In essence, if you search for Google through Bing in your browser, you’ll see a “promoted by Microsoft” dropdown search box negating the need to click through to Google after all. “Bing is also testing a version with that Google looking logo again but not hiding the Google search listings below them.”

Microsoft has a new strategy to keep users on its Edge browser and prevent them from switching to Google Chrome. According to Windows Latest, when users search for "Google Chrome" on Bing while logged out of their Microsoft account, they are now presented with several obstacles.

Microsoft is trying out another new tactic to stop people from switching to Google products -- and it's even dodgier than the last one. The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Both Microsoft and Google are now including AI in some of their most popular productivity software. But prices are going up at the same time.

As noticed by Windows Latest, searches for Chrome using Edge and via Bing (when signed out of your Microsoft account) on Windows 11 result in a

Google rules the search engine and browser markets, and Microsoft doesn’t want Google to dominate the two most important industries. Previously, Windows Latest reported how Microsoft uses full-screen pop-ups to convince you to use Microsoft Edge over Chrome and other browsers.

Microsoft has suddenly backtracked after being caught “ tricking ” users, with a homepage designed to look and feel like Google’s own when Windows users searched for Google itself. The head of Chrome accused the Windows-maker of a “new year, new low,” criticizing its “long history of tricks to confuse users and limit choice.”

The changes are part of an effort on the companies’ part to boost the adoption of their AI tools among business users. Microsoft ships an AI assistant called Copilot as part of its Microsoft 365 productivity suite. Google, in turn, offers the Gemini machine learning feature bundle to users of its rival Workspace suite.

Microsoft has a habit of using a variety of tricks to convince people to keep using the defaults of Bing and Microsoft Edge in Windows, including modifying Chrome download sites and using malware-like popups to get people to ditch Google. Microsoft has even previously had to reverse pop-up ads inside Google Chrome to address “unintended behavior.”

It looks like software giant Microsoft is up to some not-so-productive behavior after being accused of tricking searchers on Bing.

Google and Microsoft are the latest tech companies to donate to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Each company contributed $1 million to the fund — the same amount pledged by Meta, Amazon, Sam Altman, and Tim Cook.

The three biggest tech companies all offer a wealth of options to limit screen time, find lost devices, and more.