Amid the ongoing antitrust lawsuits on big tech firms in Europe, Microsoft has announced the measures it is taking to make Windows 11 compliant with the European Union's DMA (Digital Markets Act). The company is making several changes to its newest operating system, allowing users to choose between service providers and uninstall most pre-installed apps.
Microsoft has announced (via WindowsCentral) that it will let users uninstall the Edge web browser that comes pre-installed on Windows 11. Users will also be able to remove Bing Search from the Windows Search section. Users can also uninstall several pre-installed Microsoft (or partner) apps, and only a few apps can't be uninstalled, including File Explorer and Windows Phone Link.
Following an upcoming update, users will also be able to remove the MSN news feed from the widgets pane in Windows 11. So, users can keep using the widgets they need without all the news feeds and ads that currently make the widgets pane cluttered. So, you can now make your Galaxy Book laptop clutter-free and choose the apps of your choice as the default apps on your Windows 11 device.
However, Microsoft has made it clear that these changes will be made available only in the EEA (European Economic Area) region. So, it isn't clear whether such changes will be made available in other markets, including the US. The list of countries in the EEA are listed below.
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Republic of Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
While Microsoft has been offering users the choice to choose their preferred choice of default apps, Windows 11 sometimes resets those options and goes back to using the pre-installed apps. Microsoft has now announced that Windows 11 will now remember which apps users have chosen to be their default apps. Windows will now also ask whether users want their Windows 11 account to be synced with their Microsoft account.
