Microsoft is reportedly making some big changes in upcoming Windows 11 updates which will turn Edge into a more permanent default browser. The patch in question is yet to be finalized but could be devastating to those who prefer to use their own favorite web browser rather than Microsoft Edge. Microsoft's been pushing its Edge browser to Windows users rather forcefully for quite some time now, while also giving them lots of reasons to hate it in the process.
It's been over 25 years since Microsoft released its first Internet Explorer browser and it was eventually replaced by the improved Edge browser back in 2015. From there, the company introduced various upgrades to it, including new features not found in other browsers at the time. However, this also came at the price of Microsoft slowly taking away the ability to switch to a different browser, with the company automatically installing Edge in computers and even removing the option of uninstalling it completely. This trend still persists on Windows 11, with Microsoft unreasonably complicating the process of changing Edge as the default browser, forcing users to individually set browser preference by file type instead of automatically changing it to their specified default browser, and now it seems like things are about to get even worse.
The Windows Insider Program lets users test out unreleased preview builds of Windows 11 for new features that are still in their early stages. However, a change that threatens the user's browser preference has reportedly occurred between Windows 11 builds 22483 and 22494, according to Thurrott. This involved the operating system forcing Microsoft Edge as the default browser by 'silently' ignoring any requests that attempt to change it when opening links. Since preview builds usually foreshadow official Windows 11 future updates, this could become a permanent change unless Microsoft somehow decides otherwise.
In previous Windows 11 builds, users could turn to workarounds that allowed users to temporarily prioritize other browsers over Edge. Third-party apps like EdgeDeflector redirect URL requests to bypass Edge as the default browser, while Firefox came up with a convenient one-click switch within the browser itself. Unfortunately, the source claims that such methods no longer work in the upcoming build, as the OS outright ignores URL requests, changes to the registry, application modifications, and basically anything that tries to overthrow Edge as the default browser when opening links.
To add insult to injury, the OS will still not allow users to change the default browser, even when Edge has been forcibly removed from the computer altogether. Instead of letting them choose an alternative browser that's already installed, they will simply be greeted with an error message. Despite Microsoft's attempts at making the transition to Windows 11 as seamless as possible, some users are already looking for ways to reverse the changes. Of course, this sort of ruins the idea that Windows 11 is a more convenient experience for users, and insisting Edge over the competition isn't exactly helping either.
Source: Thurrott
https://ift.tt/3njsiHE
November 15, 2021 at 11:58PM
