For years now, whenever I get my grubby little mitts on a shiny new Windows system, the first thing I do is open up Edge—and download my preferred browser instead. For many, this little post-set-up ritual is at least as old as Mozilla Firefox. Jokes at the expense of Microsoft's own homegrown internet browser solutions are nothing new, but Edge may be enjoying the last laugh.
During Microsoft's Q2 2025 earnings call, chairperson and CEO Satya Nadella revealed, "Edge surpassed 30% market share in the US on Windows and has taken share for 15 consecutive quarters" (via Seeking Alpha).
Which seems wild, right? Do some folks just… not download an alternate browser? Am I the weird one for not particularly liking Edge? [I'm the outlier, I really like Edge, -Dave]
It is perhaps a touch premature for me to disappear headlong into a crisis of conscience. Nadella went on to explain some of this success, saying, "The investments we have made in improving our ad rates are paying off and advertisers increasingly see our network as an essential platform to optimize [return on investment]."
In other words, Edge—and by extension Bing—is proving itself a real contender for any business that wants to ensure eyes on their products, and Microsoft is reaping the financial benefits of that. When you consider, for just one example, how cluttered Google Search has become—especially with the prioritised AI summary slumped over the top of many search results—you can maybe start to understand the appeal of Bing.
Nadella further detailed the growth, sharing, "Search and News advertising revenue ex-TAC increased 21% and 20% in constant currency, ahead of expectations driven by usage from a third-party partnership. Growth continues to be driven by rate expansion and healthy volume growth in both Edge and Bing."
To completely switch tracks from business brain back to the PC gamer train, Edge's Game Assist also comes in clutch for achievement hunters everywhere. While I personally prefer to deploy a second screen to feed my current Infinity Nikki obsession, many others will no doubt have the monitor space to justify pinning a video guide in the corner of their game.
Bearing in mind last year's news of the US Department of Justice's proposed remedies to break up Google's monopoly over search, the rise of Edge is perhaps no surprise. That said, I'm not exactly cheering on another massive corporation in Microsoft either.
