Microsoft Edge users will finally be able to block ads while browsing the Web. Popular ad-blocking extensions AdBlock and Adblock Plus are now available for users of the Windows 10 Insider Preview.
The Redmond giant had announced extension support for its Edge browser back in March. Soon after, the company had revealed it would build ad-blocking features into the browser, but later clarified that it would support ad-blocking features via extensions. And here they are.
As of now, these ad-blocking extensions are only available for Windows 10 Insider Preview users who have downloaded the latest preview version of Windows 10. Specifically, only users of Windows 10 Insider Preview build 14332 can install the AdBlock and Adblock Plus ad-blocking extensions for Microsoft Edge.
The installation process is fairly simple. After downloading it from the Windows Store, the extension needs to be activated for it to start working. An optional button also pops up at the end of the address bar showing the number of ads that have been blocked. It is recommended to restart the Edge browser once to ascertain that the extension is working properly.
WinBeta reports that not all users have been able to get the extensions working properly. Bear in mind that the add-ons have only been released for the preview version of Microsoft Edge, and that commercial release is yet to come. To recall, Microsoft Edge will gain extension support for the general public with the rollout of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, which is expected to be released in June or July. At the Build 2016 conference, Microsoft had announced Edge will also get extensions from services like Pinterest, Amazon, Evernote, LastPass, and Reddit at launch.
The AdBlock and Adblock Plus extensions for Microsoft Edge appear to have feature parity with their counterparts on Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. To note, Adblock Plus is made by Eyeo, while AdBlock is made by BetaFish, and neither extension have currently any relation to each other. Adblock Plus claims to have seen over 300 million downloads, while AdBlock has over 40 million users across the globe. Apart from Edge, Adblock Plus supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer, Android, Yandex, and Maxthon browsers. In comparison, AdBlock only supports Chrome, Safari, and Opera browsers.
