HP Support Assistant Promotes Bing With Persistent Windows 11 Pop-Ups

HP Support Assistant has started promoting Bing through pop-ups on Windows 11 PCs, with some users reporting that the alerts return after they dismiss them.

According to Windows Latest, the pre-installed HP utility encourages users to make Bing their default search engine and browser homepage.

HP Support Assistant normally helps PC owners install drivers, check hardware specifications, and view warranty information. However, the new promotion adds an unrelated marketing prompt to an app that many people use for system maintenance.

HP Support Assistant tries to change browser settings

The pop-up displays the message “Search that gives back” and includes an option to make Bing the default search provider and homepage.

HP selects this option by default. When a user clicks “Yes, let’s try it,” HP Support Assistant opens Chrome or Firefox and attempts to install a Bing browser extension.

The extension then tries to change two settings: the browser’s default search engine and the browser homepage.

Chrome and Firefox may block the extension from making these changes automatically. When that happens, the extension opens a page with instructions telling users how to change the settings manually.

The Bing pop-up may return after dismissal

Some users report that the promotion continues to appear even after they select “Don’t show me this again.”

During one test, HP Support Assistant opened both Chrome and Firefox and attempted to install the Bing extension in each browser. This behavior makes the promotion harder to dismiss and may interrupt users who only opened the app to manage their HP device.

Neither HP nor Microsoft has publicly explained the campaign or disclosed whether it forms part of a commercial agreement between the two companies.

Microsoft continues to face criticism over service promotions

Microsoft has faced repeated criticism for aggressively promoting Bing and Edge across Windows and its online services.

The Browser Choice Alliance criticized Microsoft’s Edge strategy and called for changes to practices that may discourage users from choosing competing browsers.

Microsoft also recently began displaying an Edge comparison banner when users search for Chrome on Bing. The banner promotes Edge features directly above or alongside results for Google’s browser.

How to stop HP Support Assistant Bing pop-ups

Users who continue receiving the promotion may need to uninstall HP Support Assistant through Windows Settings.

After removing it, users should check whether Windows Update or another HP utility reinstalls the application. They can also review their browser extensions and remove any Bing add-on installed through the promotion.

HP and Microsoft have not announced plans to end the campaign or provide another permanent way to disable the pop-up.

This is not the first time that a Microsoft hardware partner has promoted another company’s software through a device utility. Microsoft recently intervened to force LG to remove a McAfee pop-up from its monitor app after users criticized the promotion.