Users looking for Windows repair tips via the Microsoft PC Manager app may be recommended to switch Edge's default search engine back to Bing.

The PC Manager app is an optional app users can download from the Microsoft Store, and boasts features like "one-click boost, storage clean-up, file management, and protection of your default settings from unauthorized change." It's been around since October 2022, but given that it's not included in Windows 11 by default and seemingly has limited use, it hasn't really garnered much attention with only 375 reviews.

The app's interesting recommendation was first discovered by Windows Latest after the app was updated to include a repair tips menu, and The Register was able to reproduce it. Users who change the default search engine in the Edge browser will see a notification under the repair tips tab to "reset start page to new tab page and search engine to Bing."

Obviously, switching back to Bing isn't likely to resolve any user's issues with Edge or their PC in general, and the recommendation seems more like an attempt by Microsoft to get more people to use Bing. It's the same tactic Microsoft uses when people open Edge on a new PC, look up Google Chrome, and then are greeted with messages to continue using Edge.

Some suggest that since the PC Manager app was developed by Microsoft's China-based team and isn't technically officially launched in the US (even though it's available in English and can be downloaded in the US), the Bing "repair tip" may be dropped once it is a bona fide American app.

However, given Microsoft's proclivity to insert ads and pushy recommendations into Windows, we wouldn't be too sure about that. It was only a few weeks ago that Microsoft introduced Start menu ads to Windows 11, though thankfully this can be turned off. Far more annoying are pop-up ads shown to Chrome users, asking them to switch their default search engine to Bing so they can get free access to Bing AI powered by GPT-4.

The Register asked Microsoft to comment. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/05/16/microsoft_pc_manager_bing/