Want to switch from Edge? Microsoft is making it harder
Another desperate attempt by Redmond?
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Key notes
- Users on forums noticed that a recent Windows update has made switching to other browsers harder.
- In short, it blocks Chrome's one-click feature to set it as their default browser.
- Google is working closely on this issue.
It seems like Microsoft is, again, trying an unethical way to keep people to stay on its natively built-in browser, whether it’s intentional or not. Now, things may seem a little bit more complicated if you want to switch from Edge.
Google Chrome, the world’s current leading web browser, had the option to make it a default browser until Windows 11’s April 2023 update (KB5025221) seemed to stop that option from working.
The issue was first raised back in early April 2023 when users started complaining. User Todd Fuhrman1 on Microsoft Forum, for example, said here that the update has switched their system’s browser back to Edge and they can see the default app settings of Windows opened.
“After today’s cumulative update for Windows 10 and 11, 2023-04, every time I open Chrome the default app settings of windows will open. I’ve tried many ways to resolve this without luck. This is happening to all 600 systems with the update. Removing the update makes the issue go away. Anyone else having this issue?”
But now, it seems like the issue has landed on Google’s radar and they’re doing something. As spotted by Edge enthusiast @Leopeva64, Google is already working on restoring this feature as seen on the patch in Gerrit. The good news is, the Stable version of Chrome (114) has now returned with this feature, so all is safe now.
Not the first attempt by Microsoft to prevent the switch from Edge
As you may remember, this wasn’t the first attempt by Microsoft to stop people from migrating to other browsers.
Back in 2021, Redmond officials blocked third-party apps like EdgeDeflector, which helped you use Windows features like Cortana with the browser of your choice instead of being forced to use Edge. Its replacement, MSEdgeRedirect, is still around, but who knows what will happen in the future.
Microsoft is currently ahead of Google in the market for AI-powered search engines with Bing AI chatbot. As a result, Microsoft has made it an exclusive feature on Edge. If you try to access it on other browsers, you will be provided with a button to switch to Edge instead.
Edge used to be people’s second-favorite browser for months, but according to recent findings by GS StatsCounter, the market share of the browser is slowly falling short behind Apple’s Safari. As we’ve previously reported, Edge’s market share fell short to 10.95% in April 2023 compared to Apple Safari’s 11.89%.
What do you think about Microsoft making it harder for people to switch from Edge? Let us know in the comments!
