Microsoft Edge helps keep you safe online. However, the networks you join may not always be secure. Microsoft Edge Secure Network can help safeguard your device and sensitive data when you need protection.
Note: Microsoft Edge Secure Network is a preview feature. Preview features are services that are in development and are made available on a "preview" basis so users can get early access and send us feedback.
How does Microsoft Edge Secure Network work?
Microsoft Edge Secure Network:
Protection when you need it: When in use, Secure Network automatically turns protection off and on when needed so you don't have to worry about managing bandwidth or knowing when you need additional protection. If you visit an unsecure HTTP site or connect to an open Wi-Fi, Secure Network encrypts your data and hides your location through our VPN service. To conserve your allocated VPN data bandwidth, content streaming sites such as Netflix, Hulu, HBO, and more, won't be routed through the Secure Network VPN service.
Encrypts your connection: Secure network encrypts your internet connection to help protect your data from online threats like hackers. When Microsoft Edge Secure Network is protecting your network traffic, your data is routed from Microsoft Edge through an encrypted tunnel to create a secure connection, even when using a non-secure URL that starts with HTTP. This makes it harder for hackers to access your browsing data on a shared public Wi-Fi network.
Helps prevent online tracking: On sites where Microsoft Edge Secure Network is encrypting your web traffic via our VPN service, we help prevent your internet service provider from collecting browsing data about the websites you visit.
Keeps your location private: Online entities can use your location and IP address for profiling and sending you targeted ads. Microsoft Edge Secure Network lets you browse with a virtual IP address that masks your IP and replaces your geolocation with a similar regional address to make it more difficult for online trackers to follow you as you browse.
Access with your personal account: To access Secure Network, log in with your personal Microsoft account. Microsoft Edge Secure Network is not available for enterprise accounts.
Is free to use: Get 5 gigabytes of free data every month when you sign in toMicrosoft Edge with your personal Microsoft Account.
See below instructions to turn on your Microsoft Edge Secure Network.
Note: A Microsoft Edge sign-in is required to track free data usage and access Secure Network every month. All bandwidth data that is required to provide the Microsoft Edge Secure Network service is automatically deleted at the end of the required service window.
First, make sure Secure Network is turned on in Microsoft Edge settings:
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Select Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services , and under Security, turn on the Microsoft Edge Secure Network toggle.
You can also turn this feature on or off in Browser essentials:
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Select Settings and more > Browser essentials. You can quickly open Browser essentials from your Microsoft Edge taskbar by selecting the Heart pulse icon.
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Access the Microsoft Edge Secure Network by selecting Get VPN for free in the Browser essentials sidebar.
Note: If you're not signed in to your personal Microsoft Account, you'll be prompted to sign in or create one.
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After turning on Secure Network, you'll see a shield icon and a toggle switch in Browser essentials—you're now browsing with more security and privacy.
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You can view how Secure Network has protected your browsing with the following:
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Protected Traffic—number of network calls routed through Secure Network
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Secured Wi-Fi—number of open Wi-Fi connections secured via Secure Network
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For sites where you always want protection, select Always use VPN for this site.
You get 5GB of free data per month with your personal Microsoft Account. Open Browser essentials by selecting the Shield icon to see how much data you've used and how much you have left that month. Your 5GB monthly data quota will refresh on the reset date shown.
The shield icon will indicate when you have reached your limit, select the icon to see when your data will be refreshed.
Information used in the Microsoft Edge Secure Network Service
To provide access, we store minimal support data and access tokens which are only retained for the duration of the required service window.
A Microsoft account is required to access Microsoft Edge Secure Network to track the amount of Secure Network data is used each month. This data is required to provide 5GB of free Microsoft Edge Secure Network service and calculate when the data limit has been reached. Your Microsoft account identity is never shared with the service provider (Cloudflare) when connecting to Secure Network.
Signing in to Microsoft Edge with a Microsoft account will also turn on sync. With sync, your browsing data is available across all signed-in versions of Microsoft Edge. You can sync your browsing history, favorites, settings, form fill data including addresses and more, passwords, extensions, open tabs, and collections. Each synced data type can be turned on or off individually. For more information, see the Microsoft Sync Privacy Statement.
Privacy statement
We're committed to protecting your privacy. Our privacy statement explains the personal data Microsoft Edge processes, how Microsoft Edge processes it, and for what purposes.
For more information, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
Powered by Cloudflare
Microsoft Edge Secure Network is a service provided in partnership with Cloudflare. Cloudflare is committed to privacy and collects a limited amount of diagnostic and support data acting as Microsoft’s data subprocessor in order to provide the services. Cloudflare permanently deletes the diagnostic and support data collected every 25 hours.
Any data Cloudflare processes in support of Microsoft Edge Secure Network is as an ancillary subprocessor. As part of its agreement with Microsoft Edge, Cloudflare will follow Microsoft’s written instructions for data processing.
Cloudflare shall not assign, transfer, sell, license, sublicense, or grant any rights to Microsoft Edge users’ data to any other person or entity. Under no circumstance will Cloudflare use any Microsoft Edge users’ data to create a profile of the user’s browsing history, nor will Cloudflare combine such user data with other Cloudflare or third-party data in any way that has the effect of creating an individual end user profile.
Cloudflare only observes a limited amount of data about the HTTP/HTTPS requests that are sent to the secure Cloudflare proxy via the Edge Secure Network. The data Cloudflare processes for the Secure Network is subject to the Microsoft Privacy Policy. When requests are sent to the Cloudflare proxy, Cloudflare will observe your source IP, the destination IP address (website) you are accessing, source port, destination port, timestamp, and access token provided by Edge.
This data will be stored briefly as part of Cloudflare’s temporary logs, and then permanently deleted within 25 hours of Cloudflare’s receipt of such information. Cloudflare will not log your request data and will not use it for any purpose other than to provide the Proxy service. Cloudflare also promises:
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Cloudflare will not retain or sell or transfer to any third party (except as may be required by law) any personal information, IP addresses or other user identifiers from the requests sent from the Edge browser to Cloudflare.
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Cloudflare will not combine the data that it collects from such queries with any other Cloudflare or third-party data in any way that can be used to identify individual end users.
What about government requests for content blocking?
Cloudflare does not block or filter content through the Cloudflare proxy for Microsoft Edge. As part of its agreement with Microsoft, Cloudflare is providing a secure remote proxy. If Cloudflare were to receive written requests from law enforcement and government agencies to block access to domains or content through the Cloudflare proxy for Microsoft Edge, Cloudflare would, in consultation with Microsoft, exhaust its legal remedies before complying with such a request. Cloudflare also commits to documenting any government request to block access in its semi-annual transparency report, unless legally prohibited from doing so.
