The issue occurs because of unsupported use of the registry."Īs for why Edge can make the registry changes denied to Google? Well, Edge is Microsoft's product, so it is obviously going to be far more compatible and understood by the Windows OS developers themselves who can work together internally to create a safe way for its browser to do things normally requiring higher level privileges when attempted by a third-party app. This is probably what Microsoft is referring to when it writes in one of the few notes on the update that "This update addresses a compatibility issue. So, Microsoft likely just determined that it needed to keep these kinds of registry changeable actions contained within Microsoft's own settings system, which is far more likely to be secure than some future version of Google Chrome. Google, meanwhile, would have to make edits to your OS registry files in order to set Chrome as the default web browsing app, and even though programs do this all the time when installing or uninstalling components, it's usually not as easy as a single button click outside of a Windows settings menu.Īnd while Google might have gotten away with its tool for several months, this is the kind of vector for security threats that will catch the attention of software security pros.Ĭhanging your default web browser from inside the browser itself isn't likely to pose any kind of threat, but good information and software security is preventative rather than reactive. This is not the kind of thing you mess around with willy-nilly, since screwing up your registry settings can cause all kinds of havoc and even brick your Windows install. html) is recorded in the OS's registry file system. In order to set the default app on Windows the user just toggles a couple of switches and goes about their browsing journey, but behind the scenes, the record of which app is the default app (opens in new tab) for opening files with specific extensions (like. So, is this a matter of Microsoft dinging its web browser rival? There's no way to assign that kind of motivation to a company of many thousands of people, but I'm inclined to believe that the issue with Default Browser-Gate isn't purely malice on Microsoft's part. With Microsoft Edge though, clicking the Set Default button in the Default Browser menu did in fact reset the default browser to Edge. You'd have to navigate down the app list, select Chrome, and at the top click the button that says Set Default.Īfter setting Google Chrome as the default browser, I tried to do the same thing through the Settings menu on Microsoft Edge. I can confirm that going into Chrome's settings and trying to set the default browser will force the Default App settings to open, but not actually change anything. Consumer versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 also seem to have been impacted by the April update, though its impact is more annoying than actively frustrating.įor regular customers, the update seems to have disabled Google Chrome's ability to set the default browser through the browser itself. ![]() He also is a fan of Magic the Gathering.While enterprise users seem to be the most severely impacted by this bug, they aren't the only ones. He is one of the few people who used Google Stadia, which he misses dearly. In his free time, he loves hiking and spending time with his family. When he's not writing, Zach works as an energy consultant. His current daily driver is a Pixel 7, and he writes all his articles on an HP Chromebook x2 12. Even though the rest of his family has switched to iPhones, he could never do it. Zach's first Android phone was a Motorola Droid Turbo 2 he got in 2016 after switching from an iPhone 5S. He holds a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering and a Master's in Energy Engineering, giving him unique insight into new renewable energy and battery technologies. Zach loves unique and fun hardware and software features as well as products with a sustainability focus. ![]() ![]() You'll find him writing how-to guides on these topics, but you may also see him dabble in other content areas. ![]() He specializes in Chromebooks, Android phones and apps, and Google products. Zach has been a fan of Android for a long time, and he became a freelance writer at Android Police in January 2022.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |