Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system now supports Adblock and Adblock Plus through its Edge browser. The ad-blocking software is available at Windows Store and runs on the OS's newest preview release. Windows 10's default browser then has the same capability to block ads as other web browsers including Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
In mid-March Microsoft released Edge's first extensions. However, they required an extra executable download and activation step, according to ZDNet. Adding Adblock Plus to the Windows Store will make it easier to install the ad-blocking software.
After installing Adblock Plus the extension announces that it exists on Edge. Windows 10 users then get an invitation to activate the installed software.
This process is very similar to to installing Adblock or Adblock Plus on Google Chrome. A button on the address bar can show how many advertisements have been blocked on each website. Clicking the button opens the interface showing Adblock Plus options.
However, the new ad-blocking feature is not available for the Current Branch release of Windows 10. It will be available for such extensions after this summer's Anniversary Updates.
Adblock and Adblock Plus are produced by two different companies but are the most popular ad-blocking tools on the market. Adblock has 40 million users just on Google's Chrome browser.
In related news, a KPMG report found that nearly half of people who plan to use an adblocker shared they dislike ads, according to The Guardian. It also found that 44 percent of United Kingdom adults plan to block ads during the next six months.
The report was based on a survey of over 2,000 people. Although 46 percent of the survey's participants said they do not like advertisements, 47 percent said that they will use ad-blocking software because they take up too much space on their display screens.
A total of 40 percent of people also stated that the ads were not relevant. Other issues they mentioned included problems viewing content, misuse of personal information, and effects on mobile data caps.
David Elms is KPMG's head of media. He said that the main issue is the intrusiveness of ads rather than the marketing itself.
This video asks if ad-blocking is wrong: