Exclusive Features in Windows 11 Limited to Europe: A Global Expansion Call for Microsoft
The Digital Markets Act (DMA), a framework enforced by the European Union, is aimed at promoting fair competition and offering greater user choice in the digital market. This regulation targets "gatekeeper" digital platforms, and Microsoft is making specific changes to Windows 11 to comply with this act, primarily for users in the European Economic Area (EEA).
These changes improve user control and choice by allowing EEA users to uninstall certain pre-installed Microsoft apps more easily, such as the Edge browser. Microsoft has also prevented Edge from persistently prompting users to set it as the default browser unless it is actively opened.
Moreover, Microsoft is registering more file types to the default browser when users set a non-Microsoft browser as default, covering protocols and file formats beyond what is standard globally. This enhancement aims to increase user convenience and choice.
Other improvements include enabling multiple online search providers in Windows Search, allowing removal of the Microsoft Store without affecting app updates or installations, and stopping various Microsoft apps and Windows components from defaulting to Edge for web content.
In the realm of data privacy, the Windows Recall feature is being updated with a new "Advanced settings" page. This update allows users to choose how they want to decrypt and grant access to their data. Additionally, the AI feature will only show the export code once while setting up, and Microsoft does not store this information.
European users can also uninstall Microsoft Edge and the Microsoft Store app from their computers, change the default web search provider within Windows 11, and set a non-Microsoft browser as the default handler for PDFs if the new browser supports PDF documents.
It's worth noting that some of these features, such as the Recall export code, are still in preview and expected to be rolled out in a future update. The system will also pin the new default browser to the Taskbar and Start menu by default.
However, these features are only available to users in the EU/EEA region. Windows 11 users outside this region do not receive these specific enhancements and continue to experience more Microsoft-centric defaults.
Microsoft has also stopped sending frequent notifications to European users to encourage them to set Microsoft Edge as the system default. The "Export snapshots from now on" option only shares snapshots to apps or websites from the moment the feature is turned on.
In summary, the Digital Markets Act compels Microsoft to offer enhanced user control over default apps, particularly browsers and pre-installed apps, in Europe, reflecting the EU’s broader goal of regulating digital gatekeepers to foster competition and consumer choice.
- Microsoft is making updates to Windows 11 to comply with the Digital Markets Act, primarily for users in the European Economic Area (EEA), allowing them to uninstall certain pre-installed apps more easily, such as the Edge browser.
- The Edge browser will no longer persistently prompt EEA users to set it as the default browser unless it is actively opened.
- Microsoft is registering more file types to the default browser when users set a non-Microsoft browser as default, increasing user convenience and choice.
- Windows 11 users in the EU/EEA region can uninstall Microsoft Edge and the Microsoft Store app from their computers, change the default web search provider, and set a non-Microsoft browser as the default handler for PDFs if the new browser supports PDF documents.
- The Windows Recall feature is being updated with a new "Advanced settings" page, allowing users to choose how they want to decrypt and grant access to their data.
- The system will pin the new default browser to the Taskbar and Start menu by default, and these features are only available to users in the EU/EEA region.
