Microsoft Quietly Edits Windows 11 Ad After Chrome Appears on Taskbar

Ever since its release, Windows 11 has come with aggressive promotion for Microsoft Edge. Microsoft has previously pushed Edge through Bing search prompts and even ran Edge-themed ads on Chrome’s download page.

That context made a recent marketing slip stand out.

Windows 11 gaming ad accidentally featured Chrome

According to WindowsLatest, Microsoft published a YouTube ad titled “Windows 11 is the home of gaming” on December 23, 2025. The original version of the ad clearly showed the Chrome icon pinned to the Windows 11 taskbar.

The appearance of Chrome felt unusual, since Microsoft typically highlights Edge and Bing across its ecosystem. Viewers quickly pointed out the irony, suggesting that someone on the marketing team actively used Chrome during production.

Microsoft quietly edited the ad

Microsoft noticed the mistake and edited the ad without any public statement.

In the updated version, Chrome no longer appears on the taskbar. Microsoft replaced it with Edge and other first-party apps such as PowerPoint, aligning the visuals with Microsoft’s usual branding strategy.

The company did not acknowledge the change or explain how the error slipped through.

The brief appearance of Chrome triggered predictable reactions across social media and forums. Many users joked about Microsoft’s long-running campaign to steer people away from Chrome, only for Chrome to appear in an official Windows 11 promotion.

While the incident caused no lasting damage, it served as a reminder of how closely users scrutinize Microsoft’s browser messaging.

In related news, Microsoft recently released a new Edge update that finally lets users hide Copilot from the browser interface.