I am in the EU but unable to uninstall Edge?

Belinea · Sep 3, 2024

Hi all.

I have just installed Windows 11 23H2 Build 22631.2861 and as I am in Ireland (part of the EU) I am supposed to be able to uninstall Edge
but as the images below show, the option to uninstall is greyed out?

The Install was done using the international version of Windows 11 and the ISO was downloaded direct from MS.

I would be grateful for any assistance.

Thanks.

FreeBooter · Sep 3, 2024

Microsoft has made it very difficult to uninstall Edge browser, but using an open-source tool you can still manage to uninstall Edge browser from your system.

Belinea · Sep 3, 2024

FreeBooter said:
Microsoft has made it very difficult to uninstall Edge browser, but using an open-source tool you can still manage to uninstall Edge browser from your system.

That only applies to countrys out side of the EU due to a recent new Law called DRM
which has forced MS to either remove completely, or provided an uninstall method,
for all of the bloatware, bundled apps like skype, Amazon Prime and so on, all of the
adverts in the start bar - everything Gone.

And this includes Edge and anything Edge related. They can install it but they are
required by EU law to provide a way to uninstall it.

Same with the telemetry, that is now severely limited and user must be provided with
a clear and easy way to opt in, or opt out.

Having installed Win 11 today I can confirm that they appear to have complied with
everything except Edge unless I am missing the correct way to uninstall it.

FreeBooter · Sep 3, 2024

Belinea said:
That only applies to countrys out side of the EU due to a recent new Law called DRM
which has forced MS to either remove completely, or provided an uninstall method,
for all of the bloatware, bundled apps like skype, Amazon Prime and so on, all of the
adverts in the start bar - everything Gone.

And this includes Edge and anything Edge related. They can install it but they are
required by EU law to provide a way to uninstall it.

Same with the telemetry, that is now severely limited and user must be provided with
a clear and easy way to opt in, or opt out.

Having installed Win 11 today I can confirm that they appear to have complied with
everything except Edge unless I am missing the correct way to uninstall it.

Microsoft Edge is a not bloatware and Microsoft don't care what you think is a bloatware.

Berton · Sep 3, 2024

There can be a downside to removing Edge, many programs and some Web sites call for the discontinued Internet Explorer to which end there is a pointer in Windows that will open Edge when IE is called for. Test it by running iexplore.exe. WinKey + R

Belinea · Sep 3, 2024

FreeBooter said:
Microsoft Edge is a not bloatware and Microsoft don't care what you think is a bloatware.

What has your statement got to do with my question?
Your personal opinion has nothing to do with providing an answer to a legitimate question from a forum user.

For the record, it is not a case of what Microsoft thinks, they challanged the EU DRM law and lost.
They had a deadline imposed on them and that deadline has passed and they must allow Edge to be removed if a user wishes to do it.

Belinea · Sep 3, 2024

Berton said:
There can be a downside to removing Edge, many programs and some Web sites call for the discontinued Internet Explorer to which end there is a pointer in Windows that will open Edge when IE is called for. Test it by running iexplore.exe. WinKey + R

This is true and I can see your point but, the option to remove it if a user lives in the EU MUST be there.
I can also forsee that if Win 11 does not function 100% after Edge is removed, the EU will clamp down on that too.
It is all to do with anti-trust, breaking up market domination and DRM.
The EU is also taking action against amazon having already taken Apple to court and winning.

MS is a massive corporation but many countries and regions are clamping down on them and it is only going
to become worse for MS.

For example, apart from the EU countries, the International English version of Windows 11 has not bloat or 3rd party apps
as the countries for that edition has banned it by thier laws.

Belinea · Sep 3, 2024

Any hoo, none of this answers my question and this is a Windows 11 forum so....

garlin · Sep 3, 2024

Belinea said:
Hi all.

I have just installed Windows 11 23H2 Build 22631.2861 and as I am in Ireland (part of the EU) I am supposed to be able to uninstall Edge
but as the images below show, the option to uninstall is greyed out?

This requires updating to 22631.3235 (Feb 2024) or later. It doesn't work on a freshly installed .2861 image.

antspants · Sep 3, 2024

You can use this which will fix most issues arising from removing Edge, like the search result links that open Edge regardless of your default browser.

Release 0.7.5.3 - Discover and Hotfixes · rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect

0.7.5.3 comes with the following changes: Adds MSN Discover / "See More" Redirections Improves MS Edge Settings Query Validation Check Fixes Swapped Geo Values for HKEY_CURRENT_USER (Fixes Explore...

github.com

antspants · Sep 3, 2024

garlin said:
This requires updating to 22631.3235 (Feb 2024) or later. It doesn't work on a freshly installed .2861 image.

Nice

antspants · Sep 3, 2024

Welcome to the forums, Belinea

garlin · Sep 3, 2024

Belinea said:
That only applies to countrys out side of the EU due to a recent new Law called DRM
which has forced MS to either remove completely, or provided an uninstall method,
for all of the bloatware, bundled apps like skype, Amazon Prime and so on, all of the
adverts in the start bar - everything Gone.

DMA - Digital Markets Act. If you're making an argument, get it right.

antspants · Sep 3, 2024

antspants said:
You can use this which will fix most issues arising from removing Edge, like the search result links that open Edge regardless of your default browser.

Release 0.7.5.3 - Discover and Hotfixes · rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect

0.7.5.3 comes with the following changes: Adds MSN Discover / "See More" Redirections Improves MS Edge Settings Query Validation Check Fixes Swapped Geo Values for HKEY_CURRENT_USER (Fixes Explore...

github.com

Although I’d like to assume that once you have the correct version as Garlin has suggested and you remove Edge, that it will default to your selected browser without need of bypassing the Edge links.

Edge uses specific links to force Edge to be used. This can happen in Outlook, Teams or simply using search.

This is by design.

Some Windows features launch Edge instead of the user’s default browser · Issue #14 · mozilla/platform-tilt

There are at least three prominent Windows features that open URLs in Microsoft Edge and not in the current default browser. The user’s default browser choice should be respected when web pages are...

github.com

Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, and IT admins are angry

Microsoft is ignoring browser choice again

www.theverge.com

“It's the MICROSOFT-EDGE protocol (not the HTTP or HTTPS protocol), which will totally ignore the user's default browser selection and open the link using Edge”

microsoft-edge:https://blah.balh.blah
Or
microsoft-edge://

Edge uninstalled:

dacrone · Sep 3, 2024

antspants said:
Although I’d like to assume that once you have the correct version as Garlin has suggested and you remove Edge, that it will default to your selected browser without need of bypassing the Edge links.

Edge uses specific links to force Edge to be used. This can happen in Outlook, Teams or simply using search.

This is by design.

Some Windows features launch Edge instead of the user’s default browser · Issue #14 · mozilla/platform-tilt

There are at least three prominent Windows features that open URLs in Microsoft Edge and not in the current default browser. The user’s default browser choice should be respected when web pages are...

github.com

Microsoft is forcing Outlook and Teams to open links in Edge, and IT admins are angry

Microsoft is ignoring browser choice again

www.theverge.com

“It's the MICROSOFT-EDGE protocol (not the HTTP or HTTPS protocol), which will totally ignore the user's default browser selection and open the link using Edge”

microsoft-edge:https://blah.balh.blah
Or
microsoft-edge://

Edge uninstalled:

View attachment 107214

you can fix that

GitHub - rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect: A Tool to Redirect News, Search, Widgets, Weather and More to Your Default Browser

A Tool to Redirect News, Search, Widgets, Weather and More to Your Default Browser - rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect

github.com

abactuon · Sep 3, 2024

It worked for me when I made one for MS Edge:
Settings > Apps > Installed apps > : Modify
Then there was an option to delete it.
I don't know if it works now.
I don't live in Ireland...

glasskuter · Sep 3, 2024

Belinea said:
Any hoo, none of this answers my question and this is a Windows 11 forum so....

Yes, we are. We try to help with Windows 11 problems but we are in no way associated with Microsoft, just regular old users volunteering our time.
I'm sure @garlin knows his stuff. Once you're on the right version of Windows you will probably have the option to remove Edge in your country.

garlin · Sep 3, 2024

Under the Digital Markets Act, EU regulators decreed that MS provide the right to remove Edge browser, Bing search in the desktop, and OneDrive storage (along with Windows Backup App) products. MS had until March 2024 to comply.

Beginning in Nov 2023, hidden changes to allow those removals were rolled in the Monthly Updates. These changes were disabled, but available for private testing. Some tech journalists got the scoop and published articles on how to enable this feature early. In a nutshell, you need to enable a feature control (using ViveTool) and learn to hack the IntegratedServicesRegionPolicySet.json file.

The JSON policy lists a set of features like "Edge is uninstallable", and a worldwide default ("disabled"). EEA member countries were listed as exceptions to the default rule.

There were two different hacks for enabling Edge removals:

- Change your registry value for DeviceRegion to match one of the eligible countries (for example, US users switching to Ireland).

- Change the default state of each rule ("disabled" -> "enabled").

MS waited until Feb 2024 before unlocking the hidden changes for everyone at the same time. The simple answer is to install the current Monthly Update, which unlocks the mandated features. Or to use the previous hacks, if you can't or don't want to install Monthly Updates.

antspants · Sep 3, 2024

garlin said:
- Change your registry value for DeviceRegion

I think that was an option in MS Edge Redirect. I tried it then panicked when on reboot, Office started telling me I had new options.

Release 0.7.5.3 - Discover and Hotfixes · rcmaehl/MSEdgeRedirect

0.7.5.3 comes with the following changes: Adds MSN Discover / "See More" Redirections Improves MS Edge Settings Query Validation Check Fixes Swapped Geo Values for HKEY_CURRENT_USER (Fixes Explore...

github.com

Ghot · Sep 3, 2024

Hello @Belinea and welcome to ElevenForum.

See post #9 above.

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