Microsoft forces Windows 11 users to adopt Edge

Changing the default browser in Windows 11 has already become more difficult, and now Microsoft is taking things a step further by restricting applications such as EdgeDeflector. The usage of third-party applications such as EdgeDeflector and even Firefox has been proposed as a solution to Microsoft’s requirement that customers use Edge in Start menu search results, even if their default browser is not Edge.

Using the new Widgets panel in Windows 11, Microsoft is essentially forcing users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 to use its Edge web browser and Bing search engine in the Start menu search results, and this will continue in the future. The fact that Windows does not respect your default browser is a source of frustration for many users. Through the use of EdgeDeflector, you can circumvent these limitations and open Start menu search results in your preferred web browser.

In an early preview edition of Windows 11 last week, the EdgeDeflector block was initially introduced. However, while the barrier appeared to be a bug at first, Microsoft has since confirmed that the modifications will be made available to all Windows 11 users in a software update that will be released in the coming weeks. Microsoft has made the decision to disallow app developers from invoking Microsoft-edge protocol connections, which are now only available in the Edge browser, in their apps.

An official Microsoft spokeswoman said in a statement to The Verge that “Windows openly enables applications and services on its platform, including various web browsers.” The search experience from the taskbar is one such example of a non-redirected end-to-end customer experience offered by Windows in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. When we discover an error in redirection, we immediately publish a correction.”

According to Microsoft, this “patch” would be included in a next impending update to Windows 11, which was released for Beta and Release Preview customers late on Friday. However, the developer of EdgeDeflector is not pleased with the company’s actions. 

According to Daniel Aleksandersen, developer of EdgeDeflector, in a critical blog post published last week, “These aren’t the activities of an attentive firm that cares about its product anymore.” “Microsoft isn’t a good steward of the Windows operating system,” says the author. Advertisements, bundleware, and service subscriptions take precedence over the productivity of their customers.”

The reason for Microsoft’s abrupt decision to begin blocking EdgeDeflector and other applications has not been stated, but the reason is quite evident. The 500,000 EdgeDeflector users, according to Aleksandersen, were probably never more than a source of irritation to the company’s executives. “However, in the past month, both the Brave and Firefox web browsers either copied EdgeDeflector’s functionality or indicated that it was on the way,” the article states.

Microsoft is likely to have taken notice of Firefox’s 200 million users and patched this workaround as a result of the popularity of the browser. 

It is fair to give everyone their own preferences. They should be able to set defaults quickly and easily, and their choice of default browser should be respected. For users who already use Firefox as their primary browser, Mozilla says it’s developing a code that starts Firefox when the Microsoft Edge protocol is utilised. As a result of the recent update to Windows 11, this intended solution will no longer be possible.

The modifications made by Microsoft in this area are egregious, particularly those made in Windows 11, which make it more difficult to switch default browsers in the first place. Like the antitrust lawsuit against bundled Internet Explorer in Windows, it’s an aggressive technique. 

The most perplexing aspect of Microsoft’s decision to force people to use Edge while ignoring browser defaults in Windows is that Microsoft Edge is a terrific browser in its own right. It should not be necessary for Microsoft to compel you to use it.