Microsoft will be rolling out their new News and Interest taskbar to most Windows 10 users next month, but the feature has one fatal flaw – it insists on opening links in Edge, even if this is not your default browser.
That adds unnecessary friction to the experience, as you probably already have another (likely Chrome) browser window open, and the feature is clearly a transparent push by Microsoft to increase Edge and Bing usage.
There is however a way to keep the handy news ticker on your task bar while opening links in your favourite browser.
EdgeDeflector is a tiny open-source helper application to force Windows 10 to use your preferred web browser instead of ignoring the setting to promote Microsoft Edge. It works not just for the News and Interests toolbar, but also other Windows 10 features like Cortana.
To force Windows 10 links to open in your default browser:
- Download the latest EdgeDeflector_install.exe from the Releases page on GitHub,
- Install it by choosing Yes at the User Account Control prompt,
- Go to All settings > Apps > Default apps,
- Scroll to the bottom and click Choose default apps by protocol,
- Locate MICROSOFT-EDGE in the list and click on the program icon to the right of it,
- Select EdgeDeflector from the list. Confirm the change if asked to.
The app has been recently updated to provide a guide for new users on its usage. Find it at GitHub here and consider buying the developer a coffee here.
via Neowin