Microsoft Starts Forcing Windows Mail Users to Use Microsoft Edge for Links

Microsoft had a pretty busy morning today, introducing builds to Insiders in the Slow, Fast and Skip Ahead rings from two Windows 10 branches: Redstone 4 (aka version 1803) and upcoming Windows 10 Redstone 5. Among all these builds and lengthy feature lists that brought quite a few new features and improvements, Microsoft also shipped a small change that it possibly thought would go unnoticed.

The company is testing a change where it will force Windows Mail app users to open links in Microsoft Edge because it’s “the best, most secure” browser that helps you become more productive without sacrificing your battery life or security – at least Microsoft thinks so.

But the browser share still won’t increase…

This “small” change essentially means that if you have Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox set as your default browser in Windows 10, Microsoft will just go on and ignore that setting and force you into using Microsoft Edge through the Mail app. Here’s what exactly Microsoft said:

"For Windows Insiders in the Skip Ahead ring, we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge, which provides the best, most secure and consistent experience on Windows 10 and across your devices. With built-in features for reading, note-taking, Cortana integration, and easy access to services such as SharePoint and OneDrive, Microsoft Edge enables you to be more productive, organized and creative without sacrificing your battery life or security. As always, we look forward to feedback from our WIP community."

Instead of making this a part of “what’s new” section where the company talks about all the major changes and that attracts the most attention, Microsoft added this in the “general fixes” section of the latest Redstone 5 build released today, where the company usually discusses bug fixes.

Microsoft has tried its best to push Microsoft Edge aggressively, often comparing it to Google’s Chrome browser. However, the numbers still aren’t helping Edge despite the continuous dirt it throws on Chrome. Google Chrome remains the top most-used browser on desktops. While the company may have made it a little difficult to change the default browser in Windows 10, this latest change will certainly annoy more than a few Windows 10 users as this is yet another reminder that the Redmond tech giant continues to ignore user choices.

But, considering this is only under “testing” right now, let’s hope it never actually makes it to a public release.