Microsoft is finally changing this annoying Windows 11 behavior, but there’s a catch
Windows 11 has had a testing change that will please anyone fed up with Edge popping up when opening certain links in the operating system, despite not being the default browser – but there’s a catch, unfortunately.
You’re surely familiar with the scenario where you open a link through a Windows system component (i.e. somewhere in a Windows 11 menu, maybe a help link for example) and Edge fires up instead of your chosen web browser of choice.
There’s no way to change that preference either, but in preview build 23531, released late last week in the Dev Test Channel, Microsoft changed it so that these system components use your default browser, as they should.
Like the blog post for build 23531 clarifies: “In the European Economic Area (EEA), Windows system components use the default browser to open links.”
And in that sense, you see the catch: for now, this is only in European countries (especially the EEA), so it’s not happening in the US or elsewhere.
Analysis: Come on Microsoft, spread this worldwide
Hopefully, this feature will see a wider regional rollout in due course – it’s a small tweak that’s sure to reduce the annoyance factor when using Windows 11.
Okay, so it’s not very common for you to click on one of these system links, but when Edge pops up unannounced, it can be pretty annoying. Especially since it also inevitably throws some kind of banner into the mix when it’s opened for the first time in a while (“Hey, don’t forget me, make me your default browser, go ahead, you know you want to,” and so on).
Is there a reason why Microsoft was forced to do this in Europe, due to regulatory or compliance issues? We’re not sure, but the chatter in the rumor mill seems convinced enough that Microsoft is doing this just to avert the danger of being penalized in some way by the EU. It seems strange that after all, the change only applies to Europe.
That said, if the feedback is positive enough, perhaps the software giant will listen and roll out this change more widely anyway, even if this is somehow a forced move in Europe.
Elsewhere in build 23531, Microsoft fixed the search flyout when you hover over the search box in the taskbar – not something everyone will appreciate. The good news is that you can disable this feature if you find it annoying.
As always with trial versions of Windows 11, there is no guarantee that features tested in previous previews will work in the final version of the operating system.
Through Windows Central