

The EdgeDeflector developer has stated that the app will no longer be updated. He admits there are ways to overcome the limitation, but they “require destructive changes to Windows.” That means that well be able to open Cortana links in Chrome or Firefox, for instance.
EDGE DEFLECTOR WINDOWS 10
The changes were made between Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22483 and Build 22494 . In the changelog of the latest build, there are several mentions of changes to the protocol and the default file / application association system. However, the most important thing was missing: you can no longer bypass Microsoft Edge with third-party applications such as Edge Deflector. EdgeDeflector is a tiny application that helps us to bypass the obligation imposed by Microsoft to Windows 10 users to open certain links with Edge, their official browser, sending them to the app selected by default for such purpose. The Edge Deflector developer noticed this week that Microsoft made changes to the latest build of Windows 11 and effectively blocked other applications from setting themselves as the default handler for the microsoft-edge:
EDGE DEFLECTOR INSTALL
There are separate programs on the market designed to unlock the protocol microsoft-edge://, such as Edge Deflector or Search Deflector. Using these solutions, Windows 10 and Windows 11 users can install a different browser as the handler for this protocol.įor example, the Edge Deflector sets itself as the default handler for the Microsoft Edge protocol and then redirects the request to the browser of your choice.īrowser makers Brave and Firefox have started implementing similar features to improve the process of making them the default handler in Windows 10 and 11. In Windows 11, Microsoft removed this feature. Users need to configure the handler for each protocol individually. If you want to switch completely from Edge to Firefox, Brave or Vivaldi, then you need to manually set the desired browser as the handler for HTTP, HTTPS, HTML, PDF, WebP, SHTML, FTP, HTM, Mailto, News and other protocols.Īll of these changes have a simple goal: to increase the market share of Microsoft Edge. There is no technical reason for using an internal protocol. Microsoft is trying to promote its browser in a variety of ways. In Windows 11, the company changed the way the default browser was configured. On Windows 10, users can set a different browser as default and it will open all links that browsers can open, except for blocked links of the Microsoft Edge protocol. Windows 11 ships with the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge . Like the classic version, the browser is also promoted through the exclusive use of the protocol microsoft-edge://. The new News and Interests widget in Windows 10 and the Widgets app (Widgets) in Windows 11 use the Microsoft Edge protocol, although they essentially display standard web content and links. Just like EdgeDeflector, this tool redirects news, search, and weather results to your default browser.When these links were opened, Edge rendered the targeted content and rendered a prompt to make it the default browser. Following the recent developments, developer rcmaehl took to Linus Tech Tips forum to share their tool named MSEdge Redirect. With all that said, it seems like there’s still some hope left. EdgeDeflector This app redirects any links you click to your default browser, even if Windows 10 or Windows 11 want to open a link in Edge. Following the recent change to Windows 11, this planned implementation will no longer be possible,” a Mozilla spokesperson told The Register.
EDGE DEFLECTOR CODE
“We have worked on code that launches Firefox when the microsoft-edge protocol is used for those users that have already chosen Firefox as their default browser. In a statement to The Register, a Mozilla spokesperson confirmed that the new modifications in Windows 11 Insider build will break Mozilla’s workaround. Mozilla had managed to reverse engineer a way to let users easily set Firefox as the default browser in Windows 11 without having to visit the Settings page. Unfortunately, the changes Microsoft made with build 22494 also affect browsers like Firefox, Brave, among others. EdgeDeflector typically parses microsoft-edge:// links and redirects them to In a blog post, the developer of the tool Daniel Aleksandersen says that you can no longer set anything other than Edge as the protocol handler for microsoft-edge://protocol.
