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Microsoft wants to force Windows 10 Mail users to use Edge for email links

Microsoft wants to force Windows 10 Mail users to use Edge for email links

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A desperate move to grab browser share

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Microsoft is testing a new change to its future version of Windows 10 which will probably annoy anyone using the operating system. The software giant revealed today that “we will begin testing a change where links clicked on within the Windows Mail app will open in Microsoft Edge.” The change means if you have Chrome or Firefox set as your default browser in Windows 10, Microsoft will simply ignore that and force you into Edge when you click a link within the Mail app.

It’s a ridiculous change, that’s similar to Microsoft forcing Cortana users to use Bing search and open results in the Microsoft Edge browser instead of other browsers that are set as default. “As always, we look forward to feedback from our WIP community,” says Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar in a blog post today. I’m sure Microsoft will receive a lot of feedback over this unnecessary change, and we can only hope the company doesn’t ignore it.

Microsoft has been desperately trying to convince Windows 10 users to switch from Chrome to Edge. The software maker has made it difficult to switch the default browser in Windows 10, created videos to trash Google’s Chrome battery life claims, and even used a variety of annoying ads within Windows 10 itself to try and promote Edge. None of these efforts have worked, though. Chrome is still the top browser on desktop PCs.