Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Mozilla CEO claims Windows 10 browser defaults override user choice

Kris Wouk
By

mozilla ceo open letter windows 10 browser defaults chris beard
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The adoption rate for Windows 10 has been fairly swift, with the operating system making its way to 14 million systems already, with more on the way. Along with the new OS comes a new browser, Microsoft Edge.

Mozilla CEO Chris Beard doesn’t have a problem with the brower itself or Windows 10 — after all, the company is busy working on a new UI for Firefox that looks and works better with the OS. What Beard has a problem with is that Edge is set as the default browser in Windows 10, even on upgraded systems where Firefox or Chrome were previously the default choice.

Recommended Videos

“It is bewildering to see, after almost 15 years of progress bolstered by significant government intervention, that with Windows 10 user choice has now been all but removed,” Beard wrote in a post on the Mozilla blog. Instead of remaining quietly upset, Beard posted an open letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

Related

“When we first saw the Windows 10 upgrade experience that strips users of their choice by effectively overriding existing user preferences for the Web browser and other apps, we reached out to your team to discuss this issue” Beard wrote. “Unfortunately, it didn’t result in any meaningful progress, hence this letter.”

Of course it’s possible to simply change the default browser to one of your choosing, but the steps to go about this have changed in Windows 10. While in previous versions of Windows, changing the default browser was usually as easy as clicking a button in a prompt from your favorite browser, the change is now made within Windows 10’s settings.

“It now takes more than twice the number of mouse clicks, scrolling through content and some technical sophistication for people to reassert the choices they had previously made in earlier versions of Windows,” Beard wrote. “It’s confusing, hard to navigate and easy to get lost.”

In previous editions of Windows, it might have been unlikely that Beard’s open letter would have any effect, but with Windows 10 Microsoft has made it clear that the OS will continue to evolve long past its initial release. In the meantime, Mozilla has posted a guide on how to change the default browser settings in Windows 10 on its blog.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Kris Wouk
Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Mozilla still has a beef with Windows 11 — here’s why
A symbol of the Mozilla Firefox logo.

Among the big controversies in Windows 11 are the extra steps needed to switch out your default browser away from Microsoft Edge. Mozilla was one company that was critical of Microsoft for this, and even with recent changes in Windows 11 to make the task easier, the beef is still going on. The maker of the Firefox web browser still aren't quite pleased.

According to a statement from a Mozilla spokesperson sent out to Neowin and other publications, Mozilla thinks more can be done on Microsoft's end. Recent moves from Microsoft on the default browser situation are seen as a "step in the right direction," but Mozilla still wants an easier solution for respecting the default web browser choice in Windows.

Read more
Upcoming Windows update will kill Internet Explorer for good
windows 10 june update will kill internet explorer for good poznan pol may 1 2021 laptop computer displaying logo

Internet Explorer is set to have its final end-of-life update on June 15. The Windows 10 update will be sent out to PCs after that date, disabling the browser and wiping it from devices.

While Microsoft has detailed its plans to retire Internet Explorer since May 2021, the Redmond, Washington company says the upcoming end-of-life update will disable the browser in a fashion that will redirect users to the Microsoft Edge browser when they try to access the feature.

Read more
Windows 11’s taskbar may get a handy feature from Windows 10
Laptop sitting on a desk showing Windows 11's built-in Microsoft Teams experience.

If you're a heavy multitasker in Windows 11, you might have noticed that your taskbar might be a little messy when you have too many apps open at once. Windows 10 had a handy overflow feature to help in that situation, and according to a noted Windows leaker on Twitter, it could soon make a comeback on Windows 11.

While Microsoft hasn't confirmed anything about this just yet, @thebookisclosed is the one who has the specifics of the feature. With it, you should be able to see and access all of your open apps in a new overflow bin in the Windows 11 taskbar.

Read more