It looks like the upcoming Windows 10 22H2 update will finally make switching from the default web browser, Edge, to rival Chrome easier.
Microsoft has been desperate to get more people to use its Edge web browser, and has been using rather heavy-handed tactics.
Not only is Edge installed in Windows 10 (and Windows 11) by default, but Microsoft has also made it hard to switch to another web browser, with numerous pop-up messages asking you to reconsider, and several windows and options that you need to click on to make the move.
The good news is that it looks like with the Windows 10 2H22 update, which is due to arrive in the next few months, could finally make ditching Edge for Chrome much simpler.
As The Verge reports (opens in new tab), in an early build of Windows 10 2H22, if you open up Google Chrome and it’s not the default browser, a banner will appear asking if you want to set it as default. Clicking ‘Set as default’ in the banner notification will then make Chrome your default browser, so that links and apps open Chrome to browse the web, rather than Edge (in some cases, at least).
This is a much more streamlined way of making Chrome your default browser (other browsers, such as Firefox, have had this one-click feature for a few months now), but it looks like it will just be for Windows 10, for now.
Analysis: Microsoft realizes it can’t force us to love Edge
Despite Edge getting numerous improvements over the years, which now makes it one of the best web browsers you can use, Microsoft’s attempts to force it on users has had the opposite effect it wanted.
Deliberately making it frustrating to change default web browsers has left people angry at Edge, and even more determined to switch. Google Chrome, meanwhile, remains the most popular browser by a huge margin. So, Microsoft’s attempts to put people off from switching from Edge doesn’t seem to have worked.
Making it easier to switch is a more consumer-friendly move, and could even make people think more fondly of Edge in the future.
While Windows 11 has also made it easier to switch from Edge, it’s not quite as straightforward as this implementation for Windows 10. Let’s hope that this one-click switch comes to Microsoft’s newer operating system as well.