Windows 11 Start Menu May Finally Respect Your Default Browser and Search Engine

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Microsoft’s long-standing habit of routing Windows Search and several shell-driven links into Microsoft Edge — regardless of the user’s chosen default browser — may be closer to ending than many thought, but the change comes with caveats and new technical complexities that power users and IT pros need to understand now. A recent update to Microsoft Edge Canary exposed a group of experimental flags that strongly suggest Windows 11’s Start/taskbar search and related “Windows Search Bar” surfaces could soon honor a user’s default browser and preferred search engine — potentially opening links in Chrome (or Firefox) using Google (or DuckDuckGo), rather than forcing Microsoft Edge and Bing. This behavior was first reported in detail by a Windows-focused site after the flags were discovered in Canary, and it lines up with Microsoft’s ongoing, region-limited adjustments to respect user choice in areas affected by regulatory pressure.

Background / Overview​

Windows 11’s Start menu and taskbar search have for years been an awkward hybrid: local indexing and app-launching capabilities sitting beside web-powered suggestions and answers supplied by Microsoft’s own web stack. The web results portion has traditionally been powered by Bing and routed through Microsoft Edge even when a different browser is set as the user’s default. That has frustrated users and stirred public commentary about “forced” routing to Edge and Bing — a problem that has attracted community-built workarounds and developer tools to intercept and redirect such requests.
In 2024–2025 Microsoft began changing some behaviors in response to regulators and user pressure: experiments and Insider builds have introduced clearer separation between local results and web results in the Start menu, and Microsoft announced region-specific changes to respect default browser settings in the European Economic Area (EEA). These moves are part policy, part engineering: splitting the UI to label web results more transparently and, in some cases, allowing system-level components to open content in the default browser rather than Edge. Independent coverage confirms Microsoft has been rolling out such adjustments for EEA users.
What’s new now is evidence inside Edge Canary’s experimental flags that suggests a deeper integration between Edge’s in‑browser search handling and the Windows Search host — one that could, when toggled, make Windows Search respect both your default browser and default search engine. The flags discovered include names such as msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE, msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB, and msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB, which — read literally — describe launching Windows Search Bar (WSB) results using a non‑Bing Default Search Engine (DSE) and a non‑Edge Default Browser (DB).

What the Edge Canary flags appear to mean​

The flags and the intended behaviors​

Several Edge Canary flags were listed in the report, and while flag names are not formal documentation, their naming is highly suggestive. Here’s a practical translation of the most notable tokens and how they appear to map to behavior:
  • msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE
    • Implies Windows Search Bar will launch web queries using a non‑Bing default search engine (for example, Google or DuckDuckGo) that the user selects in the browser settings. The search results would be generated from that engine rather than Bing.
  • msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB
    • Suggests that the Windows Search Bar would open results in the user’s default browser (e.g., Chrome or Firefox) instead of forcing Edge. However, the flag name alone implies the default search engine used by the search box might still be Bing unless combined with the DSE flag.
  • msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
    • A combination flag that appears to enable both behaviors simultaneously: use the user’s preferred search engine and open the resulting page in the user’s default browser (e.g., Google in Chrome). This would be the “full respect” mode many users have sought.
  • msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData
    • Indicates Edge/Windows Search may pass favicon metadata back to the Search host so results show accurate site icons, improving recognizability of entries from alternate search engines. This is a smaller but UX‑meaningful improvement.
  • Other “explicit” variants
    • Flags prefixed with “msExplicitLaunch…” likely represent stricter, explicit routing behaviors where Windows Search intentionally redirects the query through the default browser/search engine stack rather than Edge/Bing by default.

Why flags matter — and why they don’t equate to shipped features​

Edge’s flags expose experimental code paths developers can enable in Canary builds. Flags are valuable because they reveal direction-of-travel inside Microsoft’s engineering process, but they are not feature commitments. Code behind flags may be incomplete, region‑gated, subject to regulatory constraints, or disabled before general release. That caution is important: the presence of a flag is credible evidence of work being done, but it’s not official product documentation or a guaranteed release date. The Windows Latest report is a spot-check of Canary and should be treated as a reputable lead rather than proof of global rollout.

Why this could matter for users and IT administrators​

For power users​

  • Restores predictable behavior: If Windows Search respects both a chosen browser and search engine, clicking a web result or an in‑shell search suggestion would open in your preferred environment. That ends the recurring annoyance of being pulled into Edge for trivial lookups.
  • Better UX consistency: Extensions, bookmarks, password stores, and profiles that live in your chosen browser will be honored, maintaining sessions and signed‑in state rather than forcing a context switch to Edge.

For enterprises and managed devices​

  • Group policy and MDM implications: Organizations that enforce a standard browser will want Windows Search to respect that policy across all shell surfaces. Any new behavior must be controllable via Group Policy or MDM settings to avoid fragmentation of user experience in managed fleets.
  • Testing and compatibility: Redirecting Windows Search to non-Edge browsers introduces edge cases with SSO plugins, internal certificate stores, and custom protocol handlers. IT teams must verify that enterprise sign-in flows, conditional access rules, and SSO extensions behave correctly when Search launches Chrome/Firefox instead of Edge.

For privacy-conscious users​

  • Search engine choice matters: If Windows Search can use non‑Bing engines, users can reduce Bing-specific telemetry paths or simply pick a search provider they trust. However, the backend may still pass metadata through Microsoft layers before the redirect occurs — a detail that needs verification from Microsoft documentation or telemetry transparency reports. Community testing and controlled captures will be necessary to validate how data flows in practice.

Technical and security considerations​

How Windows Search currently routes queries​

Historically, Windows Search has relied on internal handlers and URL protocol redirections that are tightly integrated with Microsoft Edge. Some built-in shells (Start search, Widgets, Copilot, Lock screen content) deliberately invoke Edge with a specially formed microsoft-edge: URL payload, which bypasses the default-app resolution. That design is the reason community tools such as EdgeDeflector and MSEdgeRedirect emerged to intercept these payloads and forward them to the true default browser. The incoming Evidence suggests Microsoft is building native options to replace the need for such third‑party interceptors.

Potential telemetry and privacy implications​

  • Telemetry leakage risk: Even if the user’s chosen browser and search engine are used, some preliminary routing or query transformation might still pass through Microsoft services for indexing, ranking, or just-in-time content generation (for example to assemble a richer result tile). Until Microsoft documents the exact processing and telemetry policies, users concerned about data flow should treat this as partially unverified. Flag-based discovery does not guarantee privacy parity with native Chrome searches.
  • Favicons and result rendering: The msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData flag suggests Edge will send back icon metadata to preserve visual fidelity. That’s a small but useful UX improvement that could reduce user errors when selecting results. But it also implies more metadata exchange between the Search host and Edge components — an area worth auditing for telemetry or fingerprinting concerns.

Security surface: protocol handlers and extension interactions​

  • Protocol and extension behavior: If Windows Search opens results in Chrome, extensions (e.g., enterprise SSO extensions, privacy or ad-block extensions) will apply as normal. However, users who rely on Edge-only corporate plugins should verify those plugins are available (or have equivalent capabilities) in the chosen default browser.
  • Attack surface considerations: Redirecting search results to third-party browsers increases the complexity of the call-chain when clicking OS-level links. Administrators should monitor for any unusual fall-through behaviors where an attacker could attempt to substitute or hijack a handler; standard security hygiene (default-app policy enforcement, tamper protections) remains essential.

How this lines up with Microsoft’s regulatory and regional strategy​

Microsoft’s moves to respect browser and search choice are not purely user‑experience driven. The European Digital Markets Act (DMA) and similar regulatory pressure have already pushed Microsoft to allow users in EEA countries to uninstall Edge, to stop nagging users aggressively, and to broaden the scope of default browser assignment for protocols and file types. Independent coverage confirms Microsoft has already introduced or tested features that make Windows respect default browser choices in EEA‑gated deployments. The Edge Canary flags we’re seeing now are consistent with that direction and may be Microsoft’s technical mechanism to implement and control such behavior more granularly.
At the same time, Microsoft has historically used staged rollouts. Features first appear in Canary and Insider channels, sometimes restricted by region, then graduate to broader releases after telemetry and policy checks. The flags discovered in Canary are therefore likely an early-stage implementation and may be toggled or limited to certain regulatory regions at first.

Practical guidance: what to do now​

If you want Windows Search to open links in your preferred browser today​

  1. Verify default app assignments in Settings > Apps > Default apps, and set your browser as default for HTTP and HTTPS as well as .htm/.html where possible.
  2. If Windows Search still opens Edge, consider community tools with caution:
    • MSEdgeRedirect and EdgeDeflector have historically been used to intercept microsoft-edge: links and forward them to the default browser. These tools can break with Windows/Edge updates and are not officially supported. Use them only when you understand the implications.
  3. Monitor Insider builds and Edge Canary release notes — the feature may become available behind an official toggle or in a future Windows 11 update (region‑gated).

For IT admins preparing for change​

  1. Test on a small group of devices using Windows Insider channels to observe behavior and to validate enterprise SSO, extension behavior, and policy enforcement.
  2. Update documentation for helpdesk staff to include the new flow: clicking a Start search result might now open Chrome (or other browser), and troubleshooting steps should account for browser-specific extensions and certificate stores.
  3. Prepare Group Policy and MDM configuration to either enforce or block the new behavior depending on enterprise policy needs. Confirm whether Microsoft exposes Group Policy templates for the new flags/behaviors when they ship.

Strengths, weaknesses, and remaining unknowns​

Notable strengths​

  • User choice restored: If fully implemented, this is a major UX win — the OS respecting the user’s browser and search-engine preferences is the intuitive expectation.
  • Reduced reliance on third‑party hacks: Official support removes the need for brittle, community-developed redirection tools that can break with updates.
  • Incremental UX improvements: Favicons and improved settings search terms are small but meaningful interface improvements that make Search more usable across search engines.

Risks and open questions​

  • Telemetry and data flow remain unverified: The technical flags do not document whether queries will still be proxied through Microsoft services for enrichment before being handed to the default browser/search engine. Until Microsoft releases authoritative documentation, assume some uncertainty about what data is shared, and when. Treat telemetry and privacy claims as partially unverified until Microsoft provides explicit documentation.
  • Region gating and rollouts: Early changes and Microsoft’s DMA compliance moves suggest features may be limited to the EEA initially. Users elsewhere could be left waiting for a broader rollout.
  • Compatibility and enterprise complexity: Redirecting shell-level links into different browsers may expose enterprise edge cases (SSO, conditional access, extensions). Organizations must validate all line-of-business flows before mass adoption.

How to verify and test the change yourself (step-by-step)​

  1. Install Microsoft Edge Canary (if comfortable with experimental builds).
  2. Visit edge://flags and search for flags with names resembling:
    • msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE
    • msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB
    • msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
    • msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData
  3. Enable the desired flags and restart the browser (note: flags change frequently, and enabling them can destabilize your browser).
  4. Set your preferred browser as default in Windows Settings, and set your preferred search engine in the chosen browser.
  5. Open the Start/taskbar search and click a web result to observe:
    • Which browser opens
    • Which search engine is used
    • Whether favicons and result rendering changed
  6. Record results and, if you’re an admin, test with managed device policies in a lab environment before broader deployment.
Caveat: this is experimental work. Flags are ephemeral and may be renamed, removed, or limited by region. Do not enable Canary flags on production machines.

Conclusion​

The Edge Canary flags discovered in late September point to a concrete engineering path that could finally make Windows Search behave the way many users expect: open web results in the default browser and use the preferred search engine. That would be a meaningful reversal of a long-standing friction point in Windows UX. But it’s not yet a finished product. The flags are evidence of work but not a shipping promise, and critical details around telemetry, data flow, and regional rollouts remain to be confirmed by Microsoft.
For now, users who need the behavior can rely on community tools and careful default-app configuration; organizations should prepare to test and validate the change when it appears in Insider or production builds. Keep an eye on Canary/Dev release notes and Microsoft’s official documentation — as Microsoft moves features through labs and regulatory-driven rollouts, the full story will become clearer. Meanwhile, the message is cautiously optimistic: after years of workarounds, Windows 11 may be ready to respect the choices users make about how and where they browse the web.

Source: Windows Latest Windows 11's Start menu search might finally respect Google Chrome as your default browser
 
Microsoft appears to be testing a change that would finally let Windows 11’s taskbar search hand off web queries to whatever browser and search engine you have set as default—rather than forcing results into Microsoft Edge and Bing. The evidence comes from new experimental flags discovered in Microsoft Edge Canary that reference “WSB” and “DSE” behaviors and explicitly mention “NonEdgeDB” and “NonBingDSE,” which strongly imply Windows Search could soon open queries in a non‑Edge browser using a non‑Bing Default Search Engine. This behavior is already enforced in the European Economic Area (EEA) under regulatory pressure, and the current Canary flags suggest Microsoft is experimenting with extending similar options more broadly.

Background / Overview​

Windows has historically routed certain system-initiated web links—Start menu and taskbar search results, Widgets content, and some system apps—into Microsoft Edge with Bing even when users had a different browser or search engine set as their default. That tension has drawn criticism from users and regulators for years, and it led to workarounds (third‑party tools) and legal pushes in various jurisdictions. In the EEA, Microsoft has already implemented changes so system components open links in the user’s default browser; those changes are part of Microsoft’s public updates to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The official Windows Insider blog documents EEA-specific behavior changes including making third‑party search providers available in Windows Search and opening web content with the default browser in the EEA.
Outside the EEA, however, Windows has continued to prefer Edge+Bing in many system flows—until now, according to traces found in Edge Canary that suggest Microsoft may be testing options to let Windows Search respect the system default browser and default search engine globally. Those flags were first reported and explained by independent outlets that monitor Canary builds and flag dumps.

What was found in Edge Canary: the flags and what they mean​

The flags themselves​

Edge Canary contains a cluster of experimental flags that include the following strings:
  • msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSE
  • msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
  • msExplicitLaunchNonEdgeDB
  • msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE
  • msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
  • msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB
These flags are visible in the Edge://flags UI in certain Canary snapshots; they do not necessarily have working implementations behind them, but their naming convention is revealing. Independent reporters and reverse‑engineers have pointed to those exact flags when describing the experiments.

Interpreting the abbreviations​

  • WSB — very likely stands for Windows Search Box or Windows Search Bar, i.e., the UI on the Windows taskbar / Start menu that accepts web queries.
  • DSE — almost certainly Default Search Engine, the search engine the browser uses for address‑bar queries.
  • NonEdgeDB — reads as Non‑Edge Default Browser (DB = Default Browser), implying a mode where the system will open the user’s chosen default browser instead of Edge.
Putting it together: flags like msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB appear to represent an enablement where the Windows Search Box will open a query in the default browser using that browser’s default search engine—i.e., Google in Chrome—rather than redirecting to Bing in Edge. The flags that contain “ExplicitLaunch” vs. “WSBLaunch” likely capture different triggering contexts (explicit launch from the search box vs. other workflows). All of this is plausible given known internal naming patterns and the previous EEA changes Microsoft shipped.

Important caveat: flags are experiments, not releases​

Flags in Canary builds are routinely used for internal experiments and may never ship to stable releases as implemented. They can be introduced, renamed, or removed without public notice. The presence of a flag strongly suggests the company is exploring the capability, but it does not guarantee global rollout or parity with the EEA implementation. Reporters who discovered the flags warned that the functionality could remain an experiment. Treat the evidence as probable intent, not final behavior.

Why this matters: user experience and market implications​

For users: fewer friction points and better consistency​

If the flags represent a shipped change, the immediate benefit is simple: the Windows Search Box would finally behave like other system link handlers and respect your global defaults. That means:
  • Clicking a web result from Start / taskbar search would open in your chosen browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox).
  • The query would use the search engine you prefer (e.g., Google, DuckDuckGo) rather than being re‑routed to Bing.
  • The result would feel consistent across all system interactions, removing a longstanding annoyance for many power users.
This change reduces cognitive friction and restores expectations that "default" means default. It would be a meaningful usability win for millions who avoid the built‑in search flyout because it historically forced Edge/Bing.

For competition and market share​

The change would have both practical and symbolic significance. Practically, it removes one of the mechanisms Microsoft used to keep users within Edge/Bing. Symbolically, it signals a softening of the more aggressive UX nudges that led to negative headlines and regulatory attention. That said, Microsoft is simultaneously experimenting with other features—like targeted prompts to pin Edge for users who heavily use Chrome—which indicates the company is exploring a mix of compliance and growth tactics. Those pinning or “campaign” flags have their own privacy and telemetry implications.

For enterprises and admins​

Enterprises and IT administrators will want clarity about policy controls and group policy options. Microsoft maintains a robust policy surface for Edge and Windows that controls search and searchbar behavior; documentation for Edge policies (for example, the SearchbarAllowed policy) shows Microsoft can gate and configure search bar behavior by policy. If this Windows Search hand‑off becomes a consumer and enterprise setting, admins will demand ADMX/GPO/Intune controls and clear documentation. Microsoft’s policy docs and the broader M365 change logs suggest administrators are already in scope for related search behavior changes (e.g., the retirement of Microsoft Search in Bing and redirection of work searches).

Regulatory context: why the EEA matters and what Microsoft already changed there​

The European Economic Area’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced big platform vendors to give users more control over defaults and how core system components interact with third‑party apps. Microsoft’s EEA changes—announced on the Windows Insider blog—explicitly modify default browser behavior, allow third‑party search providers to integrate more directly into Windows Search, and ensure Microsoft apps open links with the system default browser in the EEA. Those changes are publicly documented and already rolling through Insider channels and retail updates in EEA markets.
Because Microsoft applied these changes selectively—EEA first—reporters and users outside Europe have been watching for whether and when Microsoft will follow suit globally. The Edge Canary flags can be read as exploratory steps toward either a global rollout or a configurable option that mirrors EEA behavior. But Microsoft’s EEA changes were explicitly tied to DMA compliance; expanding the behavior outside the EEA would be a business decision rather than a regulatory obligation.

Technical and policy details: what to watch for​

What to expect if the feature ships​

  • A new setting in Settings > Privacy & search or Defaults that controls whether system-level web links open in the default browser and use the default search engine.
  • Updates to Edge policies and ADMX templates to let IT admins control the hand-off behavior.
  • Possible toggles in the Windows Search UI (scopes or configuration that picks the preferred web provider).
  • Edge releases that either remove or rework the experimental flags and add a supported UI or policy counterpart.
Microsoft’s existing updates for the EEA included policy and product changes for how default browsers are set and how Store apps behave; this suggests the company has the engineering and documentation machinery to roll out similar changes with enterprise controls.

What remains unverified or unknown​

  • Whether these Canary flags will reach Beta/Dev channels, and whether they will become stable features. Canary flags alone are suggestive but not definitive.
  • The precise UX: will the hand‑off occur only for “explicit” queries typed in the taskbar, or will it also affect contextual links inside search results, previews, and “web result” cards? The flag names hint at distinct triggers (explicit vs. WSB) but don’t document behavior.
  • Telemetry and privacy behavior: whether the selection logic that triggers prompts (e.g., the Edge pinning experiments) requires collecting usage signals that users or regulators might find intrusive. Several past experiments used heuristic thresholds (e.g., Chrome usage >90%) to trigger special UI, which led to privacy concerns.

Strengths of the change (if implemented cleanly)​

  • Restores user trust by making defaults meaningful and predictable; this will make Windows feel less coercive.
  • Improves accessibility for users who choose Chrome/Firefox and rely on integrated search, reducing the need for third‑party hacks and workarounds.
  • Aligns with regulatory expectations where Microsoft already changed behavior in the EEA; a global rollout would reduce fragmentation and simplify support.
  • Reduces friction for workflows that cross device/browser boundaries—links launching in the expected browser is a straightforward usability improvement.

Risks, unanswered questions, and potential user harms​

  • Experimentation vs. privacy: Microsoft has previously used usage signals to decide when to show nudges and pinning prompts. If the hand‑off or any prompts rely on behavioral telemetry, privacy advocates will scrutinize the data collection and thresholds. Evidence of flags aiming to “optimize” pinning based on Chrome usage suggests Microsoft still considers telemetry-driven campaigns. Transparent documentation and opt‑out controls will be essential.
  • Partial or confusing rollout: If behavior differs by region (EEA vs. non‑EEA) or by Insider channel, consumers and support teams could face inconsistent experiences. Microsoft historically rolls out region‑specific changes for regulatory reasons; a half-rolled or poorly explained global change would create support friction.
  • Policy and enterprise complexity: Enterprises will want deterministic controls. If Microsoft exposes hand‑off behavior only through flags or opaque telemetry, admins will complain. Proper GPO/Intune management controls must be provided to avoid surprise changes in managed environments.
  • Potential for continued nudges: Even as Microsoft enables default‑respecting behavior, other experiments (Edge pin prompts, targeted campaigns) may continue to appear. That could feel like a “one step forward, one step sideways” outcome for users who want a clean separation.
  • Ambiguity around Microsoft Search retirement: Microsoft retired Microsoft Search in Bing for organizations in 2025 and redirected work/school search flows to M365.cloud.microsoft and SharePoint. The evolving mix of search endpoints is complex and could create confusion where consumer, business, and “system” search experiences diverge. Enterprise admins should watch for documentation clarifying how default browser/search hand‑offs interact with organization‑scoped results.

How to follow and validate the change yourself​

  • Install Microsoft Edge Canary (if you want to watch the work in progress).
  • Open edge://flags and search for flags containing “msWSB” or “NonBingDSE” to see whether the experimental identifiers appear in your build. Be prepared for flags to exist with no functional behavior.
  • Monitor the Windows Insider Blog and Microsoft’s official release notes for definitive EEA and global changes. Microsoft’s blog posts documented the EEA changes and the Edge version that began respecting defaults there.
  • Watch major Windows coverage outlets that track Canary flag discoveries and provide practical explanations and demos; these outlets often reproduce the flag names and show short demos when the behavior works in a given build.
Note: enabling flags in Canary is for enthusiasts and testers; do not expect Canary flags to reflect final UX or to have enterprise support or documentation. Treat Canary as a laboratory, not a promise.

What this means for the broader browser/search landscape​

  • If Microsoft follows through and introduces a clean, supported way for Windows Search to respect defaults globally, it reduces an advantage Edge/Bing had by virtue of being the system‑preferred path. That could modestly lower the volume of users passively steered to Microsoft offerings and reinforce the role of browser vendors and search providers in competing on product merits rather than system integration alone.
  • Conversely, Microsoft’s continued appetite for nudges (pin prompts, targeted UI for heavy Chrome users) shows it will still actively try to grow Edge usage. The presence of both behaviors—default respect alongside promotional campaigns—means the market will be shaped by both product competition and careful UX nudging. Users and regulators should therefore evaluate both the enabling changes and the surrounding campaigns.

Bottom line and outlook​

The Edge Canary flags are the clearest technical hint yet that Microsoft is actively experimenting with making Windows Search respect a user’s default browser and default search engine outside of the EEA. That would fix a long‑standing annoyance for many Windows users and align Windows behavior with user expectations about defaults. The change would also dovetail with Microsoft’s EEA DMA work and the company’s broader updates to search behavior.
However, Canary flags are experiments—not guarantees—and Microsoft’s simultaneous testing of targeted promotions for Edge indicates the company will continue to balance regulatory compliance, user experience, and business incentives. The final outcome will hinge on whether Microsoft releases the feature with clear settings, administrative controls, and transparent telemetry policies. Users and admins should watch for official announcements, documented controls, and concrete rollout timelines in Beta/Dev channels or official Windows Insider and Edge release notes.

Quick takeaway (for readers who want the headline)​

  • Experimental Edge Canary flags suggest Windows 11’s taskbar search could be changed to open queries in your default browser and default search engine instead of forcing Edge and Bing.
  • This matches behavior Microsoft already implemented in the EEA for DMA compliance; the Canary traces may indicate a plan to broaden or configurableize that behavior.
  • The change is promising for user choice, but it remains experimental; watch for official Microsoft rollout notes, enterprise policy support, and clear privacy documentation before assuming the behavior is final.
The practical era where the Windows taskbar politely honors your browser and search choice may be arriving—but only time, documented releases, and policy controls will show whether Microsoft ships it cleanly and transparently.

Source: Windows Central Microsoft might finally let Windows 11's search box use Google and Chrome instead of Bing and Edge