It looks like the upcoming Windows 10 22H2 update will finally make it easier to move from the default web browser, Edge, to the competing Chrome browser.
Microsoft has been desperately trying to get more people to use the Edge web browser and using rather heavy tactics.
Not only is Edge installed by default with Windows 10 (and Windows 11), Microsoft has made it difficult to switch to a different web browser as well, with numerous pop-up messages asking you to reconsider and a few windows and options you need to click to make a move.
The good news is that it looks like the Windows 10 2H22 update, slated to arrive in the next few months, could eventually make Edge for Chrome much simpler.
How The Verge reports (opens in a new tab), in early version of Windows 10 2H22, if you open Google Chrome and it’s not your default browser, a banner will appear asking if you want to make it the default. Clicking “Set as default” in a banner notification will make Chrome your default browser, allowing links and applications to open Chrome for web browsing, not Edge (at least in some cases).
This is a much simpler way to make Chrome your default browser (other browsers like Firefox have had this one-click feature for several months now), but it looks like it’s only going to be for Windows 10 for now.
Analysis: Microsoft realizes it can’t make us love Edge
Despite the fact that the Edge has received many improvements over the years, making it one of the best the best web browsers you can use, Microsoft’s attempts to force it on its users backfired.
Knowing that changing default web browsers was frustrating made people angry with Edge and even more determined to change. Meanwhile, Google Chrome remains the most popular browser with a huge margin. So Microsoft’s attempts to discourage people from switching from Edge don’t seem to work.
Facilitating change is a more consumer-friendly move, and it could even make people think of Edge more favorably in the future.
While Windows 11 has also made the transition from Edge easier, it’s not as simple as this implementation for Windows 10. Hopefully, this one-click switch will also show up in Microsoft’s newer operating system.