One of the lasting effects of the browser battles of the 1990s has been an excessive focus on how Microsoft manages default app settings in Windows 11, particularly browser settings.
Microsoft’s handling of app defaults in Windows 11 has frequently drawn criticism. In comparison to Windows 10, the latest operating system makes it harder for users to switch from Microsoft’s pre-installed apps to third-party ones.
That could soon change, though, as Microsoft intends to make it simpler for users who want to alter the default Windows 11 apps.
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Microsoft announced the new feature for Windows 11 users in a blog post, stating that it is “reaffirming our long-standing approach to put people in control of their Windows PC experience.” This feature will allow users to quickly control changes to their app defaults.
Microsoft stated in a blog post,”We want to ensure that people are in control of what gets pinned to their Desktop, their Start menu and their Taskbar as well as to be able to control their default applications such as their default browser through consistent, clear and trustworthy Windows provided system dialogs and settings.”
The tech juggernaut was reacting to the cumbersome app-switching procedure. For instance, if a user wishes to switch from Edge to Chrome as the default browser, they must manually set Chrome as the default for each corresponding file and link type in addition to setting Chrome as the default browser overall.
Later OS updates made switching between browsers a little bit simpler, allowing you to select a default browser with just one button by going to that browser in the Default Apps section of the Settings app. However, compared to Windows 10, the option was still hidden, and it only worked for browsers, limiting image editors and other apps to use the more complicated one-file-type-at-a-time controls.
Microsoft will now give developers of apps “the ability to make their app the default or pin their app to the taskbar” through a “commonly supported way”. Additionally, it stated that its own apps would adhere to the same standard for defaults and pinning in order to prevent favoritism for the applications in its ecosystem.
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Developers will be given a new Settings deep link URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) so they can direct their customers to the proper default settings. Microsoft will launch an API for app pinning that will let external apps be instantly pinned as the taskbar’s main or secondary tiles. According to Microsoft, these new features will initially be available on the Windows Insider Channel over the following few months.
It is not necessary to use these new features, and app developers who are already handling things distinctly won’t need to alter their apps right away. However, the business claims that later this year, after application developers have had time to implement these new best practices, it will start taking more steps to prevent “unrequested modifications to a user’s choices.”
I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.