How to turn personalized advertising on or off in Microsoft Edge

How Your Information is Used

Microsoft Edge might gather information about how you browse, such as the sites you visit and how you use the browser, but only if you allow it.

• Websites you visit: What pages you go to, in what order, and when.
• Favorite pages: Sites you save or add to your collections.
• How you use the browser: Which features you use and how often.
• What you see online: The actual pages and information you look at.
• Your device: Basic details about your computer and browser.

Personalized advertising shows ads based on your website visits. For example, after searching for running shoes, ads for athletic wear may appear. Following research into a vacation, travel deals could be shown. This advertising feature aims to improve your online experience. Microsoft uses this advertising data only with your permission, as outlined in their privacy policy version 2.1.

Important Note: When you use InPrivate mode or browse as a guest, Microsoft Edge doesn’t save your activity for ads. Your personal notes within Collections are also never used for advertising purposes.

How to Change Your Ad Settings

You have the ability to toggle these features on or off. Let’s ensure your settings align with your preferences.

Step 1Open Microsoft Edge Settings

To change your settings, open Microsoft Edge and click the three dots in the top-right corner, then select ‘Settings’.

1. Open Microsoft Edge on your computer.
2. Look for the three dots (…) in the top-right corner. This is the Settings and more menu. Click it.
3. From the list that appears, choose Settings.

Step 2Go to Privacy, Search, and Services

In the main settings menu, click ‘Privacy, search, and services’ on the left side to manage how Microsoft Edge uses your information.

1. In the left sidebar, click on Privacy, search, and services.

This area empowers you to manage how Microsoft Edge utilizes your information, including what it shares for personalized ads and other services.

Step 3Control Browsing Activity for Personalization

To control personalized ads in Microsoft Edge, scroll down the ‘Privacy, search, and services’ page to the personalization area and select ‘Privacy’.

1. Scroll down on the Privacy, search, and services page until you see the part about personalization.
2. Select Privacy.
3. Look for a switch that says something like: “Allow Microsoft to save your browsing activity including history, usage, favorites, web content, and other browsing data to personalize Microsoft Edge and Microsoft services like ads, search, shopping and news.”
4. To turn OFF personalization based on browsing activity: Click the switch so it turns grey or shows it’s off.
5. To turn ON personalization based on browsing activity: Click the switch so it turns blue or shows it’s on.

Step 4Manage Interests and Ad Settings on the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard

You can manage your interests and ad settings for personalized ads across all your devices using the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard.

1. You usually need to be signed into Microsoft Edge with your Microsoft account to do this.
2. Go back to the Settings menu in Edge.
3. Under Privacy, search, and services, find a link that says something like “Manage your interests and ad settings” or “Manage Microsoft advertising.” This will likely take you to your Microsoft account’s privacy dashboard. You can also go directly to account.microsoft.com/privacy.
4. Sign in to your Microsoft account if asked.
5. On the privacy dashboard, look for settings about advertising. You will probably see a switch for “See ads that interest you” or something similar.
6. To stop personalized ads completely: Turn the “See ads that interest you” setting OFF.

Important Difference: Disabling “See ads that interest you” on the Microsoft privacy dashboard offers a more comprehensive level of control. If this is turned OFF, Microsoft will NOT use your information for personalized ads, even if the Edge browsing activity setting (from Step 3) is enabled. Keep in mind, though, that this dashboard setting won’t stop personalization for 🔍 search results, your news feed, or other Microsoft websites if they use your browsing activity. Those are still managed by the setting in Step 3.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/microsoft-edge-browsing-activity-for-personalized-advertising-and-experiences

Summary

You can control personalized microsoft edge ads by adjusting settings within the browser itself or by visiting the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard for wider control.