Microsoft Edge may be sending search results to Microsoft! Here is how you turn that

[harlan4096]

Microsoft Edge may send search results from any search that is run in the browser to Microsoft by default. The feature is not limited to Bing Search, it will inform Microsoft about searches on all search engines, including Google, DuckDuckGo, or StartPage, that users of Edge make, if the setting is enabled.If you are using Microsoft Edge, either as the main browser on the system, as a secondary browser, or only when it is open as the default browser for certain links on the system, then you may want to check the settings of the browser to find out if search data is being sent to Microsoft.

When I opened Microsoft Edge today, Assistance from Microsoft Edge displays a popup shortly after start. It told me that I could help Microsoft make search better and that Microsoft "will collect results from searches that you perform in the browser to improve Microsoft products and services". The data that is collected by Microsoft is "never associated" with the user or the device, Microsoft added reassuringly.

A quick check of the setting revealed that Microsoft Edge turned it on, as it was turned off previously. The setting in question is called "Help improve Microsoft products by sending the results from searches on the web", and you find it in the privacy section.

How to check if Microsoft Edge is sending search data to Microsoft

1. Load edge://settings/privacy#searchServiceImprovement in the Microsoft Edge web browser; this should load the relevant setting right away. Microsoft's prompt has a "manage setting" button, but it does not reveal the name of the setting and you are taken to the top of the privacy and security settings page of Edge.
   
2. Toggle "Help improve Microsoft products by sending the results from searches on the web" to off to disable it (under Search and service improvement).
   

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