Microsoft has decided to block popular third-party app Edge Deflector on Windows 11. The app helps users to open links on browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. With the new move, Microsoft will now force Windows 11 users to open URLs only from the Start menu and widget panel search results on the Edge browser. EdgeDeflector developer Daniel Aleksandrson criticized the blocking by saying that the company is prioritizing “ads, bundleware and service subscriptions” over user productivity, according to a blog post.
EdgeDeflector and other similar third-party tools were developed to work around Microsoft’s Special Microsoft-Edge protocol, allowing links to be opened on browsers such as chrome And firefox, Last week, the company blocked the EdgeDeflector app in preview builds windows 11, which was initially considered a bug. However, a Microsoft spokesperson has now Confirmed For The Verge that a upcoming software update Microsoft-Edge for Windows 11 will prevent all apps from using the protocol link.
Microsoft spokesperson said windows The operating system enables applications and services openly on a platform, including a web browser. “At the same time, Windows also offers some end-to-end customer experience in both Windows 10 and Windows 11, the search experience from the taskbar being one such example of an end-to-end experience that is not designed to be redirected. .When we become aware of improper redirection, we issue a rectification,” said the spokesperson.
However, Daniel Aleksandrson developer of EdgeDeflector tool criticized the move. blog post, “These are not the actions of an attentive company that no longer cares about its product. Microsoft is not a good manager of the Windows operating system. They are prioritizing ads, bundleware, and service subscriptions over the productivity of their users,” said Alexanderson .
This isn’t the first restrictive move by Microsoft, which had previously introduced changes in Windows 11 that made it difficult to move away from Microsoft Edge. Windows 10 Users were able to switch to Chrome, Firefox or any other browser with the first few clicks. Windows 11, on the other hand, forces users to set the browser as the default in order to open various file formats. Mozilla and Brave recently announced changes that would implement similar workarounds such as EdgeDeflector. However, these will also be blocked by Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 11 update.
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