Browser coalition demands Microsoft end design-based Edge steering on Windows

Microsoft’s control over the Windows default browser determines the underlying cookie rules, tracking preventions, and attribution models for a massive global audience. If operating system updates or UI banners successfully divert users back to Edge, they fundamentally shift the data signals available to B2B advertisers and measurement firms. As AI assistants like Copilot become more deeply integrated into the OS shell, the browser effectively becomes the gatekeeper for local-to-web data flows. Executives should watch for potential regulatory spillover from the EU into other jurisdictions, as the Browser Choice Alliance is now using European compliance as a benchmark for what is technically possible in global Windows builds.

The Browser Choice Alliance's push follows a period of intensifying global scrutiny regarding how operating systems manage first-party browser dominance. Per PCGamer (February 2026), Microsoft previously disclosed in October 2025 that it had quietly discontinued 'S Mode,' a restricted Windows configuration the coalition long criticized for blocking third-party browser installations. Despite this hardware-level shift, the software-level battle has expanded into South America. Per PCMag (July 2025), Opera—a primary member of the Browser Choice Alliance—filed a formal complaint with Brazil's Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE), alleging that Microsoft's Edge steering tactics constitute an illegal abuse of monopoly power.

In Europe, the technical feasibility of the alliance's demands is already established. To comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Microsoft began allowing users in the European Economic Area to completely uninstall Edge from Windows 11 starting in March 2024. Per Mozilla (May 2026), these regulatory interventions have yielded measurable shifts, with Firefox reporting that its daily active user count in the EU was 113% higher than it would have been without the DMA-mandated choice screens. Microsoft’s own March 2026 DMA compliance report acknowledges that deep integration making Edge difficult to uninstall required "significant technical effort," yet those changes currently remain restricted to EU users, fueling the coalition’s demand for a worldwide rollout of the same features.