Microsoft quietly reverses one of the most outrageous Windows 11 changes
Windows 11 will now let you change your default browser in a single click
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Microsofthas quietly walked back a change pushed out withWindows 11that caused anger and frustration among a large section of users.
With the latestWindows 11update, which is currently in the process of rolling out, changing theoperating system’s defaultweb browseris as simple as a single button press.
The new system is a far cry from the previous arrangement, which required users to manually register their browser preference for each and every file extension (.HTML, .HTM, .PDF so forth).
Windows 11 and Microsoft Edge
Since Windows 11 went live last year, Microsoft has taken a large amount of flak for its attempts to weaponize the new OS in an effort to turn Microsoft Edge into a genuine competitor in the browser market.
In addition to deliberately making it harder to change the default web browser in Windows 11, Microsoft also took steps tofunnel all linkshoused within its own products (e.g. the Start Menu) into Edge, no matter which browser was recorded as the preferred option.
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Given the size of the Windows install base, you’d think efforts of this kind would have a dramatic effect on the Microsoft Edge market share. But in reality, the browser has still struggled to make up ground on Chrome orSafari, which hold a combined 82% of the market, thelatest datasuggests.
To Microsoft’s credit, however, the company appears to have taken on board the howls of anger from the community. With the latest Windows 11 update, switching the default browser is a single-click process, performed from within the default apps menu under Settings.
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Instead of strong-arming Windows users into embracing Edge, Microsoft will instead rely on a steady stream of feature updates to entice people organically. In recent months, for example, the browser has received upgrades that allow users todebug performance issues,shield against novel cyberattacksandswitch freely between multiple profiles.
Joel Khalili is the News and Features Editor at TechRadar Pro, covering cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud, AI, blockchain, internet infrastructure, 5G, data storage and computing. He’s responsible for curating our news content, as well as commissioning and producing features on the technologies that are transforming the way the world does business.
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