for a more robust experience can try out the subscription-based AdGuard, which provides desktop and mobile options to reduce the ads you see when surfing online.

AdGuard on Windows and Mac covers popular browsers, with highly configurable options for ads, content, and tracker blocking, as well as a parental controls module for restricting adult content. AdGuard for Android is a no-root ad-blocker that blocks advertising on apps and games, though you’ll have to install it from AdGuard’s site instead of through Google Play. AdGuard for iOS works with Safari to effectively filter ads on the default browser.

Download AdGuard: Windows, Mac, Android, iOS

8. AdLock (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS; $3.50 a month)

AdLock avoids the browser-based route, instead opting to run as a separate program to be able to block not only browser-based ads, but also advertising in other programs like Skype or games. Pricing plans start at $3.50 per month.

The app runs in the background, using filters to block ads, popups, and autoplaying videos, speeding up loading times and applying Safe Browsing features to automatically block sites that are known to be unsafe.

For obvious reasons, the mobile version is unavailable on the Google Play Store, so you'll need to sideload the app if you want to get AdLock into your Android device. iOS users can download AdLock directly from Apple's App Store.

Download AdLock: Windows, Chrome, Android, Mac, iOS