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Microsoft Windows IT

Microsoft is Finally Making it Easier To Switch Default Browsers in Windows 11 (theverge.com) 39

Posted by msmash from the fixing-things dept.
Microsoft is finally making it easier to change your default browser in Windows 11. A new update (KB5011563) has started rolling out this week that allows Windows 11 users to change the default browser with a single click. After testing the changes in December, this new one-click method is rolling out to all Windows 11 users. From a report: Originally, Windows 11 shipped without a simple button to switch default browsers that was always available in Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft forced Windows 11 users to change individual file extensions or protocol handlers for HTTP, HTTPS, .HTML, and .HTM, or you had to tick a checkbox that only appeared when you clicked a link from outside a browser. Microsoft defended its decision to make switching defaults harder, but rival browser makers like Mozilla, Brave, and even Google's head of Chrome criticized Microsoft's approach.
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Microsoft is Finally Making it Easier To Switch Default Browsers in Windows 11 More

Microsoft is Finally Making it Easier To Switch Default Browsers in Windows 11

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  • One change down (Score:3)

    by Baconsmoke ( 6186954 ) on Tuesday March 29, 2022 @01:42PM (#62400105)
    About 100,000 more to go and Windows 11 will finally be ready.

    • Mod parent Funny, but what's with the shortage of mod points these days? All of the "Hot Comments" are two-point "Normal". Can't even get the second mod point but still qualifies as "hot"? (My top suspicion remains a discreet purge of the sock puppet accounts with mod points, but with no attempt to 'recruit' fresh moderators. (And don't look at me, either. I have no idea why I haven't been a moderator in many years now. (But it's probably related to my prepackaged and shrink-wrapped bad attitude?)))

      On the s

      • Does anyone have a strong 'positive' reason to use Windows 11?

        Personally the only reason to migrate is Windows 10 EOL in 2025. At that point I have to decide whether to go unsupported to play games.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Askmum ( 1038780 )
          Believe me, it's no big deal. I'm on 7 and will be skipping 10 to hold out for something better.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by shanen ( 462549 )

            Well according to Microsoft, 11 is MUCH better. But we've all heard that one before. (And before and before and...)

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by torkus ( 1133985 )

        So anecdotal, personal experience...from someone going back to a c64 as a kid.

        Win10 was annoying AF over Win7 with them moving everything for the sake of change with various controls split between different control panels. Win11 just takes this to...well...11. Some old interfaces, some Win7/10, some new for 11 ... but there's no consistency. (network/wifi and power settings being pet peeves in this)

        So many little things have been removed or changed ... like the right-click on task bar for task manager (

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by shanen ( 462549 )

          Thanks. Sadly informative. Or informative for sad values of information? (Par for Microsoft, however.)

      • It tried to force me to use a Microsoft Account, so I had to immediately upgrade it to Professional using Shift+F10 and setup.exe with /Pkey to bypass the requirement. A day later it gave me a full screen OOBE-like interface at login time with a "remind me in 3 days" which looks disturbingly like a grace period, so I've gone into Local Security Policy and gpedit.msc and banned Microsoft Accounts from being added using the two relevant policies.

        If it tries to force the issue further, I will plop in some

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by shanen ( 462549 )

          I'm curious about your strong reaction around the Microsoft account. I don't mind "using" it, though I changed the name to "Awk Q Punt". I also avoid using Microsoft's cloud storage, though (in Windows 10) I sometimes get annoying login requests for it.

          • I have no issue with optional Microsoft Accounts but I have a big issue with them being mandatory for logging in, here's why:

            1) This will fundamentally lock people out of using old computers. In 20 years time, you will have to crack your OS just to be able to use the hardware you paid for.
            2) It's like using Azure AD. If someone compromises your MS account, they can potentially lock you out of your own PC. That's an unnecessary risk at home.
            3) Microsoft can actually tie the data they collect to a pers

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by shanen ( 462549 )

              Mostly the ACK, but I don't see a big distinction if they pretended the Microsoft accounts were optional but just made it "too much trouble" not to use one. I actually see it as a kind of minor loophole in my favor if I can say "Someone must have hacked into my Microsoft account". On that basis, the strong forms of user authentication are more threatening, especially when they are linked to "profiles" we cannot even see or control.

          • I'm curious about your strong reaction around the Microsoft account. I don't mind "using" it, though I changed the name to "Awk Q Punt". I also avoid using Microsoft's cloud storage, though (in Windows 10) I sometimes get annoying login requests for it.

            I'm not the GP, but here's my list...

            1.) because I don't want one. I don't care that I get free e-mail, or Onedrive storage, or browser-based versions of Word and Excel, or any of the other "better with" things they offer me. I have a self-hosted Nextcloud instance that gives me pretty much all of the functionality they're providing me.

            But really, the thing is that an operating system shouldn't pressure its user to sync to a mothership. Offering it, sure, I get it. However, MS seems to be making it increasi

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by shanen ( 462549 )

              Interesting and thoughtful comment, and I thank you for it. In solution terms, I'm still fantasizing about smaller corporations. Somewhat smaller potential for abuse, but mostly the potential for me to freely pick the company that offers the best protection of my personal information...

              Too bad the biggest bribes to politicians come from the biggest corporations. And they are always bribing them to rig the game in favor of bigger uber alles.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

      About 100,000 more to go and Windows 11 will finally be ready.

      At which point Windows 11 will be out of support and Windows 12 will be out a few years.

      • About 100,000 more to go and Windows 11 will finally be ready.

        At which point Windows 11 will be out of support and Windows 12 will be out a few years.

        Windows 12 will require an Intel-15 chip, TPM 5.7, a Microsoft account and Microsoft-branded credit card, fingerprints, iris scan, a prostate exam and a copy of your dental records ... :-)

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by gweihir ( 88907 )

          Windows 12 will require an Intel-15 chip, TPM 5.7, a Microsoft account and Microsoft-branded credit card, fingerprints, iris scan, a prostate exam and a copy of your dental records ... :-)

          So no access for women? Or will they just have to let themselves be groped in some other unpleasant way?

  • Microsoft's lawyers.

    Remember this is rolling back something they purposefully made difficult. You can bet your kidneys it wasn't done because someone thought it was a "good idea" to make selecting the browser easier for the user.

    Also have you tried Edge, it's the new faster optimised browsing experience for Windows 11 and it saves you money, speeds up browsing, is safer, faster, and better at pleasing your wife than you will ever be. Do you want to adopt Microsoft's recommended internet settings? Agree / Ag

    • The two reasons I do not use most of MS Windows software is 1) trust and 2) usefulness. For example, I turned off Xbox Game Bar (you cannot uninstall it even if you do not have an Xbox) but a Windows update turned it back on. If I had not noticed that the Xbox Game Bar Service was using a lot of CPU, it would still be running. Turns out you cannot turn off the service in Services. I had to find some sort of registry setting to really turn it off. The other I have noticed is different Windows components by

      • Not running on any of my machines and I've not tweaked anything. The only thing running is Xbox Accessory Manager and that only starts when I pair my Xbox controller with the machine. Using CPU? Sounds like a bug.

        As for Edge needing the microphone access, it doesn't by default even in a current up to date system. But Microsoft software is auto trusted to enable its required permissions, so I'll bet you a marsbar at some point you accessed a website that enabled a webRTC session. Edge requested mic access in

        • All I can tell you is MS turns on microphone access for their own programs without asking. In fact, I just happen to look at my work laptop and Store has access to the microphone. I do not manage those settings but I can tell you my company does not allow employee access to the Store much less install their own software.
      • I run Linux Mint but keep a Windows machine (Windows 8.1) so I can use Turbo Tax once a year and a few ham radio programs. Bought a budget Dell Windows 11 laptop recently, it's alright, Win 11 looks better than 10 although I have zero experience with Win 10.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by torkus ( 1133985 )

      It's not just browsers.

      They make it godawful to change file associations for *anything* at all. If you're a non-techie user, you're basically stuck with either MS or whatever you randomly clicked the first time you opened a like/file type. It's so incredibly user *un*friendly it's insane - like they took a page from Apple's lock-in playbook but tore it in half and screwed up the implementation to make it even worse.

      Install VLC or Irfanview and try to associate them to all their file types. I'ma go run a

      • I've got an issue now, not sure if Windows or local IT. It always defaults to Adobe Acrobat Reader DC for pdf files. If I change the default to Firefox, then if I reboot then the default is put back to Adobe (malware infested crap that doesn't understand "reader" means read-only). If I uninstall Acrobat then on a reboot it will set the default to Microsoft Edge! Then Adobe is reinstalled the next day by IT and it becomes the default again. It's like it refuses to accept that Firefox is a valid pdf viewe

  • And here I was starting to think MS had finally, properly committed to continuing the beatings until morale (and uptake numbers) improved.

    • I would say using Chrome exposes you to more corporate evil than Edge. User data aggregation is a side show for MS, but it is the entirety of Google's business.
      • It's really too bad that Chrome is the only other alternative.

        • Firefox is still great. Low memory footprint like chrime but no less snooping and better plugins. I only use Chrome when I need a browser with no security (ie, no plugins, adblock, noscript), only because browsers make it hard to have two profiles used simultaneously. For work I'm using Edge as the no-security browser,

          • I use chrome when a site won't let me access it with adblock.

            • Sometimes I do to, but mostly if a side won't let me access it then I don't visit the site. Almost nothing on the internet is worth the hassle.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by torkus ( 1133985 )

      Don't worry ... they still have every other file association locked in till death do you part.

  • Finally? I don't think that's the word we want to use here. "Finally" should be reserved for things like "The Year of the Linux Desktop". After all, Windows 11 is just a newb to the world.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • If MS were punished harder the first time, maybe they wouldn't be dicks about browser choice yet again. When dealing with corporations, one has to think as if they are punishing a sociopath, not a normal person. Normal people usually learn such lessons the first time. Corporations often keep testing similar boundaries over and over.

  • Will it make me pick "Switch anyway" after begging me to keep the default on Edge?

    Doesn't matter to me, as I'm not going to use Win11, just like I didn't use Win8.

  • Good (Score:2)

    by dohzer ( 867770 )

    I installed Windows 11 on the weekend, and wow... they really didn't want me to switch browsers.
    Simply searching Google for Chrome (via the Edge browser) brought up "warning" messages about how I don't need to switch browser because Edge is basically the same as Chrome.
    And following that, Windows was automatically trying to install graphics drivers in the background, and the timing of some of the blank screen periods made me think they were actively trying to stop me clicking button to install Chrome. The s

  • but did it anyway because look at all the people pushed to use the default browser. They won't be trying to change it after they realized how hard it was

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