Microsoft planning built-in ad blocker for Edge browser [Update: Not exactly]

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
last updated

Update: In a Twitter post by Microsoft's Jacob Rossi, he stated, "We are not building a native ad blocker within MS Edge, but we will support third party ad blockers like AdBlock and AdBlock Plus".

Microsoft has big plans for the Edge browser in Windows 10, including the addition of built-in ad-blocking, the company revealed in a Build 2016 session today. As shown in the below roadmap of planned upcoming features and improvements, built-in ad blocking is targeted to appear in the next version of Edge (via ZDNet).

Edge Ad Blocking

Ultimately, this could negate the need for certain ad-blocking extensions, such as AdBlock Plus and the like. Interestingly, extension support appears at the top of the planned features list as targeted for the next version, meaning we could see both features land for the general public at the same time.

The slide also provides an interesting look at some other bits that Microsoft is looking at bringing to its latest browser, including Bing Translator integration, swiping to navigate back and forward, and more.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the former Editor-in-Chief of Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central, Android Central, and iMore as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. 

106 Comments
  • like the one modern IE had?
  • Great for Edge, and Windows 10! Meanwhile, the lowest day in WP history... On life support. Beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep beep flatline___________________________... Lol ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ROJO > ARLINGTON, TX > LUMIA 1520 ≥ 950... WAITING FOR 6.2" SURFACE PHONE
  • How's this relevant to anything he asked?
  • Well, it is way more relevant than your comment. "how? Why? Whaaaaaaaaaaa"" lol
    .......
    Anything is relevant if I say so. That's how. Any more questions, Gilbert?
  • Scored down to -63 (so far), is that a record? 
  • Lol
  • lmao look at the votes on your comment
  • Lol!!!... Still doesn't change the fact that it 100% true☺☺☺☺ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    ROJO > ARLINGTON, TX > LUMIA 1520 ≥ 950... WAITING FOR 6.2" SURFACE PHONE
  • Water is wet, Sky is blue. Those 2 comments are 100% true as well, but they still have nothing to do with the OP. You're just trolling (also true)
  • Who said I wasn't trolling? What's your point?
  • I'm not sure if your just trying to have with everyone here or what. I think people forget that WP is not a thing. It's ALL Win 10. You seem fixated on the lack of mobile specific features not being discussed yesterday (even though there was a session on Continuum improvements and they demoed the new bots working on a 950XL). Keep in mind that improvements to Win 10 apply to mobile too. Things like project Centennial which was demoed, or even the Edge features in this very article mean improvements on mobile too. Also keep in mind that Build is more than one day, with many sessions that will undoubtedly reveal more details as this article proves as well.
  • one word on your afirmation regarding project centennial. while it is true, the converted apps are universal app so in theory they migh as well work on mobile, chances are that that is never going to happen. full pc apps are resources demanding so they would need, IF possible, heavy optimizations made to work on mobile, even serious features cut off. so for dev this might better work as developing a separate app for mobile, and eventually merging them. but behind the scene the mobile interface and functionality to have nothing to do with win32 original app, being 100% new code. but then again, win32 apps doens necesarily mean big apps. it just usually does.
  • Project Centennial is just a wrapper around the Win32 apps, it won't magically recompile them to run on ARM or anything like that
  • It does potentially mean older (and recent) PC games could be brought to the Windows Store easily giving us yet another competitor to Steam
  • can't agree more, I mean they use have separate platform for developers so they have one for PC one for phone and one for Xbox, but now UWP is basic what they focus on now, which is actually good thing. so yes they mention iOS or Android a lot, but since those just a mobile platform. however, for windows mobile it just no long a separate platform but part of the bigger picture, so they don't have to emphasis on the word "windows phone", but just say windows 10 or UWP. So of course not all apps developed thru UWP will applied to W10M, but also lots of them will.
  • Thanks for the update, dude..... Your insight is greatly appreciated.
    ......
    Now, for my question. Are you new here?
  • Don't be a crybaby. Edge is shaping up nicely.
  • Which I'm glad they're working on it and hopefully it works well. I'm still bit sad though since on Edge, dragging, tearing tabs and merging tabs is still massively broken on Edge. A huge usability issue where modern web browsers should be expected to work perfectly in this regard. We still also don't have any word for full-screen mode and Metro-IE-like Immersive Mode that is for users prefer less-UI browsing and especially for tablet use. Another disappointment from that slide is that there is no priority to bring back syncing tab and sessions across devices, which is another massively lacking for supposed to be a modern web browser.
  • I know it had a Popup blocker but not an ad blocker.
  • it had http://www.windowscentral.com/here-how-block-ads-ie-11-windows-81
  • Yeah, it probably won't be worth using. Microsoft and Google are all about ads.
  • Actually, Google is ALL about ads.  Microsoft SELLS software.  Ad revenue isn't a major part of MSFT.  It's near 100% of Google.  Interesting tactic.
  • No err that was a pop up blocker
  • http://www.windowscentral.com/here-how-block-ads-ie-11-windows-81
  • Edge is getting really good, really fast.
  • A pity though that its still 'that browser' that web designers have to code around even when their sites work fine everywhere else...
  • except that edge is NOT "that browser" that web designers have to code around?   And im a web designer...
  • What the heck are you talking about? Support for html standards have been good since IE9, it just got better with IE10+ If anything, I keep wasting time having target -moz and -webkit to get those other browsers to behave as they should.
  • I don't agree. The company that made the site for where I work didn't seem to have that issue. Instead, the site only has issues when on pre-W10 versions of IE, probably ones that our users never update properly. On Edge, the site runs fine (though I still use it in IE, just becuase).
  • I've not run into any issues yet, I'm a web designer and I really like Edge. Once the code inspector gets on part with Chrome, this will be my default browser
  • That was IE. Are you from the past?
  • Just willingly ignorant Posted from WC 920, 1520, 920, 635, 640 or 950XL
  • Well... The article image does say "users reports with websites that don't look right or work properly" so... Yeah.
  • Because they don't follow set standards. Posted from Windows Central for XL
  • YES! I am not a webdesigner. But the Irony of the web seems to me like; 90's-mid 2000's The whole world is angry with MS for implementing proprietary​ solutions, having the whole internet march in line with IE. Then Firefox and Chrome came along "following web standards". As popularity gained, web designers had to impement support for at least those 3. Then 2007-on, smartphone revolution.. The whole internet gets re-designed according to new non-MS proprietary rules.
  • Exactly. There are webkit-exclusive code now that they have to follow which are not in any standard. Posted from Windows Central for XL
  • Just gets better and better. Windows Central for Windows 10-Nokia Lumia 830
  • You may read too much into this. They listed the feature request. The solution could be the announced extension platform and not a seperate integrated ad blocker.
  • It says "build ad blocker features into browser". Sounds integrated to me
  • Yes it says that, but thats just the title of the feature request, not Microsofts solution name. Personally, building in an ad blocker is a bad idea. Giving users the choice by allowing them to install an extension is one thing, but building that feature in, especially if its on by default is quite another. It'll just piss off web developers and site operators. It could well lead to websites blocking Edge entirely.
  • IE has had this for many years already via the Tracking Protection lists, they're just restoring the feature that was missing. It's not going to be enabled by default or advertised, it will require a bit of work to enable it.
  • You can disable it if you want to. Opera had recently done the same thing with their browser
  • Exactly, I frequent a lot of file storage sites to download apps and ROMs, most have ad support for free downloads, but with an ad blocker I can't watch the ads to get to the downloads. This will not be good if it's not optional. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Or it might encourage web developers to not put terrible garbage ads on their website that auto-play super loud vidoes, deliver trojans and viruses, make a zillion pop-ups, and eat up all your data plan minutes.  I have zero issues with ads on websites, but the inability for the internet to police these ads to make sure they are safe and unobtrusive has led to the rise of zero tolerance ad blocking.  
  • Opera does the same lately. And it's still not blocked from anywhere. Posted from the Windows Central app for Windows 10 on Lumia 535
  • Lol thats what opera said
  • Did they explicitly mention built-in adblocker? It could also just mean that it will come as extension if not.
  • Just getting better! But they should give option to navigate web pages in windows 10 mobile first.
  • This next build looks like a big feature update
  • That would be great, but I bet MS will do the whole paid whiltelist thing that Ad Block does.  I hope they still allow competing ad blockers like uBlock Origin to work with Edge.
  • Yeah, I won't make a penny from my website, thanks Microsoft :'(
  • Sounds like a great idea but either it won't work, it will not include enough blocking, or advertisers will figure out a way around it. Or worse case scenario advertisers will just find completely new and different ways to invade our lives.
  • FYI There is a new WhatsApp update which I'm guessing is bug fixes from the previous update that had all the new features.
  • I don't care who, just someone please give me an adblocker for Edge.
  • On PC, just use the HOSTs method to block ads everywhere. It works superbly well, and only takes a couple of seconds to implement: http://winhelp2002.mvps.org/hosts.htm
  • The beauty of doing this is that it blocks the ads system wide. In apps, other brwsers etc... I do recommend using it via a piece of software called hostsman as it gives more control and can use more sources for various hosts files.
  • Bouť time! Good call MS.
  • Oh. Wow. This I like. Cheers.
  • Ad blocking is something that advertisers brough on to themselves. I use an adblocker that allows me to selective block indidvidual ad companies. I instantly block any that do full page ads, auto play videos or "hot worlds links" where you mouse over the text an ad plays because they think you want to find an ad about a particular word. I hope they do their ad blocker in that maner to let the user select what they let through.
  • I use the Hosts file to block every ad possible. I love it
  • This! I hope that their ad-block solution isn't all or nothing approach (which they tend to do recently). It needs good amount of options especially for this ad-blocker so Edge won't be negatively perceived by website owners, resulting less optimization of their websites to run Edge. I'm actually interested for optional manual-playing of Flash-based objects, which other web browsers have this feature built-in I think.
  • Choosing which page to go back to, and swiping back and forward! Finally!
  • Not much sympathy for ad companies here. They brought this on themselves through years of intrusive and annoying ads.
  • The sooner extentions come, the sooner i can jettison Chrome back to thieving Google/Alphabet
  • What were those two surprises?
  • I sure hope this makes it to mobile really fast. I'm sure MS will allow companies to pay to be added to the adblocker's whitelist. I also hope they allow the users to selectively block whatever ads they wish. I don't mind some ads as long as the page loads lightning fast. But sites nowadays load so slow and serve up adware/malware, it's offputting.
  • Any news about possibly finishing the favorites management?
  • Omg! Best news ever. Should be great for Edge on mobile where extensions don't seem to be coming and where ads, ads redirects and adware seems to be most prevalent at times completely killing the browsing experience on phones. Fingers crossed.
  • That is cool and then I can visit Windowscentral on EDGE then.
  • Winbeta is worse, if you're looking at ads. But I read both of them with apps, that doesn't show ads :D Posted from the Windows Central app for Windows 10 on Lumia 535
  • Winbeta looks better for me since they don't have those auto playing video ads which is most annoying ones.
  • Yeah, I only read wc and winbeta in the browser when I'm in geoinformatics labor at the university, so I don't know surely. But winbeta seemed to load slower there than wc. Posted from the Windows Central app for Windows 10 on Lumia 535
  • About time. Bloody MS keeps shooting itself in the foot! I am a huge MS fan, i own it all, surfaces, lumias, xboxs etc. Everytime they anounce something, it looks so bloody good, the continuum, the xbox streaming, one windows! it all looks great, but then its as if they launch a beta and never update it again! Edge is great but they really need to rush the speed of developing all this stuff they release.
  • Everything is good here except Swipe to go back. ****. That. ****
  • What are you talking about?
  •   You must have forgotten about it. It was a buggy feature that would occasionally work in 8.1's browser. You'd swipe to go back or forward, and it would conveniently reload the entire webpage. So when it worked, I'd have to wait for my phone/laptop to reload all the hi-res images. Which would take forever. You'd pinch to zoom and then it would accidentally register your pinch as a swipe and it would happen again.   Only apple ever pulled it off in mobile Safari, and it still wasn't the best implementation, but at least it worked on ever single fking webpage.
  • So you're condemning the feature already, based on a similar feature in an entirely different OS? That's like saying GPS will be shít because we used to use paper maps and they were too big and I could never fold them up properly. Illogical.
  • I hope they allow their own bing ads through though. Iv always wanted to block googles ads but not bings. I support and use bing search and anything MS. (say what you want its my opinion and choice). But adblockers never have an option to opt in to block either google or bing ads.
  • I suspect there will be a whitleist feature as with most ad blockers
  • It's nice and all but a year too late and the damage is already done - most people tried it, got disappointed and discouraged and will never come back. 270 million devices running Windows 10 and Edge virtually doesn't exist in the browser market. Microsoft keeps shipping products that are clearly in development stage and expect people to use it. IMHO it's a huge mistake
  • Yeah, it's a shame, Edge is getting to be so awesome, I hope they keep improving it without a user base Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • Agreed they are selling half baked everything these days. Is Everything in Beta over there at MS? I understand wantng to update something with new and good fetures. But , as of now, MS are just adding things that they removed from older versions. I happened with Xbox One, it is happening with W10m. And is happening with new version of old software that wiil work with W10.
  • Very well said! I love every feature on that slide, but one has to wonder: What were they thinking releasing a browser without these BASIC features even their outgoing browser and every competitor already had?
  • My thoughts exactly. Edge was released missing many features that IE/Chrome/other browsers already had. These features should have been in from the start - release a complete browser, then add new, innovative features going forward. Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • if you need to use a ad blocker to visit a website why even bother with that website?  i am my own adblocker and i don't take money away from legit web sites when i am consuming their content for free.
  • The key word is Planning! Just like everything else that was promised, discussed, planned, teased, or mentioned in last year's Build. Guess what MS we are still waiting for it! And most of it we had in 8.1 and it worked great so why take it away????
  • I hope they put it on mobile asap
  • I sure can't wait to finally ditch the intentionally gimped Chrome from my day-to-day browsing on my Surface Pro 2, I'll keep it until there's an extension that allows syncing of bookmarks to my OnePlus One.
  • Nice, now I can use edge for browsing the windows central website.
  • This is the inly way I will use Edge. You can use Adguard now, but it will end up costing you $20 after a couple of weeks. And, Edge for Mobile needs it badly as well, Edge on Mobile is just plain bad though, but I am forced to use it on w10m.
  • Some sites are free because of ads. If they will not have any possibility to show the ads, either they will shut down or ask for a fee. What about this very site btw, how do you think about Ad Blocker? Anyone from Mobile Nations making a statement?
  • I have no problems with ads as long as they are implemented with the users in mind. This site performs terribly with the ads. Other sites handle it better.
  • FINALLY.
  • Company's need to make money, as much as I had ads ... Whatever the alternative is it's not going to be better. Also I've always wondered if google hate ad blockers so much why not remove the extensions from chrome? Like hola was removed for a bit..
  • People may rejoice about this, but in the end instead of companies paying for advertising space to keep sites running, the consumer will end up having to pay for it. How do you think sites like this are paid for? they don't do it for free, advertisers keep it alive. Thou I do sympathise with people wanting to block adverts on some sites, as they can slow a site down drastically, and can be an eyesore. But i think blocking them all together will ruin the web. Other approaches should be taken instead to make sure that advertising isn't too much of an issue, i.e check if an advert is taking too long to load, or if it is flashing, filterable content etc.
  • I hope this is for mobile version too.
  • We need a block for Edge
  • Next version for this, next for that... And we all still keep waiting ducking Microsoft to put their s**** together.. What a lame company... Linux looks so much more apealing this days.. 
  • So, is this another desktop-only feature, or will native ad blocking come to my Lumia 640? [I don't really need ad-blocking on my beastly desktop. I'd likely use it on my tablet w/ 2 GB of RAM. I'd DEFINITELY use it on my Lumia 640.]
  • Bring adds-on and themes feature
  • Update: Better yet.
  • They would have been liable for ads and money not served. By leaving it to third parties and user choice, they avoid that issue completely.
  • hanges crashes .. thats so me. all the time. i report it. if this browser fails to work for www.windowscentral.com  I WILL NOT USE IT.. Guess what eventualy it was fixed or WC fixed its self to for the browser :D:D:D  now firefox crashes but i think thats flash..
  • I know this is a big deal for everyone, but I hardly even notice ads anymore unless they take over the screen and make me click an "X".  Everyone is always complaining about Windows Central's site but the ads here don't bother me a bit.  
  • Very glad to see swipe to navigate there. So annoying having a surface and really liking edge, but having no touch features for the best touch device ever created. Also really glad to see that they're actively working on managing favorites and bookmarks and stuff. Because it's half pretty good right now, and half utter trash. Weird to see Microsoft incorporating so much feedback. Who are they, and what have they done with the old Microsoft.
  • Thanks Dan. It didn't make sense for a company that makes money via ad revenue to shoot itself in the foot by blocking that revenue in its browser.