Windows 11 will soon block all default browser workarounds, making it more difficult for users to access the internet without third-party software. Microsoft has announced that the new operating system, which is currently in beta, will include a “Block All Default Browser Extensions” feature. This feature will prevent users from accessing certain websites and online services unless they install specific extensions or add-ons. Microsoft says that this feature is designed to improve security and protect users from malicious content. However, some users are concerned that it will make it harder for them to access the internet. Microsoft has not yet released a list of which extensions or add-ons will be blocked by the feature, and there is no way to disable it. Critics of the Block All Default Browser Extensions feature say that it is a step towards censorship. They argue that Microsoft is trying to control what users can see and do on the internet. Others say that this feature is necessary in order to protect users from malicious content. ..
Microsoft really wants you to use Edge. It wants you to use it so badly that it’s making switching your default browser an incredibly annoying process. And those workarounds that are out there? You can forget about those soon.
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Daniel Aleksandersen, the creator of EdgeDeflector, wrote a blog post (h/t Thurrott). He said the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview builds prevent apps like EdgeDeflector and other workarounds from getting around Microsoft’s complicated process of changing the default browser and fighting off “microsoft-edge:// links.” Here’s what the post says:
With the current workarounds, such as EdgeDeflector and Firefox’s trick, the tools intercept OS-level URL requests that force you to use Microsoft Edge. EdgeDeflector Developer Aleksandersen says, “EdgeDeflector is an app that intercepts microsoft-edge:// links — found throughout the Windows 10 and 11 shells and other Microsoft apps — and redirects them to regular https:// links that open in your default web browser. Microsoft uses these links instead of regular web links to force users to open them in its Microsoft Edge web browser.”
Aleksandersen also says, “Windows 10 and 11 no longer care about the default web browser setting,” which is sure to make lots of users extremely upset.
Currently, this change is in Insider builds 22483 and 22494, so they’re on their way to the final version of Windows 11. Of course, Microsoft could change its mind and decide that the user outrage isn’t worth making the change, but only time will tell.
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