New Delhi: In Europe, users receive significant relief from Microsoft’s Edge, with changes in response to the Digital Markets Act already implemented. These changes allow Windows machines in the regions covered to uninstall Edge and remove Bing results from Windows searches. However, the list is now growing in some meaningful ways. New features announced on Monday for Microsoft Windows users in the European Economic Area include the option to uninstall the Microsoft Store and avoid extra nagging or prompts asking them to set Microsoft Edge as the default browser unless they choose to open it.
That last one is one I’d like to have readily available in the United States, and according to Microsoft, it’s already live in the EEA, starting with Edge version 137.0.3296.52, which was rolled out on May 29th.
Additionally, setting a different browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, Brave, or another option, will pin it to the taskbar unless the user chooses not to. While setting a different browser default already attaches it to a few link and file types, such as HTTP and .html, users in the EEA will see it apply to more types, including read, FTP, and .svg. The default browser changes are now live for some users in the beta channel and are scheduled to roll out widely to Windows 10 and Windows 11 users in July.
Microsoft also explained that even after removing the store app from the start menu and settings, apps installed and distributed from the Microsoft Store will continue to receive updates, and they can always be reinstalled.
Other changes mentioned include automatically enabling third-party apps to add their web search results to Windows Search upon installation, as well as the option to rearrange search providers based on user preference. With updates rolling out in early June, the Microsoft Bing app, as well as the Widgets Board and Lock Screen, will open web content with the default browser instead.
