Microsoft is making it easier to set default apps in Windows 11

Since its release in 2021, one of the most consistent points of criticism has been Microsoft’s. Compared to Windows 10, the newer OS makes it more complicated for users to move away from the company’s first-party offerings. For example, if you don’t want Edge to open every time you click on a web page or PDF, you’re forced to launch Windows 11’s Settings menu and change the default app by file and link type. It’s an unnecessarily long process that makes customizing Windows 11 complicated.

Microsoft is finally addressing some of these criticisms. On a Friday (via ), the company said it “reaffirms our long-standing approach to putting people in control of their Windows PC experience.” Microsoft announced a feature it said would ensure Windows 11 users have control over changes to their app standards. Later this year, the company will introduce a new deep link uniform resource identifier (URI) that will allow developers to send users to the correct section of the Settings menu when they want to change how Windows 11 responds to specific links and file types.

Microsoft says it will also give users more control over which apps get pinned to their desktop, start menu and taskbar with a new public API that will show a prompt asking you to give apps permission before they appear on these interface elements. Both features will first roll out to PCs enrolled in the Windows Insider Dev Channel in the coming months before arriving with the public release of Windows 11. In particular, Microsoft says it will “lead by example” and release updates for Edge, which will see the browser add support for these features as they become available.