Microsoft Edge tracking prevention levels
What Basic, Balanced and Strict tracking prevention mean in Microsoft Edge, which one Microsoft recommends and what Strict can break, from Microsoft Support.
Official source: Microsoft Support, Learn about tracking prevention in Microsoft Edge. Verified on
In short
- Basic blocks trackers that are potentially harmful, such as those used for cryptomining or fingerprinting, but allows most other trackers, including those that personalise content and ads.
- Balanced also blocks trackers from sites you have not visited. Content and ads are likely less personalised.
- Strict blocks the harmful trackers and most cross-site trackers. Content and ads will likely have minimal personalisation, and some sites may not work properly, for example videos that will not play or sign-ins that fail.
- Recommended: the page labels Balanced as the recommended option (Microsoft).
The Microsoft page is dated 30 July 2026 and was last updated 14 September 2026.
Choosing a level
| If you want | Look at |
|---|---|
| Fewest broken sites | Basic or Balanced |
| Less cross-site tracking, accepting some breakage | Strict |
| To see whether a site breaks | Switch the level for that site, then back |
The table is our reading of the three descriptions, not a Microsoft recommendation beyond "Balanced".
What it does not say
The page does not state which level is the default, and does not cover InPrivate browsing, so we do not either. Edge's own settings page in your version shows the current setting (Settings, Privacy, search and services).
Limits
Blocking trackers from a list is different from changing the details a site can read. The fingerprinting check still shows the same screen size and time zone.
Keep reading: Browsers compared · Global Privacy Control
Outside this page: We did not test Edge, and we did not read Microsoft's developer documentation on how the lists work.
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