Microsoft Build 2016: Tech giant planning built-in ad blocker for Windows 10 Edge browser

Microsoft plans to incorporate ad blocking extension within the Windows 10 Edge browser, the tech giant announced at its Build 2016 event on 30 March in San Francisco. The feature will essentially render extensions like AdBlock Plus unnecessary.

With the demise of Microsoft's previous browser Internet Explorer, the tech giant is looking to boost interest for its replacement — Edge. The new built-in ad blocking feature will come in as a handy replacement to the Internet Explorer's Tracking Protection Lists (TPLs), which functioned as a privacy provider while also blocking most ads within the browser.

The Windows 10 Edge browser is also slated to get an AdBlock Plus extension, which has already been confirmed by the company, according to a report by MS Power User. However, with the impending built-in ad blocking extension for Edge, the AdBlock Plus support may be rendered moot, depending on how well the former works.

The feature will be made available as part of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10 Anniversary update. The tech giant's primary concern for the update, especially for Edge, seems to be adding the built-in extension support. It is speculated that given the importance Microsoft has laid on extension support, the new feature could be made available to both developers and average users simultaneously.

Microsoft is not the first to develop built-in ad blocker for its browser. With its latest OS update, Apple has also rolled out ad blocking features for Safari on mobile devices. Mozilla is also believed to be working on a similar feature with the company's CTO Brendan Eich launching a startup called Brave, whose primary product is an ad blocking browser, according to a report by Znet.

Microsoft is also slated to unveil a host of other extensions for the Windows 10 Edge browser. However, the tech giant is looking to gradually roll-out the new features in its upcoming updates, which means that, as is usual, developers and Windows Insiders are likely to get a preview of the features and provide feedback before Microsoft makes it available to the general public.