Firefox Beta tracks Windows searches as Edge still opens instead of the default browser

Mozilla Firefox Beta 151 includes a change planned for the 152 branch. It adds a new metric to track how Firefox Beta handles Windows Start menu search results through Microsoft Bing. The update comes as Start search results often open in Microsoft Edge, even when another browser is set as the default.

On Windows 11, web results from the Start menu are tied to Bing and system-level integration. Because of this, the default browser choice does not always apply to Start menu searches.

Why Firefox is tracking Windows Start menu searches

The metric records when a Bing search from Windows Start opens in Firefox. It counts these events when the browser launches through system integration. It also separates cases where Firefox opens fresh from those where it handles the search in a new tab. Cases where another browser opens instead are not recorded.

According to the bug report, Mozilla aimed to “add a Glean counter to record navigations on Windows to the Bing domain.” It noted that “these navigations commonly occur when users type into the Windows Start menu search.” The metric is used to monitor this entry path.

The change was uplifted from Nightly and is planned for the 152 milestone. Edge opened instead of Firefox in multiple cases, even when Firefox was set as the default browser. Our tests with Firefox Nightly set as the default showed the same result. In those cases, Start menu searches opened in Edge.

Findings also suggest the behavior may depend on how Windows was set up. As noted in the investigation, “Microsoft determines this compliance based on the country or region chosen during the Windows installation setup, not merely the user’s regional settings within Windows.” Attempts to change regional settings or use a VPN did not change the outcome. This makes verification difficult without a fresh Windows installation.

The metric only tracks cases where Firefox opens from Start menu searches. Cases where Edge or another browser opens remain outside Firefox’s measurement. As a result, Mozilla can see when it wins this entry path, but not how often it loses.

There is no visible change for users in this release. The data will help Mozilla measure how often Windows Start search opens Firefox in practice.

Apart from the change, Mozilla recently released Firefox 150 with Split View and PDF editing features.