14 DAY TRIAL // Changing the default browser on a modern version of Windows has been one pretty challenging process, even for power users.
Microsoft has obviously been under fire for the whole thing, as both the other browser makers out there as well as Windows users criticized the company for making it ridiculously difficult to switch from Microsoft Edge to a third-party alternative.
In some cases, changing the browser involved changing the default app to handle every extension, something that beginners would undoubtedly fail to do and therefore end up sticking with Edge.
Most recently, the Redmond-based software giant rolled out an optional cumulative update that improved the process, offering a one-click way to change the default browser from the Settings screen. This update is projected to go live for all Windows 11 devices next week as part of the Patch Tuesday cycle.
However, Vivaldi says the company needs to make the process even more convenient for users out there. Company CEO Jon von Tetzchner told The Register that Microsoft first has to offer that cumulative update to all users, not only to those who know how to install an optional patch.
As I said, there’s a chance the one-click option to set the default browser will be included in the April 2022 Patch Tuesday rollout kicking off next week.
Microsoft must do better
Nevertheless, Vivaldi calls for more substantial improvements on this front, with von Tetzchner suggesting that the European Union competition agency might have to look into Microsoft’s practices.
“While they have made an attempt, the fact that it has been done the way it has leads to the assumption that it is only being done to avoid being prosecuted for anticompetitive behavior, not to actually solve the underlying problem. Microsoft should make it as easy for all users to use other browsers, as it is to use Edge, and stop abusing their power to push Edge onto users. They continue to try to make it harder to switch to and use other browsers. We look forward to the EU following up on this malpractice,” Vivaldi says.
I’ve reached out to Microsoft for an answer to these claims and will update the article accordingly.