HP Support Assistant Displays Ads for Bing

Owners of HP PCs and laptops may soon see advertisements for Microsoft's search engine Bing. According to a report from Windows Latest, HP has partnered with Microsoft to enable the HP Support Assistant to set Bing as the default search engine in the browser. The HP Support Assistant is a tool designed to keep HP devices up to date by providing software, driver, and BIOS updates. Users report that a popup appears regardless of whether they are browsing the internet or playing a game in fullscreen mode. The popup offers users the option to set Bing as their homepage and default search engine.

At the same time, it highlights the opportunity to earn Microsoft Rewards points, which can be donated to a charity once a certain number is reached. The fine print mentions that the HP Support Assistant installs the Bing extension in the Chrome and Firefox browsers with user consent. This is not necessary for Microsoft Edge, where Bing is already integrated. Although users can click away the popup or decline the offer, many report that it keeps reappearing. The only way to permanently resolve the issue is to uninstall the HP Support Assistant, which may prevent important system updates from being provided.

A similar incident recently occurred with LG, where advertisements for the antivirus software McAfee were displayed in the accompanying software "LG Monitor App." Following public pressure and reporting, LG withdrew the ads and removed them mid-month. HP's response to the current situation remains unclear. Users who do not own an HP laptop are not affected by this issue. However, the ads in the HP Support Assistant could significantly impair the user experience.

This issue raises questions about transparency and the practices of software providers. Users are concerned about the increasing advertisements in software that was originally intended to support and maintain devices. HP has yet to issue an official statement regarding the complaints. Users are seeking solutions to avoid the ads without missing out on important updates. The current version of the HP Support Assistant is 9.0.0.0, released on January 15, 2026.