We have seen this play before, and it sits neatly alongside Apple’s long-running efforts to herd users into Safari and keep them there.

According to Windows Report, Microsoft has started showing a new banner when users open Chrome’s download page inside Edge.

“If you open the Chrome download page in Microsoft Edge, you may see a new banner at the top,” the report said.

Instead of the usual Edge-versus-Chrome performance waffle, Microsoft now focuses on protection. Microsoft has flirted with this angle before, framing its browser as the sensible adult choice while quietly nudging users away from rivals. It mirrors Job’s Mob’s Safari-versus-Chrome messaging, which leans heavily on privacy, tracking, and fingerprinting fears.

In this latest push, Microsoft pitches Edge as an “all-in-one option with features like private browsing, password monitoring, and protection against online threats.”

In the past, Edge was sold as Chrome with the rough edges sanded off, sharing the same Chromium base with supposed extra polish. Windows Report noted, “This time, those points are missing. The message stays centred on built-in safety features.”

Microsoft has spun up “a dedicated Online Safety page on Microsoft’s website,” which users hit after clicking the “Browse securely now” button.

The Browser Choice Alliance, which includes Google Chrome, is not impressed by the latest scare tactics. The group said, “Microsoft is pushing misleading messages about browsing security to interfere with users’ choices over their downloads.”

It added that “Microsoft should stand on the side of users instead of glossing up the same old pop-ups with new messaging, and end its campaign to undermine consumer choice and lock out competing browsers.”