Security News > 2023 > August > Windows 11 browser change: Europe applauds, outrage everywhere else
Microsoft will soon allow users in the European Union, as well as from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, to once again open all links in Windows using their default web browser rather than forcing the use of Microsoft Edge.
As the company said when it released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23531 to the Dev Channel on Friday, links in Windows systems apps will no longer open using Microsoft Edge, ignoring the users' browser of choice.
"In the European Economic Area, Windows system components use the default browser to open links," the Windows 11 Dev build's changelog explains.
Windows 10 and Windows 11 include many features that display internet links you can click on, such as help articles in the Settings screens and Windows programs, search results in the Start Menu, and the Widget articles.
The forcing of Microsoft Edge on Windows 11 users has annoyed enough people that some have created dedicated tools specifically designed to enforce the default browser by rewriting microsoft-edge:// links used in Microsoft apps and across the OS shell to https://, which open using the default browser.
Microsoft has yet to explain why it's only allowing European users to open all links on their systems using the default web browser and hasn't implemented this change for all Windows users.