Microsoft first began its push back against third-party browsers with the release of Windows 10, where it made it more difficult to set up a new default browser by hiding it behind multiple steps. Experts are now concerned a move to block third-party apps from intercepting links that force Microsoft Edge to open could lead to further app restrictions in the future. “You have to ask yourself, ‘when does it stop?’” Michael Partridge, an experienced web developer with designdough, told Lifewire in an email. “Is the next step forcing Bing over Google?”
Why It Matters
Forcing consumers to use a specific browser might seem like a silly concern, but in a world where big tech is constantly vying for any foothold on the market, the slope gets slippery very quickly. “At what point does a small change, which might not outwardly seem like a big deal, take a step too far?” Partridge asked. Since the introduction of Windows 10, Microsoft has made it more difficult to set default apps. When setting a new browser, you now have to set it as the default for multiple file extensions instead of the system automatically setting it. That’s not a huge deal, but in Windows 11, Microsoft is forcing you to use Edge in many cases, including when searching from the Start Menu search bar. Anytime you search for something on the web via the search box on your Start Menu, or anytime you select the results in your widgets, the operating system creates a Microsoft Edge link, which forces the browser to open. Previously, you could use apps like EdgeDeflector to bypass that and change the link into a standard HTTP link. Now, Microsoft is locking that out entirely. As EdgeDeflector creator Daniel Aleksandersen notes in a recent announcement, there’s nothing special about these links. As such, there’s no reason for Microsoft to force people to use Edge for them. Additionally, if you uninstall Edge completely, then click something that launches one of those links, it loads up a broken application, making those features completely useless. Microsoft told The Verge that the change was made to protect “end-to-end customer experiences,” but Aleksandersen and others say it’s just another way for the company to dictate how people use their computers.
History Repeating
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has skirted this particular line. In the early 2000s, it found itself in a similar position when a judge ruled that the company had unlawfully maintained a monopoly with Windows by tying Internet Explorer into the OS. The initial consequences of that ruling changed a bit after it was passed, but when the dust settled, Microsoft was told to make the operating system interoperable with non-Microsoft software. That decree was settled on for five years, but it was extended twice, finally expiring in May 2011. Many believe the outcome of that case had a significant impact on the current landscape of the technological world. While it started as a browser war, it became much bigger before all was said and done. Now, though, experts are concerned Microsoft could be testing the waters again, trying to push its way back into the spotlight by finding ways to force users to use its applications, like Edge. “People deserve choice,” a Mozilla spokesperson told Lifewire when asked about the changes. “They should have the ability to simply and easily set defaults, and their choice of default browser should be respected.”
