EU DMA is working: Microsoft no longer imposes Edge, Store, Search etc.

[German]It's simply marvelous how the Digital Markets Act of the European Union (EU) works. Microsoft has now announced that it is changing its approach in Windows 10 and 11, no longer making Edge the default browser for users, making the Store uninstallable and adapting certain apps and the search function – but only for users in the EEA.

EU Digital Markets Act (DMA)

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is intended to ensure that larger online platforms are safe and fair. To this end, large online platforms that meet certain criteria are classified as gatekeepers. Details can be found on this page (and here).

Gatekeepers; source: EU Commission

As part of the DMA, the European Commission has designated 22 digital platforms as "gatekeepers", as they represent an important interface between companies and consumers with regard to central platform services. Microsoft is one of these gatekeepers.

However, the EU Commission later determined that both the Edge browser and search with Bing do not fall under the DMA (see Bing and Edge are probably not covered by the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA)).

I had therefore assumed that Microsoft would continue the game of forcing the Edge browser and Bing search on Windows users as standard via an update. But there were probably signals from Microsoft (perhaps due to competition complaints) to move on Bing and Edge and not push these features on its Windows users.

Microsoft's "move" for EEA users

In a blog post Updates to Windows for the Digital Markets Act, Microsoft announced changes to Windows and several apps for users in the EEA effective June 2, 2025. To comply with the requirements of the Digital Market Act, the Edge browser will no longer prompt users to install or use it. You can also uninstall the Store or ignore Bing as a search.

Changes to Edge

With Edge, the default settings for link types (.htm etc.) are no longer automatically changed to this browser. Anyone who installs and sets up another browser as the default browser under Windows 10/11 should be sure in future that this also applies to link types and protocols – and that Edge will not suddenly pop up when a link is clicked – unless the user explicitly sets this. It should also be possible to specify a PDF reader for .pdf files in the settings. This should already be implemented in certain beta versions of Windows 11.

Changes in Search

The Windows search also changes to the extent that Bing is not set above everything else. If the user registers a search provider (e.g. Google, DuckDuckGo etc.), this should be used in the search for web searches. This will already be implemented in Insider Previews of Windows 11 and will be rolled out generally at the end of June 2025.

Store can be uninstalled, changes to apps

More importantly, the Store in Windows can be uninstalled as an app. This brings Windows consumer versions closer to the Enterprise SKUs, where the Store and apps are missing.

The Microsoft Store can now be uninstalled by users in the EEA via the Start menu and Settings, just like other apps. If required, the Microsoft Store can be reinstalled later.

Microsoft is also making changes to various apps such as Microsoft Bing (opens search pages in the default browser), Edge (can be uninstalled, default settings can be changed) to meet the requirements. The Start Experiences app, which offers widgets and feeds in the Widgets Board and on the lock screen, now opens web content in the default browser. This change will be introduced in Windows 11 from June.

Only applies to Europeans in the EEA

These announced changes, the details of which can be found here, only apply to users in the EEA. EEA stands for European Economic Area and includes the EFTA states (Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway) without Switzerland in addition to the EU countries.