Yandex will be the default search engine for Edge in Windows 10 in Russia and other countries

Microsoft and Yandex, Russia’s largest internet company, have entered into a strategic partnership where Yandex will be offered as the default search engine for Microsoft Edge browser and Internet Explorer for users running Windows 10 in Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Turkey, and several other countries in the region (via Windows Central). As a part of the agreement, the software giant will offer custom local browsing experience and search capabilities through Yandex in the people residing in the above mentioned regions.

“We are committed to delivering a Windows 10 experience that our customers around the world will love – one of the ways we will do this is through locally relevant experiences,” says Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and Devices, Microsoft Corp. “Microsoft and Yandex have a long-standing, successful partnership with Yandex search currently integrated in Windows Phone locally, and we look forward to introducing Yandex search to our customers across the Windows 10 ecosystem in these markets.” “Windows 10 has already proven to be a success, while demonstrating enormous growth potential, not least because of Microsoft’s willingness to cooperate with strong players in local markets,” said Arkady Volozh, CEO of Yandex. “The new agreement is a logical step in the development of our well-established partnership with Microsoft affirming the high quality of our products.”

Furthermore, the agreement will introduce the advantages of using Microsoft’s new operating system  through the Yandex index page, which will offer them a place to download and install the official Windows 10 experience. The Yandex feature page will also showcase the capabilities of Windows 10, and will guide people on how to get their hands on them, or start using them. It’s quite similar to what Microsoft did in China a few weeks back. The software giant entered into an agreement with Baidu to offer users with a local search experience and makes it easier for Baidu customers to get their hands on Windows 10.