Skip to main content

Windows 11 is blocking an app that lets you switch browsers to Google Chrome

Windows 11 is now blocking the popular app EdgeDeflector, which provides better ability to select alternative web browsers.

The discovery was made in a new build of Windows 11 through the Insider Program, where Microsoft is now blocking applications that sidestep certain restrictions to change web browsers within the operating system.

The Microsoft Edge web browser running on Windows 11
Arif Bacchus/Digital Trends

You can still change your default web browser to Chrome or Firefox, but as Windows users know, this won’t apply to every situation found in Windows. That’s due to something called the “edge:// protocol,” which is a method used by Microsoft within certain elements in Windows, such as the News and Interest widgets.

The protocol ensures that it’ll only open URL links in its Edge browser. It’s implemented within Windows Search as well. Understandably, it’s been a controversial feature as it even circumvents a user’s default browser choice.

Developers have offered alternative apps, such as EdgeDeflector, that allow you to redirect links to a preferred browser, but Microsoft has now made such workarounds worthless through the latest Windows 11 update (build 22494), which is currently available for Insider members.

The developer of EdgeDeflector — home to 500,000 users — has confirmed that Microsoft has effectively disabled his application. As stated in the blog post, the developer, Daniel Aleksandersen, insists that “this isn’t a bug in the Windows Insider preview build. Microsoft has made specific changes to how Windows handles the microsoft-edge:// protocol.”

He added that while he can technically provide a way to bypass Microsoft’s strategy to make apps like EdgeDeflector futile, it would require “destructive changes” to Windows. These alterations to the program’s code would cause several issues for users, the developer stressed. Aleksandersen has thus decided to cease updating the app.

Your web browser is probably the most important — if not the only — app you regularly use.

In October, Brave became the first web browser to incorporate support against Microsoft’s URL scheme by introducing the same functionality EdgeDeflector delivers. Mozilla developer Masatoshi Kimura has also written patches to integrate the protocol into Firefox.

Aleksandersen states that the move by Microsoft is an anticompetitive practice that regulators “just haven’t caught up with yet.”

“Your web browser is probably the most important — if not the only — app you regularly use. Microsoft has made it clear that its priorities for Windows don’t align with its users’.”

This change is only effective in future builds of Windows 11, so as of now, it’s only a preview of what’s to come.

Update: As reported by MSPowerUser, a replacement app known as MSEdgeRedirect has already been developed that circumvents Microsoft’s recent changes.

Editors' Recommendations

Zak Islam
Computing Writer
Zak Islam was a freelance writer at Digital Trends covering the latest news in the technology world, particularly the…
The best Windows 11 themes
One of the wallpapers from the Windows 11 sunset theme.

If you've just upgraded to the latest version of the Windows operating system, Windows 11, you're probably ready to dive in and customize its appearance. One easy way to customize Windows 11 is by adding a theme. And if you're in need of some Windows 11 theme inspiration, have a look at our list of the best Windows 11 themes.

Below, you will find some of our current favorite themes for the Windows 11 OS and why we enjoy them.
Explore native Windows 11 themes first

Read more
Google has a great idea to fix your tab chaos in Chrome
Google Drive in Chrome on a MacBook.

If you use Google Chrome and are sick of managing an unruly mass of tabs in your web browser, help may soon be at hand. That’s because Google is testing a new feature that could bring order to your tab chaos.

As spotted by Leopeva64 on X (formerly Twitter), a new edition of Google Chrome Canary (a version of Chrome that lets users test out experimental features) contains a new tool called Organize Tabs nestled in the top-left corner of the browser.

Read more
Windows 11 adoption is slowing, and we finally know why
Surface Laptop Studio 2 sitting on a table.

In the consumer space, Windows 11 adoption has been ticking along at a reasonable pace. For businesses, however, the OS may have reached its limit, as businesses struggle to upgrade machines to meet the minimum requirements.

IT asset management group Lansweeper has observed that the adoption of Windows 11 now stands at 8.35% as of October 2023, a slight jump from the 5.74% seen in September 2022. However, having conducted research on approximately 33 million Windows devices in the enterprise sector, Lansweeper has concluded that it is largely device incompatibility that is stalling Windows 11 updates on a grand scale.

Read more