Whenever Microsoft pushes a new cumulative update for Windows, users wonder what that update will break this time. We need to give it to Microsoft: cumulative updates nowadays are much more stable than several years ago. Stability is no longer the primary concern. However, users on Reddit accused Microsoft of messing with third-party browsers using updates for Windows 11. According to them, Microsoft now has a new way to annoy users: settings hijacking.
A user named gabbagondel posted at r/sysadmin a rage post with a somewhat expressive description of their latest Windows update experience. The user says the recent cumulative update for Windows 11 has completely screwed default app settings in the operating system.
Besides forcibly setting Edge as the default Windows browser (nothing new here, Windows frequently resets default apps for no reason), Microsoft decided to mess with settings in third-party browsers. The update reportedly changed settings in Google Chrome and set Bing as the default search engine that opens every time you launch Google Chrome.
The post on Reddit received almost 7,500 upvotes and more than 1,000 comments. You can follow the discussion full of a hot rant here. Microsoft did not provide a statement about the situation.
Developers and regular users frequently complain about hostile and predatory practices from Microsoft. The company recently openly admitted that it plans to continue enforcing the Edge browser whenever users work with Windows Widgets or Windows Search.
Sneaky API changes in preview versions of Windows 11 broke a popular third-party tool for redirecting links to a default browser set by the user. Fortunately, enthusiasts continue developing various tools to help regular people deal with Microsoft's shenanigans.
Support us
Winaero greatly relies on your support. You can help the site keep bringing you interesting and useful content and software by using these options:
If you like this article, please share it using the buttons below. It won't take a lot from you, but it will help us grow. Thanks for your support!
Advertisеment
