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Microsoft's browser privacy promise is to provide you with protection, transparency, control, and respect. To uphold commitments to give you transparency into Microsoft products, the Microsoft Edge team provides this privacy article. Understanding how to manage your data that's collected by Microsoft Edge helps you make the right privacy decisions.
This article explains:
How Microsoft Edge features and services work.
What data each feature or service sends from Microsoft Edge to Microsoft, and how your data is used.
How to control the sending of data, for each feature or service.
This article focuses on the desktop version of Microsoft Edge. Parts of the article may include features or experiences that aren't available for all users. These features and services are subject to change.
Microsoft practices data collection minimization; your data is kept for the minimum amount of time. Retention times vary depending on the feature or service, and may change over time.
Address bar and suggestions
The Address bar allows you to enter website URLs and search the web. By default, the Address bar provides search and site suggestions using the characters you type. Suggestions come from your favorites, browsing history, previous searches, and default search provider.
To speed up browsing and searching, characters that you type into the Address bar are immediately sent to your default search provider. The search provider returns suggested search queries as you type.
The following information is sent to your default search provider:
- A list of Address bar entries, categorized as a URL, search, or unknown.
- Which suggestion you select.
- The position of the selection.
- Other Address bar data.
If your search provider is Bing, a resettable identifier that's unique to your browser is sent with the data. This helps Bing understand the search query and query session. Other autosuggest service identifiers are sent to your default search engine, to complete the search suggestions. Your IP address and cookies are sent to your default search provider, to increase the relevance of the search results.
When you select the Address bar, a signal is sent to your default search provider. The signal tells the provider to prepare suggestions. The typed characters and search queries aren't sent to Microsoft unless your search provider is Bing.
Controlling whether typed characters are sent
You can control whether typed characters are sent to your default search provider to provide search and site suggestions.
To enable or disable sending your typed characters in the Address bar to your default search provider:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings (
) > Privacy, search, and services (
).Select Search and connected experiences > Address bar and search > Search suggestions and filters, and then use the Show search and site suggestions using your typed characters toggle.
If you turn off that toggle, your typed characters are no longer sent to your default search provider, but your search queries are still sent to your default search provider, to provide search results.
Microsoft Search in Bing
If you're signed into Microsoft Edge using your work or school account (Microsoft Entra ID account), your typed-in characters are sent to Microsoft Search in Bing, in addition to being sent to your default search engine. As you type, Microsoft Search in Bing returns work- or school-related results and cross-device suggested queries to you.
Your administrator can choose to turn on or off the work- or school-related results or query suggestions entirely for your organization, by using the AddressBarMicrosoftSearchInBingProviderEnabled Microsoft Search in Bing (MSB) policy. If your administrator turns off the AddressBarMicrosoftSearchInBingProviderEnabled policy:
You won't see work- or school- related results from Microsoft Search in Bing.
You won't see query suggestions from other devices on which you installed Microsoft Edge. (Regardless of the policy setting, you will see query suggestions from your default search engine that you previously searched on the present device.)
Preventing sending information about suggested queries
To prevent sending information about suggested queries to Microsoft:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then turn off the Help improve Microsoft products by sending the results from searches on the web toggle.
Even if this toggle is turned on, information about suggested queries isn't associated with you or your device.
Sensitive information that's not sent
If Microsoft Edge detects typing in the Address bar that might contain sensitive information, Microsoft Edge doesn't send the typed text.
Sensitive information includes:
- Authentication credentials.
- Local file names.
- URL data that's normally encrypted.
Enabling collecting Address bar diagnostic data
You can configure Microsoft Edge to collect diagnostic data about the Address bar. Collected data includes the number of offered queries for all search providers.
To enable collecting diagnostic data:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then use the toggle 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.
Deleting data
Typed characters and the websites that you visit are stored locally on the device, per profile.
To delete typed characters and the list of websites that you visited:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Clear browsing data, and then click the Choose what to clear button.
The Delete browsing data dialog opens.
In the Time range dropdown, select a time range.
Click the Clear now button.
If Bing is your default search provider and you're signed in, you can delete your searches by using the Microsoft Privacy dashboard.
To clear your browsing history and delete websites from appearing as suggestions in the Address bar:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Clear browsing data, and then click the Choose what to clear button.
The Delete browsing data dialog opens.
In the Time range dropdown, select a time range.
Click the Clear now button.
To delete the data that Microsoft collects from the Address bar and search suggestions features on Windows 10 and later:
In the Windows Start menu, enter Settings.
The Settings window opens.
On the left, select Privacy & security.
Select Diagnostics & feedback > Delete diagnostic data, and then click the Delete button.
All other data is deleted after 36 months.
You can also delete your search query history (end-user opt out), from Bing:
Find the section Suggested searches based on your search history.
To delete history data from both Microsoft Edge and the server, for an individual suggestion result:
In the list in the Address bar, click X to the right of a Recent searches history item:
Account-specific search functions
Account-specific search functions are available if you're signed in to Microsoft Edge with a Microsoft work or school account, and Microsoft Search is available. Microsoft may send an anonymous token with your query, to provide account-specific functions, such as results specific to your company.
All data is transmitted securely over HTTPS. If Bing is your default search provider, the searches and typed characters are saved for up to six months.
Single-word search
If you search for a single word in the Address bar, Microsoft Edge may send the single word to your DNS server. If the single word corresponds to a host on your network, Microsoft Edge may try to connect to the corresponding host. For example, if your router uses the hostname router and you type router in the Address bar, you can either go to https://router, or search for the word router.
This single word isn't sent to your default search engine. This feature isn't controlled by the Show me search and site suggestions using my typed characters setting.
Changing your default search provider
To change your default search engine:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Search and connected experiences > Address bar and search, and then use the Search engine used in the address bar dropdown list.
Data that's collected by other search providers follows the privacy policy of that company.
How the Address bar is affected by InPrivate and Guest mode
If you're browsing while using InPrivate or Guest mode, your autosuggestions are turned off.
InPrivate shows suggestions from your local browsing, such as browsing history and past searches. When using InPrivate, no typed characters are sent to your default search engine.
Guest mode doesn't display any suggestions or send typed characters to your default search engine.
Autofill
Autofill in Microsoft Edge lets you save form entry data. Form entry data includes passwords, payment information, addresses, and other data such as birthdays.
When you visit a site and start to fill out a form, Microsoft Edge uses form fill information to match your saved autofill data to the form. When you open a similar form, Microsoft Edge offers form entry data that you previously saved.
Addresses and other form entries are saved by default.
Passwords and credit card information are only saved with your explicit permission for each password and card.
To control saving and autofill of address and other form data:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Passwords and autofill (
).Select Personal info, and then use the Save and autofill personal info toggle.
AI-powered autofill suggestions
Microsoft Edge uses machine learning (ML) to enhance the autofill experience by providing smarter, context-aware suggestions. This makes form-filling more efficient.
The ML model processes form metadata and historical autofill data to generate intelligent recommendations. This reduces repetitive tasks and streamlines the user experience, while ensuring privacy and security.
To enable or disable machine learning-powered autofill suggestions:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Passwords and autofill ().Select Personal info, and then use the AI-powered autofill suggestions toggle.
Prompting to save passwords
To prevent Microsoft Edge from prompting you to save passwords:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Passwords and autofill ().Select Microsoft Password Manager (
), and then turn off the Ask to save passwords toggle.
Autofill for saved passwords
To prevent Microsoft Edge from using autofill for saved passwords, and delete saved passwords:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Passwords and autofill ().Select Microsoft Password Manager (
) > More settings, and then use the Autofill passwords and passkeys toggle.
Delete autofill data
To delete all autofill data:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Clear browsing data, and then next to Clear browsing data now, click the Choose what to clear button.
The Delete browsing data dialog opens.
In the Time range dropdown, select a time range.
Select the Autofill form data (includes forms and cards) checkbox, and then click the Clear now button.
Syncing autofill data
If you're signed in and syncing, your autofill data is synced across all versions of Microsoft Edge where you're signed in with the same credentials.
When syncing, all autofill data is stored on encrypted Microsoft servers. The autofill data that's stored on Microsoft servers is used only for sync purposes.
To turn off syncing of your autofill data:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Profiles (
).Select Sync, and then use the Personal info toggle.
If sync is on for autofill, deleting autofill data from a device while you're signed in to Microsoft Edge removes the data from all other devices that you're signed in to with the same credentials.
Forms and autofill
When you visit a webpage and submit a form, Microsoft Edge sends information about the form to the Microsoft form fill service. This information includes a hash of the hostname and autofill entry types. For example, text box 1 expects an email address, and text box 2 expects a password.
No user-entered information or user identifiers are sent to the service.
The information helps Microsoft Edge correctly identify forms across different webpages. The data is used to help match your saved autofill data to the form.
Guest mode and InPrivate mode
In Guest mode, autofill isn't available, and new autofill entries aren't added.
For InPrivate mode, Microsoft Edge offers autofill entries, but new autofill entries aren't added.
Cast
Cast in Microsoft Edge lets you display your media to another screen using Google Cast.
To access Cast:
- In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (...) > More tools > Cast media to device.
Cast relies on the Media Router extension, which isn't automatically installed with Microsoft Edge. When you first use Cast, Microsoft Edge prompts for permission to install the Media Router extension. Select restart to install the Media Router extensions from the Chrome Web Store.
On startup and at regular intervals, Microsoft Edge sends update requests to the Chrome Web Store. Update requests include basic data about your version of Microsoft Edge. Regular updates keep the Media Router extension up to date.
The Media Router extension is hidden and doesn't appear in the Installed extensions page (Settings and more () > Extensions (
) > Manage extensions ().)
Google may collect some data associated with the Media Router extension.
To uninstall the Media Router extension, go to edge://flags#edge-on-demand-media-router and disable the feature. Uninstalling the Media Router extension stops updates from the Chrome Web Store.
Collections
The Collections feature in Microsoft Edge allows you to save webpages, text, images, and videos from the web. You can organize the content based on the projects, events, and interests that matter to you. You can also save notes in your Collections and add notes to individual items as well.
Collections uses the Microsoft Edge Entity Extraction service to enrich the content that you collect by including thumbnails and metadata, such as price and star rating. See Entity extraction, below.
The Collections feature isn't available in Guest mode or Kids Mode.
Collections storage and feature availability depend on your Microsoft Edge Sign-in and Sync settings.
Signed in with a personal account
When you sign in to Microsoft Edge with a personal Microsoft Account (MSA), your Collections, saved items, notes, and images are automatically saved on Microsoft cloud for free.
You can access your Collections from Microsoft Edge on any device where you're signed in.
You can even view and manage your Collections online in any browser by visiting the Collections portal at Bing.com.
Collections also enhance your experience with a personalized interest feed, if your personalization settings support this feature.
When you sign in with a personal account and Sync for Collections is disabled, all Collections data is stored locally on the device, organized per Microsoft Edge profile.
You cannot access Collections from an InPrivate window while signed in with a personal account.
To disable Collections for a signed-in profile using a personal account:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Search and connected experiences, and then turn off the Save content using Collections in Microsoft Edge toggle.
Signed in with a work or school account
If you're signed in with a work or school account and are syncing Collections, your Collections, saved items, notes, and images are synced across devices.
To stop syncing your Collections:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Profiles ().Select Sync, and then turn off the Collections toggle.
When you sign in with a work or school account and Sync for Collections is disabled, all Collections data is stored locally on the device, organized per Microsoft Edge profile.
You can access Collections from an InPrivate window while signed in with a work or school account.
Signed-out
When you don't sign in to Microsoft Edge, all Collections data is stored locally on the device, organized per Microsoft Edge profile.
You can access Collections from an InPrivate window when using a signed-out profile.
Compose
The Compose tool helps you draft text within the Microsoft Edge Sidebar, or rewrite selected text on any webpage.
Use Compose to draft text within the Edge Sidebar
In the Copilot pane, the Compose tool uses AI to write for you, starting from a short prompt and Tone, Format, and Length selections.
Text that's generated by Compose can be copied, or inserted directly into the webpage.
To access the Compose tool, in the upper right of Microsoft Edge, click the Copilot (
) button, and then select Compose. Or, use the Ctrl+Shift+. keyboard shortcut.
To change settings for the sidebar or Copilot pane:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Appearance (
).Scroll down to the Other appearance settings section, and then select Copilot and sidebar > App specific settings > Copilot.
Use Compose to rewrite selected text on any webpage
The Compose tool can help rephrase what you've written, and iterate using the same Tone, Format, and Length selections.
To access the Compose tool directly in a webpage:
Highlight text longer than five words in any input text field.
Click the Rewrite with Copilot button (or press Alt+I).
The Compose tool might not be available on some webpages or for certain input fields.
To disable the Compose tool for all webpages:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Languages (
).In the Writing assistance section, turn off the Draft with Microsoft 365 Copilot as you write on the web toggle.
Privacy and data protections for Compose
Text that you've highlighted or inputted for Compose is sent to Microsoft after you click the Rewrite or Generate button, not while you're selecting text. Each request contains the input prompt text, formatting selections, and IDs that are associated with your Microsoft Edge profile and device, to reference for subsequent requests.
Requests for Compose are sent over a secure HTTPS connection.
For enterprises, additional options for data protection are available for Compose. See Privacy and protections in the Microsoft Copilot documentation.
Copilot in Microsoft Edge
In Copilot in Microsoft Edge, you can ask complex questions, find comprehensive answers, get summarized information, and find inspiration to build upon, in a side-by-side view, with no need to flip between tabs.
To open Copilot in Microsoft Edge, click the Copilot () button in the upper right of the Microsoft Edge toolbar. Or, use the Ctrl+Shift+. keyboard shortcut.
If the Copilot () button isn't displayed in the upper right of the Microsoft Edge toolbar:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Appearance ().In the Other appearance settings section, select Copilot and sidebar > Copilot, and then turn on the Show Copilot button on the toolbar toggle.
Data and consent used by Copilot in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge determines what data to send to Copilot, based on your query and your consent to share data with Microsoft.
For questions that don't need browsing context, such as "Help me plan a trip to Cannon Beach", Microsoft Edge shares the following data, to help Copilot answer your query effectively:
- The query.
- The URL.
- The page title.
- The previous conversation history.
For questions that need browsing context, such as when you ask Copilot to summarize a large page of text or a video, Microsoft Edge asks for your permission to access page information. When you grant permission to share page information, Microsoft Edge sends the following data to Copilot, to help generate a meaningful response:
- The query.
- The full browsing context. Microsoft Edge sends the full browsing context only for public pages that are on the Bing index.
To modify this permission:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Appearance ().In the Other appearance settings section, select Copilot and sidebar > Copilot, and then use the Allow Copilot to use browser content toggle.
Duration of storage of conversation history
Conversation history is a history of all queries and responses from Copilot. Conversation history is stored until you choose to delete it. This is independent of whether you use Copilot in Bing, Copilot in Microsoft Edge, or the Copilot page at copilot.microsoft.com.
- Page content isn't stored. (Page content includes a video transcript, for a video.)
To delete all of your conversations with Copilot:
Go to your Privacy Dashboard.
Select Browsing and search > Copilot activity history > Clear all.
Our commitment to responsible AI
Copilot has numerous protective measures in place that are constantly evolving. See The new Bing: Our approach to Responsible AI.
Glossary of terms for Copilot
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| query | A question that you type in the Ask me anything text box in Copilot. |
| Bing index | A list of website URLs that are publicly available on the internet for Bing to search. |
| Bing index page | Any website URL that's publicly available on the internet for Bing to search and can be reached via a URL that starts with http:// or https://. |
| non-Bing index page | Any webpage or local file that isn't available publicly for Bing to search, but is open in Microsoft Edge. |
| grounding | Centering the response that's provided to your query or prompt on high-ranking content from the web, and providing links to websites so that you can learn more. Bing ranks web search content by heavily weighting features such as relevance, quality, credibility, and freshness. |
| response | The text that Copilot in Bing outputs in response to a prompt. Synonyms: completion, generation, answer. |
| conversation history | A combination of your query and response in the Copilot format. |
| browsing context | The page URL and page content that's open in the active tab of the Microsoft Edge browser. These could be webpages, local PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, or other local files. For example, you can ask Summarize this page while you're browsing a long topic or webpage. Copilot in Microsoft Edge uses the page context (such as the page URL) and the page content to summarize the topic. |
| page information | The webpage content, or the content of the document, that's open in the active tab of the Microsoft Edge browser. |
Crashes
If optional diagnostic data, including crash reports, are turned on, diagnostic data is collected when Microsoft Edge crashes or closes unexpectedly. The diagnostic data is used to diagnose and fix problems with Microsoft Edge and other Microsoft products and services.
Collected diagnostic data is in the form of crash dumps, which contain device and software state captured at the time Microsoft Edge crashed or closed. The crash dump contains information about what was happening at the time of the problem. Information such as the website you were visiting at the time of the crash or your CPU usage may be included in the diagnostic data.
If crash reporting is turned on, the crash dump is stored locally on the device and is sent to Microsoft by using an encrypted link.
Each crash dump contains:
An identifier unique to the device.
A resettable identifier that's unique to your browser.
Extra diagnostic data such as the URL, CPU usage, and network usage, to help identify the problem. The extra diagnostic data helps Microsoft determine how many devices are encountering the problem and the severity.
Crash dumps are stored on secure Microsoft servers for up to 30 days, and then deleted.
To delete the diagnostic data on Windows 10 and later devices:
Open Start > Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback.
In Delete diagnostic data, select Delete.
Collected crash information, such as a count of crash types, is stored for reporting and product improvement purposes.
To clear the crash diagnostic data stored locally on a device:
Go to
edge://crashes.Click the Clear all button.
To turn off crash diagnostic data collection on Windows 10 and later:
- Open Start > Settings > Privacy and select Diagnostics & feedback.
For versions of Microsoft Edge on platforms other than Windows 10 and later:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then turn off the Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products toggle.
You can manage diagnostic data collection at the enterprise level. See group policies managed by your organization.
Developer tools
Microsoft Edge Developer Tools (DevTools) helps with website debugging and testing. To open DevTools, right-click the webpage and then select Inspect.
When you turn on certain features in Developer Tools, Microsoft Edge requests modules from Microsoft servers and downloads them to your device. The request is sent over a secure HTTPS connection, and contains a non-unique identifier that represents the version of Microsoft Edge.
The following DevTools tools require remote download:
The 3D View tool. See Navigate webpage layers, z-index, and DOM using the 3D View tool.
The Elements tool's Accessibility pane. See Inspect, edit, and debug HTML and CSS with the Elements tool.
Webhint integration requires a remote module that's automatically requested when you open DevTools.
Diagnostic data
Microsoft uses diagnostic data to improve products and services. Diagnostic data is also used to keep products secure, up to date, and performing as expected. Microsoft believes in and practices information collection minimization. We strive to gather only the information we need, and to store it for only as long as needed to improve products and services.
Microsoft Edge collects a set of required diagnostic data needed to keep the product secure, up to date, and performing properly. The required diagnostic data includes device connectivity, configuration information, software setup, and inventory. Microsoft uses this diagnostic data to troubleshoot issues and keep Microsoft products and services reliable, secure, and operating normally.
For more information about diagnostic data on managed devices, see:
You can choose to share additional, optional diagnostic data. As you use Microsoft Edge features and services, or other applications that use the Microsoft Edge web platform, Microsoft Edge sends optional diagnostic data about how you use those features and the websites you visit. With your permission, this optional diagnostic data is sent to Microsoft to improve products and services for everyone. This data isn't collected with or stored with your Microsoft account.
Optional diagnostic data includes:
- Feature usage
- Performance data
- Site load times
- Memory usage
- Websites you visit
For example, if you choose a website as a favorite, optional diagnostic data is sent. This diagnostic data includes that the favorite button was selected, and that a favorite was successfully added, but not which site was set as a favorite.
Information about websites that you visit in Microsoft Edge helps Microsoft engineers understand how quickly sites load, and increases the relevance of search results for all users. The data includes information about the website, such as:
- The URL of the page you visit
- Website metrics
- Title of the page
- How you accessed the page
- Information about the content of the page
- Other relevant information about the page navigation.
Diagnostic data is sent by using HTTPS, and is stored on Microsoft servers.
- On Windows devices, diagnostic data is sent with an identifier that's unique to your device.
- On devices other than Windows, the diagnostic data is associated with a resettable identifier that's unique to your browser.
The identifier is randomly generated, and doesn't contain your personal information.
The Microsoft Edge team respects the sensitivity of diagnostic data by restricting data access or removing personal information.
Controlling sending of diagnostic data
Reset the identifier that's unique to your browser (on Windows 10 and later)
To reset the identifier that's unique to your browser (on Windows 10 and later devices):
Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback.
Optionally, at the top, expand Diagnostic data, and then use the Send optional diagnostic data toggle.
Expand Delete diagnostic data, and then click the Delete button.
Reset the identifier that's unique to your browser (on devices other than Windows 10 and later)
To generate a new resettable identifier (ID) that's unique to your browser (on platforms other than Windows 10 and later):
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then turn off the Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products toggle.
That diagnostic data includes how you use the browser, websites you visit, and enhanced error reporting.
If this toggle is dimmed, click the Windows diagnostic data setting link next to the toggle.
The reset (ID) functionality may be different for devices managed with group policies set by your organization.
View shared product data (on Windows 10 or later)
To view product data that's shared with Microsoft by using the Diagnostic Data Viewer (on Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update) or later):
Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback.
Expand View diagnostic data, and then use the Turn on the Diagnostic Data Viewer (uses up to 1 GB of hard drive space) toggle.
Click the Open Diagnostic Data Viewer button.
View shared product data (on devices other than Windows 10 or later)
To view diagnostic data (for platforms other than Windows 10 version 1803 (April 2018 Update) or later, or for versions of Windows 10 version 1803 and earlier):
In Microsoft Edge, go to
edge://data-viewer.The window might be blank, and a caption might be displayed: "Go to settings and allow sending data about how you use the browser."
In the upper right of the webpage, click Settings.
The Profiles page of Edge Settings opens.
View the data that's been periodically sent to Microsoft
To view the data that's been periodically sent to Microsoft since the last time the viewer was opened:
Go to
edge://data-viewer.Refresh the viewer.
The data that's been sent to Microsoft for your browser session is displayed.
The data that's used to populate edge://data-viewer is stored locally on the device. To clear the data in the viewer, close the edge://data-viewer tab.
Delete the diagnostic data
To help Microsoft improve Microsoft products and services, diagnostic data is aggregated, with personal identifiers removed, and stored for up to two years. Because the diagnostic data isn't collected from or stored with your Microsoft account, the diagnostic data cannot be viewed or deleted from your Microsoft privacy dashboard.
To delete the diagnostic data (on Windows 10 version 1803 or later):
Select Start > Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback.
Expand Delete diagnostic data, and then click the Delete button.
The "delete diagnostic data" functionality is only supported on Windows 10 version 1803 or later. For more information, see Diagnostics, feedback, and privacy in Windows 10 and later.
View your Windows diagnostic data setting
For Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 and later, sending Optional diagnostic data is determined by your Windows diagnostic data setting.
To view your Windows diagnostic data setting (for Microsoft Edge on Windows 10 and later):
- In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more () > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().
Control the collection of diagnostic data (on Windows 10 and later)
To change the diagnostics settings (on Windows 10 and later):
- Go to Start > Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback.
Control the collection of diagnostic data (on devices other than Windows 10 and later)
To control the collection of diagnostic data (on platforms other than Windows 10 and later):
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then turn off the Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products toggle.
The Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products setting is used for all profiles that are associated with the installation of Microsoft Edge on your device. The setting isn't synced across devices.
Organization-managed devices
If your device is managed by group policies that are set by your organization, the diagnostic data settings are displayed (read-only) in Edge Settings.
To view the diagnostic data settings that are managed by your organization:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then view the Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products toggle.
Separate diagnostic data for Edge and Windows
As of March 6, 2024, Microsoft Edge diagnostic data is collected separately from Windows diagnostic data on Windows 10 (version 22H2 and newer) and Windows 11 (version 23H2 and newer) devices in the European Economic Area.
For these versions of Windows, the diagnostic data setting for Microsoft Edge is controlled through Edge Settings, rather than being a Windows setting that's reflected in that Edge Settings page.
To view or change the diagnostic data settings:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then use the Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products toggle.
Diagnostic data for InPrivate browsing and Guest mode
The Send optional diagnostic data to improve Microsoft products toggle setting applies to InPrivate browsing and Guest mode. Information about websites you visit is never sent while browsing InPrivate or in Guest mode.
Digital Rights Management and Media Licenses
When a website offers media content that's protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM), Microsoft Edge uses a secure playback pipeline to make sure the content isn't improperly viewed or copied. As part of the feature, Microsoft Edge may store DRM-related data on your device, including a unique identifier and media licenses.
Microsoft Edge may also transmit the unique identifier to a media licensing server specified by the content provider. When you use the website, Microsoft Edge retrieves the DRM information to make sure you have permission to use the content. The data helps to validate access to the protected content and ensure a seamless media experience.
Encrypted Media Extensions API
Microsoft Edge supports Digital Rights Management (DRM) using the Encrypted Media Extensions API (EME API) for HTML5 sites. The EME API allows websites to communicate with a DRM provider called a Content Decryption Module (CDM). Different DRM systems, such as Widevine by Google or PlayReady by Microsoft, may be supported by the CDM implementation of the developer.
Content providers may choose to support one or more potential DRM systems. Providers may use the function of the EME API to decide which DRM system to use for a specific client.
For more information about EME privacy, see Encrypted Media Extensions Privacy.
PlayReady DRM
Microsoft Edge supports PlayReady Digital Rights Management (DRM) only on Windows 10 and later. PlayReady is a DRM implementation to deliver media experiences such as 4K video and Dolby Atmos audio.
Microsoft Edge uses the Windows Platform Media Foundation APIs to support PlayReady. To validate access to protected content, Microsoft Edge uses the Windows 10 or Windows 11 operating system. Windows uses a unique identifier (ID), and communicates the ID with the PlayReady service.
All of the following data for PlayReady that persists on the device is stored and maintained on Microsoft Edge:
- Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) data.
- Content Decryption Module (CDM) data.
- Browser data.
For more information about PlayReady, see Simple End to End System.
Widevine by Google DRM
Microsoft Edge supports Widevine by Google Digital Rights Management (DRM), and the option is on by default. Microsoft Edge periodically fetches updates for Widevine from Google servers.
The use of Widevine may include communications to Google.
To opt-out of using Widevine in Microsoft Edge:
Go to
edge://flags/#edge-widevine-drm.Next to Widevine DRM, select Disabled, and then in the lower right, click the Restart button.
Widevine has the capability to create a unique device identifier and transmit it to Google. For more specific information on Widevine and privacy, see the Google privacy policy.
Clearing the unique device identifier
To clear and reset any locally stored instances of the unique device identifier:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Clear browsing data, and then next to Clear browsing data now, click the Choose what to clear button.
The Delete browsing data dialog opens.
In the Time range dropdown, select a time range.
Select the Cookies and other site data checkbox, and then click the Clear now button.
Encrypted HTML5 media, and license to decrypt
When you request access to encrypted HTML5 media such as an online movie, Microsoft Edge creates a license request to decrypt the media. The Content Decryption Module (CDM) that's in use creates the license request containing a request ID. The request is sent to the license server. No part of the license request contains any personal data, and the license request isn't stored on the device.
When returning the media license, a media identifier is created which is unique to the user and the site. The ID isn't shared between sites, and is different for each site. A session ID, used to identify a playback session, is sent with the media identifier to decrypt the media. The media identifier is stored locally on the device, and may be stored with the content provider.
To control Digital Rights Management (DRM) and content protections:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Site permissions > All permissions > Protected content IDs, and then use the following toggles:
Allow sites to play protected content (recommended) - This controls playback for CDM-based DRM systems such as PlayReady and Widevine, but not for non-CDM-based systems. Turning off the setting causes media functions to stop working properly.
Allow identifiers for protected content (computer restart may be required) - Turning off this setting prevents Widevine from periodically fetching updates from Google. Turning off the setting may cause media functions on some sites to stop working properly.
Do Not Track
The Do Not Track feature asks websites you visit not to use trackers.
Enabling the Send "Do Not Track" requests setting doesn't guarantee that the websites aren't able to track you. Some sites may honor the request by showing you ads not based on any previous browsing. Microsoft Edge doesn't control whether or not the request is honored.
If you enable the Do Not Track feature, Microsoft Edge sends a DNT:1 HTTP header with your outgoing HTTP, HTTPS, and SPDY browsing traffic requests.
To enable the Do Not Track feature:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Privacy, and then turn on the Send "Do Not Track" requests toggle.
To help prevent websites from tracking you:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Tracking prevention, and then click Balanced (Recommended) or Strict.
Guest mode and InPrivate mode
When you use Guest mode, Microsoft Edge doesn't send Do Not Track requests.
When you use InPrivate browsing, Microsoft Edge only sends Do Not Track requests if the Send "Do Not Track" requests setting is turned on for the profile you're using.
Downloads
Microsoft Edge lets you download files safely and securely.
To choose where files are downloaded on your device:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Downloads (
).Next to Location, click the Change button.
SmartScreen for downloads
SmartScreen evaluates information about a file prior to downloading the file, to check the reputation of the file. This reputation check helps you avoid accidentally downloading known malware that's known to hurt your device.
If SmartScreen is enabled, information about the file, such as the file name and URL, are sent to SmartScreen to check the reputation of the file.
To change SmartScreen settings:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Settings () > Privacy, search, and services ().Select Security, and then use the Protect from harmful sites and downloads toggle.
For more information about SmartScreen, see SmartScreen, below.
Downloads history
To view the history of your previous downloads:
In Microsoft Edge, select Settings and more (
) > Downloads ().In the Downloads popup, optionally select More options (
) > Open downloads page.
To clear your browsing data and delete your download history:
In Microsoft Edge, select