Microsoft’s Mail app users may get annoyed when the link clicked in the app will forcefully be opened in Microsoft’s Edge browser, regardless of the user’s app defaults. In Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17623, Microsoft has angered users of its Mail app by changing its settings so that links clicked in emails will open in the company’s Edge browser, rather than their preferred choice, such as Chrome or Firefox. So, if you have set Chrome or any other browser as your default browser in Windows 10, Microsoft will ignore that setting and force you into using Microsoft Edge through the Mail app.
The Internet community is already started accusing Microsoft’s this move. The main reason for forcing Edge browser on the Users is plain and simple. Microsoft is attempting to increase its browser’s market share. According to StatCounter’s latest figures, only four percent of computers worldwide use Edge, despite it being Windows 10’s default browser. Google’s Chrome remains the most popular, at 67 percent.
However, this change is currently applied to the early preview build of the Windows 10 and Microsoft is planning to make it permanent in the feature update due in coming months. The company tried to justify this change in their blog post by claiming –
“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.”
This move by Microsoft has infuriated many users and raised concerns about Microsofts conflict of interest in running both an operating system and a browser. This is not the first time that Microsoft is forcing its own software and products on Windows 10 users. Cortana users are forced to use Bing search and open results in the Microsoft Edge browser. The change applies only to mail app for Windows 10 and does not affect links in the Microsoft Outlook.
Although the change is currently in testing phase, but if it does manage to make to the full version of Windows 10, the company might face the anger of its many users.
