Microsoft Wants to Force Windows 10 Mail Users to Open Links in Edge

Megalith

Megalith

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In the company’s latest attempt to switch people over to its browser, Microsoft is testing a feature that forces users of the Windows 10 Mail app to open links in Edge, regardless of their default browser settings. Feedback from the Windows Insider community is being taken, but the change could very well be official.

This isn't the first time that Microsoft has done something like this with Windows 10. In April 2016, it announced that Cortana will be locked down so that it will only work with Bing and Edge. Then, last May when the company launched Windows 10 S, it confirmed that users won't even have the option to switch their default browser or search engine on the new SKU of the OS.
 
The last Windows 10 update fucks with me. Keeps putting the Windows store icon back on my taskbar when I took the time to remove it. Also the damn thing puts gigs worth of shit in a folder called Windows.old. What da fuck, did I just update Windows 10 to a whole new version? But yea everything I did basically resets the machine to like a fresh install. But luckily for me I only use Windows to play games. Serious business gets done on Linux.
 
Arg, just fucking stupid Microsoft. I'm guessing through the magic of telemetry Microsoft sees a lot of use of the mail app. It started out rough like a lot of the inbox apps but I think now it's a solid and simple email client that's fine for average use. But the only reason to do this is to boost Edge usage and while I like Edge overall I know it ain't popular. I've left my feedback and emailed some people at Microsoft that support us at the bank and let them know this is a stupid move.
 
Someone will find a way around this, and I will happily do whatever it takes to avoid edge and bing. This is shady .
 
brentsg said:
Easy solution, when you are turning off Cortana and installing Chrome, just go ahead and install a good mail app too.
Click to expand...

That's the frustrating part of this from my perspective. The included mail app is good for basic email users, or was until this.
 
No sympathy from me. If you want to be a trailer park wife to Microsoft you get what's coming to you. What did you expect ? To be treated with respect by those you paid money to ? Their mail app is shit anyway.
 
I agree with the sentiment of "Who the fuck uses the Windows mail app?". Probably the same people who are on home edition and we are glad their are forced into auto updates because they were the self same idiots with WinXP boxes that were 3+ years out of date and just hubs of malware. That said, yet another reason I hang on to Outlook 2010..other than it being pretty much the best version as no version past has had any meaningful features added.
 
It is on a look ahead so, no worries. I use the Mail App every single day, simple because it works. If they actually go through with this change, I will just have to switch to another email client. Heck, for all we know, this may be just a Windows S Mode thing but, we will see. Oh, and for those who are screaming anti trust, when are we going to get that iOS one for not being able to choose any defaults other than the ones Apple says you will use and tough if you want to do otherwise?

It is their built in email client, they can do whatever they please with it, even if it blows up in their face.
 
ManofGod said:
What version of Outlook and what version of Windows? I have yet to see that behavior, even from Outlook.com, which I just tried.
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Same here. I am using Outlook 2016 and it just opens links in whatever browser is my default one. Outlook did in the past tend to try and open .pdf files in Edge rather than the program I had set as the default for them, but it no longer exhibits that behavior.
 
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Gigus Fire said:
LOL
Force
windows 10 mail app
Who the fuck uses windows 10 mail app?
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The precedent and implications here are bigger than just a mail app.

It started with GWX forcefully spreading Windows 10 through deception and UI trickery, continued with forced updates; then MS began blocking the ability to uninstall store apps, and then began removing or ignoring group policy objects that had allowed users to dial back some of the intrusiveness.

Then they couldn't get OEMs to hang themselves with putting the limited Windows S edition on their laptops, so they moved store-only mode into regular SKUs as "S Mode" instead. But it's "just an option" (for now), so don't worry. And all the while they ignore continuing, widespread requests for a telemetry opt out.

Slowly they're chipping away at what attracted most of us longtime users to Windows in the first place. Each small change can be written off as "no big deal, it's just one thing, it's just the mail app today", but zoomed out and taken as a whole, it's both disturbing and sad.

It's very hard to imagine anyone at MS actually going home feeling proud of the work they're doing here.
 
Last edited:
It does a pretty good job at installing Chrome and FireFox. It's not like Linux where I can just do "sudo apt-get install firefox" and call it a day.

rick-and-morty___edge_purpose.jpg
 
windows 10 is garbage
absolute garbage.

im running it on 4 boxes now unfortunately. there is so much bloat and bullshit tracking, forced updates, breaking/resetting drivers after an update etc etc etc etc
 
Madoc said:
Install Win 7.
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Or 8.1 with classicshell and updates blocked. Best of both worlds - the kernel improvements without all the data collection, forced updates and feature removals. Plays all the same Steam games.

Funny to think there was a time we believed Windows couldn't possibly get any worse than 8.
 
odditory said:
Or 8.1 with classicshell and updates blocked. Best of both worlds - the kernel improvements without all the data collection, forced updates and feature removals. Plays all the same Steam games.

Funny to think there was a time we believed Windows couldn't possibly get any worse than 8.
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Clearly you don't understand that Windows 10 is free, and free is better, or so I've been told multiple times in this forum and others. /s
 
I only use Windows 8.1 in my house and run Windows 10 Enterprise at work so....*shrugs*
Not a Windows 10 hater, but forced updates makes it a no no for me
 
odditory said:
The precedent and implications here are bigger than just a mail app.

It started with GWX forcefully spreading Windows 10 through deception and UI trickery, continued with forced updates; then MS began blocking the ability to uninstall store apps, and then began removing or ignoring group policy objects that had allowed users to dial back some of the intrusiveness.

Then they couldn't get OEMs to hang themselves with putting the limited Windows S edition on their laptops, so they moved store-only mode into regular SKUs as "S Mode" instead. But it's "just an option" (for now), so don't worry. And all the while they ignore continuing, widespread requests for a telemetry opt out.

Slowly they're chipping away at what attracted most of us longtime users to Windows in the first place. Each small change can be written off as "no big deal, it's just one thing, it's just the mail app today", but zoomed out and taken as a whole, it's both disturbing and sad.

It's very hard to imagine anyone at MS actually going home feeling proud of the work they're doing here.
Click to expand...


The game was over when they took away the users ability to be full admin. Once we couldnt issue commands to make windows eat itself, we lost.
 
not sure if I saw things right over time but if memory serves, Chrome offered me the auto-saving of the bookmark bar links before Microsoft did. I like having my links show up automatically after an OS install so that pretty much sealed the deal for me.
 
odditory said:
Or 8.1 with classicshell and updates blocked. Best of both worlds - the kernel improvements without all the data collection, forced updates and feature removals. Plays all the same Steam games.

Funny to think there was a time we believed Windows couldn't possibly get any worse than 8.
Click to expand...

Windows 7 & 8.1 aren't going to last forever. I'm happy to blast Microsoft on this one, I think t's a fucking stupid idea and I actually use this mail app. Personally I don't think I've had any more problems with Windows 10 than prior versions and we are migrating to it at work. Looks like our group is on the radar this summer.

I'm honestly at a loss here. What I am supposed to use on my PCs that supports all that I do and isn't an obsolete version of Windows that's going away and doesn't work as well on tablets and convertibles. I just what the OS that works for all that I do without all the nonsense.
 
I foresaw this kind of BS when they introduced Windows 8. After a few weeks of Win 8 I start looking at alternatives for any of the Windows applications I was using. I started migrating to applications that were available under Linux and under Windows, things like Firefox, Thunderbird, g++, Octave, jEdit, Libre Office, etc. By the time Win 10 came out I setup my desktop and laptop to dual boot Linux and Windows 10. Linux for all my general computing/programming needs and Windows 10 for my Steam games (that aren't under Linux yet). To tell you the truth, Linux maintenance has been much easier than Windows 10 maintenance.
 
There must be a 3rd party program you can use with windows 10. To do things like preserve settings after a patch. Make it easier to disable auto update, instead of doing it manually, etc?

I take it a windows 10 update is the same as installing a new version?
 
I haven't used a MS mail product on the home front in 14 years! From a business perspective, still waiting for customers to upgrade internal applications to be Windows 10 compliant, i.e., work without issues, before making the move from Windows 7/8.1. I'm sure this will become a huge topic of discussion in the once a month tech review our customer holds with us, as they freak if certain customization options are locked down. Out of eight client builds, only one has IE set as default and selectable from either the desktop or Start Menu. Thanks MS for making the 26th that much more painful!
 
Win 7 will be likely be a viable OS for several years after Microsoft ends support. Most threats these days seem to involve attacks via browsers or third party programs, or require physical access to the machine. As long as you stay current on your 3rd party software updates, maintain your edge security device, and whatever malware detection software you prefer you will be safe from most threats. At some point, game makers and others will quit supporting Win 7 and then some alternative will have to be chosen.
 
pcgeekesq said:
Office 2013 on Windows 10.
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Outlook 2013 here and I've never had that problem. Opens firefox, the default just fine. Maybe your default apps settings got borked somehow. Every update resets my settings, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's what happened.
 
I own my computer, I pay all the costs, stay out of my way.
 
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