Edge now shipped to Windows 10 devices on Windows Update

Jun 12, 2020 13:30 GMT  ·  By

The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge officially launched in early 2020 as a manual download, with the installers going live both on Windows and later on Mac.

Earlier this month, however, the rollout of the browser advanced to the next step, as Microsoft started shipping the new Microsoft Edge to Windows 10 devices via Windows Update.

This means the browser shows up on Windows Update just like a typical patch, and once installed, it replaces the legacy version of the app and becomes the new default browser on Windows 10.

The transition from Microsoft Edge Legacy to the Chromium-based successor is as smooth as it can be, as all the data is migrated automatically, including here pins, bookmarks, passwords, and everything else. The icons and shortcuts are replaced too, so when trying to launch Microsoft Edge, the new browser should load automatically.

But it’s this transition the one that’s causing some criticism lately, as many consider Microsoft Edge being shipped via Windows Update a “forced update.”

And while Microsoft is no stranger of forced update (remember the “accidental” upgrades from Windows 7 to Windows 10?), this isn’t by any means the case right now. And here’s why.

First and foremost, Microsoft replacing the existing version of the browser isn’t something surprising. In fact, the company announced this plan many months ago, clearly explaining what happens when Microsoft Edge becomes available via Windows Update.

In other words, Microsoft tried to make everyone aware that a new browser is available, and it would replace the legacy version in Windows 10.

“The new Microsoft Edge will gradually be made available on Windows Update and offered to additional devices as data and feedback indicate that users are having a good experience,” Microsoft announced back in January. “The automatic rollout will maintain your default browser setting – if your default is currently set to a browser other than Microsoft Edge, your setting will carry over once the new Microsoft Edge is installed.”

So no, this can’t be considered a forced update since Microsoft told everybody it was happening so many months in advance.

And then, the company has even provided users with options to block the update if they didn’t want the new Edge on their devices. The Microsoft Edge Blocker Toolkit was also announced in January and came down to a very simple application which when launched configured the device to block the installation of the new Edge browser from Windows Update.

“The Blocker Toolkit is intended for organizations that would like to block automatic delivery of Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) on devices running Windows 10 version 1803 and newer that are running the Home or Pro Edition of Windows. All other versions and Editions of Windows are excluded from being updated automatically. Devices running Windows 10 Home or Pro Edition that are joined to an Active Directory or Azure Active Directory domain, or are WSUS or WUfB managed, will also be excluded from this automatic update,” Microsoft said.

So the software giant not only that made everyone aware it was planning to offer Microsoft Edge on Windows Update, but it also offered the necessary tools to block the whole thing.

Is this a forced update? Without a doubt, it’s not, so if you don’t want the new Edge on your device, it all takes just a few clicks to block it.

For everyone else, Edge is the new default browser on Windows, but it can of course be replaced with any other browser you want, including Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. The update that is shipped to Windows 10 devices doesn’t mean you must stick with Edge by any means.