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Freedom251 › Blog › Bing

How to Limit Personalized Ads in Bing and Microsoft Edge

By Freedom251 Team · · 8 min read

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To limit personalized advertising in Bing and Edge, change two separate Microsoft controls. In the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard, turn off See ads that interest you. Then in Edge, go to Settings and more (…) > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Privacy and turn off the setting that begins Allow Microsoft to save your browsing activity….

The first switch is the account-level advertising opt-out. The second prevents Edge browsing activity from being used for personalized ads, search results, shopping, and news. You may also need to clear cloud activity and local browser history separately.

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What the two switches control

Microsoft separates advertising personalization from the broader use of Edge activity. Turning off only one setting therefore leaves part of the personalization system active.

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Control Where it applies What it changes Data location and persistence
See ads that interest you Microsoft account and Microsoft services Stops Microsoft from using account data, including browsing history, for personalized advertising. Account setting; remains off until you change it or delete the account.
Allow Microsoft to save your browsing activity… Microsoft Edge activity Stops collection and use of Edge activity for personalized ads, personalized search, shopping, and news. Controls future activity collection and use; local history on the device is separate.
Intrusive ads Websites visited in Edge Blocks ads on sites included in Microsoft’s locally downloaded intrusive or misleading advertising list. Local browser blocking feature; it is not an advertising-personalization opt-out.
InPrivate or Guest Temporary Edge session Reduces the normal persistent personalization path and local storage. Session-based; it does not conceal activity from an employer, school, or internet service provider.

For the broadest reduction, use both primary switches. The Privacy Dashboard setting covers personalized advertising across Microsoft services and devices, while the Edge setting also addresses personalized search, shopping, and news.

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Turn off personalized advertising in your Microsoft account

1. Open the Privacy Dashboard

  1. Sign in to the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard with the account used for Bing or Edge.
  2. Open the dashboard’s Ad settings area.
  3. Find See ads that interest you.
  4. Set the control to Off.

Microsoft says this prevents use of your data for personalized advertising, including Edge browsing history, across devices. The setting applies to the signed-in account rather than only the browser or computer where you changed it.

What this switch does not do

Turning off personalized advertising does not automatically turn off personalization of Bing search results, Microsoft shopping experiences, or news. Those experiences use the separate Edge browsing-activity control described below. It also does not erase browsing history already stored on your computer.

Stop Edge from saving browsing activity for personalization

2. Change the Edge Privacy setting

  1. Open Microsoft Edge.
  2. Select Settings and more (…) in the upper-right corner.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Open Privacy, search, and services.
  5. Scroll to the Privacy section.
  6. Turn off the toggle beginning 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.

This prevents future Edge browsing activity from being collected and used for personalized Microsoft experiences. It is the setting to change when your concern includes tailored Bing results, shopping recommendations, or news in addition to advertisements.

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Why the Edge switch matters after the ad opt-out

The account-level ad switch answers the question “Will Microsoft use my data to select personalized ads?” The Edge switch answers the broader question “Will Microsoft use my Edge activity to personalize Microsoft services?” You can have personalized advertising disabled while still allowing browsing activity to influence search, shopping, or news unless you turn off the Edge setting as well.

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Delete activity Microsoft already has

Cloud activity and local history are different

Changing the switches affects collection or use going forward; it does not automatically remove every record created before the change. If you are signed in, review the browsing activity area of the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard and delete the cloud activity you no longer want associated with the account.

Cloud deletion does not automatically remove the history saved in Edge on each device. To remove local records, use Edge’s own clearing controls:

  1. In Edge, open Settings and more (…).
  2. Select Settings, then Privacy, search, and services.
  3. Under the browsing-data area, choose Clear browsing data.
  4. Choose the time range and the data categories to remove, then confirm.

Clearing local history can remove information you use for navigation, such as recently visited pages and autocomplete entries, so review the categories before confirming. Deleting local data also does not change the account-level advertising switch; check both places if you want the opt-out to remain in force.

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Block intrusive ads on websites

Edge includes an Intrusive ads control that blocks ads on websites listed in Microsoft’s locally downloaded list of intrusive or misleading advertising. This can reduce disruptive page elements, but it is a content-blocking feature rather than a Microsoft account privacy setting.

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Use it when the problem is an ad format that covers content, starts unexpectedly, or otherwise violates the list’s criteria. It will not stop Bing from using permitted data to personalize an ad unless the Privacy Dashboard ad switch is off, and it does not disable personalization of search, shopping, or news. Treat the two goals separately: the Privacy Dashboard and Edge activity switches limit data use; Intrusive ads limits certain page ads.

Understand what may still be personalized

Ads versus search, shopping, and news

After turning off See ads that interest you, you may still see results or content ordered for relevance based on signals that are not covered by that advertising switch. Microsoft specifically distinguishes personalized advertising from personalization in Bing search results and other Microsoft experiences. Turn off the Edge browsing-activity setting if you want to prevent Edge activity from being used for those services.

Contextual advertising can remain

An ad can be selected because of the page, query, or general context rather than a profile built from your account activity. Turning off personalized advertising does not remove every advertisement from Bing or websites; it changes whether Microsoft uses your data for personalized selection.

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Personalization requires specific conditions

Microsoft says its personalization path requires all of the following conditions:

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  • You are using a signed-in, non-child Microsoft account.
  • You have given the relevant permission.
  • An organization policy does not block or override the feature.
  • The session is not Guest or InPrivate.

If any condition is missing, Microsoft may not use the normal signed-in personalization path. That does not mean other parties cannot observe network activity or that local data is automatically deleted.

Use InPrivate or Guest when you need a temporary session

InPrivate and Guest sessions do not provide the normal persistent personalization path. They are useful when you do not want a temporary search or browsing session added to the usual local profile.

They are not anonymity tools. Activity can still be visible to an employer or school managing the network, and to your internet service provider. Websites and network operators may also receive information necessary to deliver the connection. Use InPrivate or Guest to reduce local persistence, not to hide traffic from organizations that control the network.

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For an account-level opt-out that remains in place, change the Privacy Dashboard setting while signed in. A temporary session is not a substitute for that account control.

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Review Edge interest groups, if the feature is available

Some Edge versions include a privacy-preserving advertising feature that exposes “interest groups.” You can view the groups assigned to the browser and delete individual groups or all groups. Microsoft says this feature is still under development and is not available to every user or market.

Because availability is limited, interest-group controls are an additional review tool, not a replacement for the two general switches. If you do not see the feature, that absence does not indicate that the account-level ad opt-out failed; it may simply not be enabled for your edition, account, or region.

How long settings and activity persist

Situation Expected persistence
Signed-in account with personalized ads turned off The opt-out remains until you turn it back on or delete the account.
Signed-out browser with the opt-out cookie Microsoft says the cookie persists for six months unless you clear cookies sooner.
Shared browsing history used for personalization Microsoft’s current Edge privacy documentation says it is stored on secure Microsoft servers for up to 180 days.
Local Edge history Remains on the device until you use Edge’s Clear browsing data controls or another local-management method.
InPrivate or Guest activity Designed for a temporary session and reduced local persistence; it does not change network visibility.

Cookie deletion can remove a signed-out opt-out before the six-month period ends. If that happens, revisit the control after cookies are cleared. Signed-in account settings are not dependent on that browser cookie.

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Troubleshoot common results

You still see ads after turning off personalization

  • Confirm that See ads that interest you is off in the correct Microsoft account.
  • Check whether you are viewing an ad selected by page or query context rather than personal history.
  • Remember that the setting limits personalized selection; it does not remove all advertising.
  • If the ad appears on a website, enable Edge’s Intrusive ads control if the issue is a disruptive format.

Bing results still seem tailored

  • Turn off the Edge browsing-activity toggle, not just the account-level ad switch.
  • Clear local browsing data if you do not want previous searches and visits retained on the device.
  • Allow time for existing recommendations or cached page elements to change; deleting history does not retroactively rewrite every result already displayed.

The setting is missing or cannot be changed

  • Check whether the browser is in Guest or InPrivate mode.
  • Verify that you are using a non-child account and are signed in where the control is account-specific.
  • On a managed computer, an employer or school policy may control the option.
  • Interest-group controls may be absent because Microsoft has not released that feature for your market or account.

Activity disappeared from one place but not another

Cloud activity and local history are maintained separately. Delete the account activity from the Privacy Dashboard and clear the device history in Edge when you need both copies removed. Neither action by itself guarantees that unrelated records held by a network administrator, employer, school, internet provider, or website are deleted.

A practical privacy checklist

  1. In the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard, turn off See ads that interest you.
  2. In Edge, turn off Allow Microsoft to save your browsing activity… under Settings and more (…) > Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Privacy.
  3. Review and delete cloud browsing activity from the dashboard.
  4. Use Edge’s Clear browsing data controls for local history and other device-stored categories.
  5. Enable Intrusive ads if your goal includes blocking listed disruptive advertisements on websites.
  6. Use InPrivate or Guest for temporary local sessions, while remembering that network observers can still see activity.
  7. If available, inspect and remove unwanted Edge interest groups.
  8. Recheck the account and browser settings after clearing cookies, changing accounts, or moving to a managed device.

What to expect after completing the changes

With both primary switches off, Microsoft says it will not use your data for personalized advertising, including browsing history, and Edge browsing activity will not be used for personalized ads, search, shopping, and news. You can still receive contextual ads, keep local history until you clear it, and have activity visible to parties that administer or provide your network connection. Those distinctions explain why advertisements may continue to appear even after the privacy settings are correctly configured.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Bingbrowser settingsMicrosoft Edgepersonalized adsPrivacy

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