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Microsoft has been directed to stop its practice of directing Windows 11 users in Europe into Edge. Now, the company has begun testing the changes in the latest test builds of the operating system, but only in countries within the European Economic Area (EEA).
Windows 11 users residing in the European Union, as well as from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, will now be able to open all links in Windows using their default web browser instead of being forced to use Microsoft Edge.
In Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23531, which was released to the Dev Channel on Friday, users are not redirected to Edge when they click on a link from the Windows Widgets panel or from search results. The users will be able to open the links in their chosen browser.
“In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows system components use the default browser to open links,” reads a change note from a Windows 11 test build released to Dev Channel testers.
Microsoft’s decision to promote Edge as the default web browser has been a source of frustration for many Windows users. Windows 10 and 11 come with various features, including clickable internet links, such as help articles, search results, and widget articles. However, when users click these links, Windows forces them to open in Microsoft Edge, irrespective of the user’s default browser settings.
This annoyed users so much that some developed tools to redirect these links to their default browsers, such as EdgeDetector. However, Microsoft caught wind of this and made changes so that this workaround no longer works in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Microsoft’s recent changes have raised questions as to why they are limited to European users and not implemented for all Windows users across the globe.
The announcement came shortly after Microsoft stated that it would start separating Teams from its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 productivity suites in EU markets this October. These changes were made in response to an antitrust investigation by the European Commission, which was triggered by a complaint from rival company Slack.
Windows 11 users residing in the European Union, as well as from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, will now be able to open all links in Windows using their default web browser instead of being forced to use Microsoft Edge.
In Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23531, which was released to the Dev Channel on Friday, users are not redirected to Edge when they click on a link from the Windows Widgets panel or from search results. The users will be able to open the links in their chosen browser.
“In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows system components use the default browser to open links,” reads a change note from a Windows 11 test build released to Dev Channel testers.
Microsoft’s decision to promote Edge as the default web browser has been a source of frustration for many Windows users. Windows 10 and 11 come with various features, including clickable internet links, such as help articles, search results, and widget articles. However, when users click these links, Windows forces them to open in Microsoft Edge, irrespective of the user’s default browser settings.
This annoyed users so much that some developed tools to redirect these links to their default browsers, such as EdgeDetector. However, Microsoft caught wind of this and made changes so that this workaround no longer works in Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Microsoft’s recent changes have raised questions as to why they are limited to European users and not implemented for all Windows users across the globe.
The announcement came shortly after Microsoft stated that it would start separating Teams from its Microsoft 365 and Office 365 productivity suites in EU markets this October. These changes were made in response to an antitrust investigation by the European Commission, which was triggered by a complaint from rival company Slack.
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