Microsoft is adding a free built-in VPN to its Edge browser

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is adding a free built-in virtual private network service to its Edge browser in a bid to improve security and privacy.

Microsoft is currently testing a service called Edge Secure Network that will be rolled out to the public as part of a security upgrade.

Edge secure network should be turned on so that internet service providers can't collect browsing information, like, say, health-related searches or just plain bizarre queries.

Users will be able to hide their location by using a virtual address on the web. Users could access blocked content in their countries.

There is a catch for this free service. Users will need to sign in to a Microsoft account to be able to track their usage.

Cloudflare will collect support and diagnostic information from the service, but Microsoft says that the company will get rid of that data every 25 hours.

The feature is still under development and not yet available for early testing, but Microsoft provided a way for users to try out a preview. Users can join the Microsoft Edge Insider channels, which could be the first one to get it.

You can try out the preview version by opening up Edge, heading to settings and clicking on secure network.

Image: Microsoft

Users will be asked to create a Microsoft Account at that point. A solid shield icon will appear in the browser frame, indicating Microsoft's Edge Secure Network is now turned on. After the user closes the browser, it will turn off.

Microsoft is one of the browsers that offers a service. Opera comes with a free one as well, but more popular browsers like Mozilla only offer a paid PureVPN service, which could help improve Edge's value proposition.