• 2 min read
Mozilla says Windows 11 still nudges users to Edge
A Mozilla-backed report says Microsoft uses wording, prompts, and defaults in Windows 11 to steer users toward Edge.
Image: TechRadar
Mozilla has published a new “Over the Edge” report accusing Microsoft of using Windows 11 and Windows 10 design choices to push people toward Edge and away from rival browsers such as Firefox and Chrome.
The follow-up lands two years after Mozilla’s first report on the same issue. It was written by independent researchers Harry Brignull and Cennydd Bowles, commissioned by Mozilla, and draws on user views from the US, UK, India, and Germany about browser-choice journeys on Windows.
The researchers' conclusion is blunt: Microsoft still uses “harmful design” to interfere with browser choice. They cite trick wording, obstruction, visual interference, preselection, nagging, and forced action throughout the process of downloading another browser, setting it as default, and continuing to use it.
Examples highlighted in the report include:
- an Edge banner shown when users visit the Chrome download page
- prompts inside Windows encouraging users to keep or switch back to Edge
- Edge being pre-pinned to the taskbar
- upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 resetting Edge as the default browser
- Copilot opening links in Edge instead of the user’s default browser
The report also raises concerns about a chain of consent requests across Windows and Edge that, the researchers say, could create a “pipeline” sending browsing data — potentially including data from rival browsers — into Microsoft’s advertising and personalization systems.
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Browser choice in the European Economic Area
One of the report’s clearest points is that conditions appear better in Germany, used here as a proxy for the European Economic Area. The researchers say some of the more aggressive tactics, including the Chrome download-page messaging, do not appear there because regional rules force a different approach.
Mozilla argues that this shows regulation is effective. The company is urging authorities in the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and beyond to treat the findings as evidence that tougher oversight can improve browser choice.
“We again urge Microsoft to abandon these harmful patterns worldwide. And we urge regulators in the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, India, and beyond to consider this report as evidence that regulatory action works — there is much still to do.”
The broader claim is not that Edge has overtaken Chrome — the article notes it has not — but that Microsoft’s position as the owner of the dominant desktop operating system gives it unusual power to shape user behavior, potentially at the expense of smaller rivals such as Firefox.
Computing Editor
Tomas lives in the terminal. He covers chips, laptops, and operating systems with a focus on performance and efficiency. He reads kernel changelogs the way other people read fiction, and he's always on the hunt for the perfect mechanical keyboard switch. If it processes data, Tomas has an opinion on it.
via TechRadar
