Jun 03, 2025 11:10:00

Windows will receive updates such as 'Make Edge less appealing,' 'Allow search engines other than Bing to be selected in Windows Search,' and 'Allow Microsoft Store to be uninstalled,' due to the EU's Digital Services Act

Microsoft has announced that it will apply several updates to Windows in response to

the Digital Services Act (DSA) enacted in the EU. The updates include 'refraining from promoting Microsoft's browser 'Edge'' and 'making the Microsoft Store uninstallable.' However, the updates will only be rolled out in the European Economic Area (EEA) and will not apply to Japan.

Updates to Windows for the Digital Markets Act | Windows Insider Blog
https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2025/06/02/updates-to-windows-for-the-digital-markets-act/

◆ Less appealing about Edge
Windows comes with Microsoft's Edge browser as standard. Microsoft is focusing on keeping users on Edge, and so far there have been reports of issues such as ' When trying to download Firefox with Edge, a screen recommending Edge appears' and ' When accessing the official Chrome website with Edge, a screen promoting the usefulness of Edge appears .'

Users who download Chrome on Edge are shown a pop-up asking 'Why?' - GIGAZINE

In Edge version 137.0.3296.52 and later, released on May 29, 2025, the 'Confirmation message whether to set Edge as the default browser' will not be displayed unless you 'directly launch Edge' such as 'clicking the taskbar button'. Also, at the time of writing, if you uninstall Edge, a 'notification requesting reinstallation of Edge' will be displayed, but if you apply the update for Windows 10 and Windows 11 distributed after June 2025, the reinstallation recommendation notification will not be displayed. However, all of these features will be deployed only within the EEA.

◆ Default browser
At the time of writing, if you set a browser as the default browser, files with extensions such as '.http' and '.https' will open in the default browser. The following file extensions and link types can now be linked to the default browser:

Extensions: '.htm', '.html', '.mht', '.mhtml', '.shtml', '.svg', '.xht', '.xhtml', '.xml'
Link type: 'ftp', 'http', 'https', 'read'

In addition, when you change the default browser, the new browser will be automatically pinned to the taskbar. This feature can be disabled in the settings. These features are scheduled to be rolled out in the EEA in July 2025.

Additionally, an update will be released in June 2025 that will allow links on the lock screen and in widgets to open in the default browser instead of Edge.

◆You can now choose search engines other than Bing in Windows Search
Windows Search is a search feature built into Windows that allows you to search for local and web information from the search bar located in the start menu or taskbar. The web search function of Windows Search uses Microsoft's search engine Bing, but you can also select other search engines.

Multiple search engines can coexist and the order can be set as desired.

The changes to Windows Search are expected to be rolled out across the EEA in early June 2025.

◆Uninstall Microsoft Store
In the EEA, it will be possible to uninstall the Microsoft Store from the second half of 2025. The uninstallation will be possible via the Start menu or Settings.