Windows 11 Taskbar Search May Finally Respect Your Default Browser and Engine

Microsoft’s recent moves in Canary and Insider channels suggest the long‑running tug‑of‑war over whether Windows 11 will keep forcing Edge and Bing for taskbar searches may finally be loosening — but the change is still an experiment, regionally motivated, and far from guaranteed to ship globally unchanged.

Background / Overview​

Microsoft’s Windows Search has long been a hybrid: an on‑device index for apps, files, and settings paired with web results served through Microsoft’s own stack. For many users outside the European Economic Area (EEA), a query typed into the Windows 11 taskbar has historically returned web results that open in Microsoft Edge and default to Bing — even when Chrome or Firefox is the system default browser. That behavior has been a frequent frustration for power users, enterprises, and privacy‑minded customers.
Regulatory pressure from the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) pushed Microsoft to change some of this behavior in EEA markets. Microsoft publicly documented a set of EEA‑specific updates — including making third‑party web search providers available in Windows Search and ensuring several shell components open web content with the system default browser in the EEA — in a Windows Insider blog post dated June 2, 2025.
Independent reporting and reverse‑engineering of Edge Canary builds in late September 2025 uncovered a set of experimental feature flags whose names strongly imply Windows Search may be able to launch web results using the system default browser and the system default search engine. Those discoveries indicate Microsoft is actively experimenting with honoring user defaults outside the EEA as well — or at least exploring a configurable approach.

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What was discovered in Edge Canary​

The flags, in plain language​

Researchers and reporters who inspect Edge Canary’s internal flags found entries with descriptive names such as:

• msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE
• msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB
• msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
• msExplicitLaunchNonBingDSE
• msExplicitLaunchNonEdgeDB
• msEdgeSearchboxHandlerSendsFaviconData

The most natural interpretation of those tokens is:

• WSB = Windows Search Bar (the taskbar/start search box)
• DSE = Default Search Engine
• DB = Default Browser

If read literarily, the flags imply toggles to launch Windows Search web results in a non‑Bing DSE (use Google, DuckDuckGo, etc.), in a non‑Edge DB (open Chrome, Firefox, etc.), or both. That would change the long‑standing behavior where many system links and search results get funnelled into Edge + Bing.

What the flags do not prove​

Finding flags in Canary is a credible engineering signal, but it’s not a shipping promise. Flags are lab experiments: names can be misleading, behavior may be incomplete, and many flags never reach Beta/Release channels. There is no authoritative Microsoft documentation confirming these specific flags will become a supported, global setting. Treat the Canary flag names as an early indicator of intent rather than a feature spec.

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Why the EEA matters — legal and engineering context​

The DMA created a hard regulatory incentive for Microsoft to alter default‑respect behaviors in the EEA. Microsoft’s Windows Insider post explicitly lays out the changes being applied in EEA markets: broader default browser coverage for link and file types, the Microsoft Bing app opening things in the default browser in the EEA, and Start / Widgets behavior updated to respect defaults. The EEA changes began rolling through Insider builds and retail channels in mid‑2025. If Microsoft did the engineering work for EEA compliance, the same technical pathway could be reused to enable similar behavior globally — but that is a business decision, not a legal requirement outside the EEA.
Cross‑checking public reporting (Windows Central, The Verge) shows the EEA rollout was widely confirmed and produced measurable UI changes and policy updates in Edge releases (for example, Edge version 137.0.3296.52 included changes related to prompting behavior). Those sources corroborate Microsoft’s own announcement that the EEA is receiving a distinct, DMA‑driven experience.

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Technical implications and unknowns​

What this would mean for users (if implemented)​

• A search typed in the taskbar could open in your chosen default browser (Chrome, Firefox, Brave), not automatically launching Edge.
• The launched query could use your chosen default search engine (Google, DuckDuckGo, Startpage) instead of Bing.
• The overall UX would align with modern expectations: default means default, restoring consistency across clicks and shell‑launched web content.

This is a straightforward user‑experience win for people who deliberately select an alternative browser and search engine. It would also reduce reliance on brittle third‑party workarounds that intercept and redirect system search links.

Telemetry, proxying, and data flow — the big caveat​

One critical technical unknown is how Windows would hand off queries. Would Windows Search simply construct a URL and let the chosen browser handle it end‑to‑end, or would Microsoft still proxy or enrich queries via its servers (for telemetry, ranking, or “enrichment” features) before redirecting to the default browser? The Canary flag names do not document telemetry behavior, and current reports caution that telemetry and data‑flow details remain unverified. Until Microsoft publishes implementation details or code paths, privacy‑sensitive users should treat telemetry claims as provisional.

Enterprise and compatibility concerns​

Redirecting shell‑level web links into third‑party browsers is not purely cosmetic. Enterprises expecting Edge to mediate SSO, conditional access, or web filtering may encounter compatibility issues if the OS begins opening links in unmanaged browsers. Administrators will expect:

• ADMX/GPO and Intune controls to enforce behavior at scale.
• Documentation on how search hand‑offs interact with managed browser policies, extension behavior, and corporate SSO flows.
• Clarity on telemetry and logging for auditing and compliance.

Early community writeups and forum threads emphasize the need for staged policy rollouts and clear management templates before enterprise‑scale deployment.

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The broader product and business picture​

Microsoft has two incentives pulling in different directions.

• On the compliance and UX side, respecting defaults reduces friction, avoids regulatory risk in the EEA, and addresses a long‑standing complaint.
• On the business side, Edge + Bing are strategic products: driving users into Edge supports Bing revenue and data collection, as well as Microsoft’s broader web ecosystem and AI integrations.

That tension helps explain the mixed signals: while the company appears to be engineering a path to respect defaults (at least as an option), other experiments inside Edge Canary show continued interest in nudging users toward Edge (for example, campaign flags that present “Pin Edge” prompts to heavy Chrome users). The practical upshot is likely to be a compromise: Windows may let defaults be honored while Edge continues to run targeted promotion experiments in other places.

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How to verify or test the behavior now (for enthusiasts and IT)​

If you want to watch the engineering work and test it yourself, follow cautious, staged steps. Do not use Canary flags on production machines.

• Install Microsoft Edge Canary (beware: experimental builds are unstable).
• Open edge://flags and search for tokens such as:
• msWSBLaunchNonBingDSE
• msWSBLaunchNonEdgeDB
• msWSBLaunchNonBingDSEAndNonEdgeDB
• If present, enable the relevant flags and restart Edge.
• Set your preferred browser as the default in Windows Settings and set the preferred default search engine in that browser.
• Use the taskbar / Start search and click a web result. Observe:
• Which browser opens
• Which search engine is used
• Whether any intermediary Microsoft processes appear in diagnostic logs

Community testers have documented similar steps for prior experiments; however, flags can change names or be removed at any time, and enabling Canary flags may destabilize browsing and system behavior. Back up machines and do testing only in isolated lab environments.

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Practical guidance for users today​

• If you need to avoid Edge/Bing today, you still have options:
• Set your default browser and search engine system‑wide (Settings > Apps > Default apps). In the EEA, Microsoft’s changes make this more comprehensive, and the browser may even be pinned to the taskbar during setup.
• Use proven community tools and registry workarounds with caution; they can break with Windows updates and are unsupported in enterprise contexts.
• For privacy‑oriented searches, use browsers that let you choose a non‑Bing default engine and confirm that browser is set as Windows’ default for http/https handling.
• If you’re in an enterprise, do not rely on Canary behavior. Instead:
• Monitor Insider and Beta release notes for a formal Feature ID and ADMX/Intune policy updates.
• Prepare lab tests for SSO, conditional access, and URL filtering scenarios once a Beta channel release appears.
• Ask vendor partners (CASB, web filtering, SSO) how they expect shell‑level changes to interact with managed browsers and agent‑based controls.

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Strengths of Microsoft’s potential change​

• Restores expected behavior: honoring system defaults is consistent with modern OS design and user expectations.
• Reduces brittle workarounds: an official path makes third‑party redirection tools unnecessary and more reliable.
• Aligns with regulatory precedent: Microsoft has already done the engineering for the EEA; extending that to other regions is feasible from a technical perspective.

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Risks and unanswered questions​

• Telemetry and privacy: It is not yet verified whether Windows Search will still proxy or enrich queries through Microsoft services before handing them off. Privacy‑minded users should remain cautious until Microsoft publishes implementation details.
• Fragmented experience: Different browsers and search engines provide different features and results — sending Windows shell links to varied engines may yield inconsistent experiences across devices.
• Enterprise disruption: SSO flows, extension‑based protections, and corporate filtering may behave differently if links open in non‑managed browsers.
• Partial rollouts and region gating: Microsoft’s EEA‑first approach means other regions may lag or receive a different feature set; Canary flags do not guarantee global rollout.

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Editorial analysis — what this change would actually mean for Windows’ ecosystem​

Restoring default respect in Windows Search is as much symbolic as it is practical. For years, the narrative that Windows nudged users to Edge/Bing has fed wider criticism that Microsoft leverages OS integration to protect product market share. Enabling the taskbar search to open a user’s browser/search combo would remove a conspicuous example of that behavior.
But it would not end Microsoft’s ability to promote Edge. The company retains many channels (setup flows, UI prompts, New Tab pages, targeted campaigns inside Edge) to encourage migration. What would change is the baseline expectation for users: a clicked link from the shell would no longer be presumed to belong in Edge. That is a meaningful shift, but not a complete reversal of Microsoft’s business strategy.
From a competition perspective, this move would lower a friction point for rival browser and search vendors and could modestly reduce Edge/Bing’s passive user acquisition from system flows. But feature parity — and user habit — still drive browser choice far more than a single system behavior.
Finally, the way Microsoft communicates this change matters. A transparent, documented rollout with clear policy knobs for admins and explicit privacy details would build trust. A piecemeal rollout accompanied by more aggressive Edge promo experiments would create the impression of a company complying only where required while continuing to hunt for growth elsewhere. Early signals in Canary suggest the company is trying both routes at once — technical options to respect defaults and targeted UX experiments that promote Edge to specific user cohorts.

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What to watch next — signals that the experiment is becoming real​

• Promotion of the flags from Edge Canary to Dev/Beta, and ultimately documentation of a Feature ID in Windows Insider release notes.
• Microsoft publishing ADMX templates or Intune settings that let admins manage default‑respect behavior.
• Official Windows release notes or support documentation clarifying telemetry and data‑flow behavior for Windows Search hand‑offs.
• Widespread reports from users outside the EEA that their taskbar search now launches the default browser and search engine without using Edge/Bing.

Insider channel progression and Microsoft’s official blogs are the definitive signals; until then, Canary traces remain suggestive but not final.

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Conclusion​

The discovery of WSB‑flag names in Edge Canary is a welcome and plausible engineering route toward finally making Windows 11 taskbar search respect your default browser and default search engine. The change would align the OS with modern expectations and reduce a persistent annoyance. But this is still experimental work: flags in Canary indicate direction, not destination.
Two realities are clear: Microsoft already changed behavior in the EEA because of the DMA, and the company has the technical capability to extend that behavior. Whether Microsoft chooses to do so globally, and whether it provides transparent privacy guarantees and enterprise controls, remains to be seen.
For now, Windows users and IT professionals should watch Insider/Beta channels closely, test in isolated environments if curious, and temper optimism with the practical caution that Canary flags are fleeting. The promise of a Windows Search that honors your choices is tantalizing — but believe it only when Microsoft ships it with the policies, documentation, and controls that make it safe and consistent for everyone.

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Source: TechRadar Is Microsoft about to give Windows 11 users a break from Edge and Bing being shoved in their faces? We can but hope…